Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Nashville, Tennessee. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations in Tennessee, including schools, arts and cultural organizations, and other nonprofits.
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust gave $1.0M across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $36K), mostly in Tennessee. 14% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,002,492
- +16.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 28
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $35,803
- +16.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $7,530,997
- -5.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 14% first-time grantees (4 of 28, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. The filing instructs applicants to contact Blair J Wilson with a letter describing the purpose, need, and budget. Awards are restricted to 501(c)(3) organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Blair J Wilson
Mailing address: 104 Woodmont Blvd Suite 310, Nashville, TN 37205
Phone: (615) 352-2080
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cheekwood ($450K). Together the top 10 received $850K.
Grant Size Distribution
138 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 114 grants of 138 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
14%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 28 grantees (14%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $41K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 32% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 89% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $609K (2021) to $1.0M (2025). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $1.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cheekwood Nashville, TN | General Use | $450,000 |
| Kipp Academy Nashville, TN | General Use | $100,000 |
| Lead Academy Nashville, TN | General Use | $50,000 |
| Nashville Classical Nashville, TN | General Use | $50,000 |
| Teach for America Nashville, TN | General Use | $50,000 |
| Valor Collegiate Nashville, TN | General Use | $50,000 |
| East End Prep Nashville, TN | General Use | $25,000 |
| Purpose Prep Nashville, TN | General Use | $25,000 |
| Rocketship Public Schools Nashville, TN | General Use | $25,000 |
| Vanderbilt Psychiatric Nashville, TN | General Use | $25,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,530,997 | $564,882 | $1,027,025 | $1,002,492 | 28 | $1,010,992 | $551,553 | $1,133,895 |
| 2024 | $7,986,984 | $1,306,947 | $890,908 | $860,649 | 28 | $861,899 | $541,938 | $1,009,742 |
| 2023 | $7,568,272 | $538,482 | $844,747 | $825,634 | 30 | $827,034 | $537,082 | $856,049 |
| 2022 | $7,871,947 | $1,090,507 | $769,753 | $758,657 | 26 | $759,707 | $489,457 | $826,684 |
| 2021 | $7,574,004 | $533,022 | $617,920 | $608,906 | 26 | $609,856 | $532,072 | $759,607 |
| 2020 | $7,658,902 | $826,355 | $633,669 | $627,419 | 16 | — | $425,455 | $609,806 |
| 2019 | $7,466,216 | $445,862 | $617,871 | $611,025 | 15 | — | $445,012 | $628,269 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $1.1M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose own missions reflect a range of activities. Tennessee Nature Academy describes its mission as cultivating young people who are knowledgeable about the world, passionate about the outdoors, and motivated to do good work. STEM Preparatory Academy says it provides college-preparatory education with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Aventura Community School says its mission is to elevate peace and justice by inspiring curious global citizens. University School of Nashville describes its work as fostering students’ intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 28 grants totaling $1,002,492. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $450,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest awards included $450,000 to Cheekwood, $100,000 to KIPP Academy, and $50,000 each to LEAD Academy, Nashville Classical, Teach For America, and Valor Collegiate. Each was listed for general use.
Other reported awards included $25,000 each to East End Prep, Purpose Prep, Rocketship Public Schools, and Vanderbilt Psychiatric; $20,000 each to Boy Scouts and Tennessee Nature Academy; $10,000 each to STEM Preparatory Academy and Aventura Community School; and $5,000 to University School of Nashville.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Blair J Wilson is listed as trustee and foundation manager on the 2025 filing.
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust is led by Blair J. Wilson, Trustee & Foundation Manager on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Blair J. Wilson
Trustee & Foundation Manager
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust
How much does Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust give each year?
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust gave $1.0M across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $861K across 28 grants.
What is Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $35,803, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust that year got $7K on average.
Where does Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust give grants?
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust gives mostly in Tennessee: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (25 grants).
Does Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (28 of 28) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Cheekwood ($450,000), Kipp Academy ($100,000) and Lead Academy ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust?
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust reported $7.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose own missions reflect a range of activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's EIN?
Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-1498117. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 4, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 28, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
Live grants for the work Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/blair-j-wilson-charitable-trust-morg_61ab238350c14886816ddd02dbfc0726
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_621498117_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/blair-j-wilson-charitable-trust-morg_61ab238350c14886816ddd02dbfc0726},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Blair J Wilson Charitable Trust's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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