Burnett Unity Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Cookeville, TN EIN: 83-2702005

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Cookeville, Tennessee. Its 2025 filing reports support for religious activities, outdoor opportunities for disabled veterans and people with special needs, assistance for children with special needs, athletics, health services, shelter, and food assistance.

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: Burnett Unity Foundation Inc gave $571K across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $26K), mostly in Tennessee. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$571,100
+486.9% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
22
+37.5% vs 2024
Average grant
$25,959
+326.9% vs 2024
Median grant
$4,300
Total assets
$789,576
+64.1% vs 2024
Primary geography
Tennessee (96% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.

How to apply to Burnett Unity Foundation Inc

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.

Contact

Mailing address: 4420 Hilham Rd, Cookeville, TN 38506
Phone: (931) 260-0743

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Burnett Unity Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

The River Community Church: $400KThe River Community Church$400KBuck Lake Outdoors: $50KBuck Lake Outdoors$50KRising Above Ministries: $25KRising Above Ministries$25KTennessee Technological University Foundation: $20KTennessee TechnologicalUniversity Foundation$20KFellowship of Christian Athletes: $13KFellowship of ChristianAthletes$13KCookeville Pregnancy Clinic: $10KCookeville Pregnancy Clinic$10KCookeville Rescue Mission: $10KCookeville Rescue Mission$10KPioneer Church: $10KPioneer Church$10KStevens Street Care Ministry: $5KStevens Street Care Ministry$5KCookeville High School: $5KCookeville High School$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was The River Community Church ($400K). Together the top 10 received $548K.

Grant Size Distribution

54 grants across all recorded years

52<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K1$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 54 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee, 2% to recipients in Missouri, 2% to recipients in Oregon, and less than 1% to recipients in Kentucky.

Grant Distribution by State

6states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.

Cities

CookevilleKansas CitySmithvilleChattanoogaBrentwoodCorvallisSomersetBaxterCarol StreamChicagoKnoxvilleLivingstonMetuchenNashville

How Burnett Unity Foundation Inc gives

  • 55% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 2184% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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

$0$200K$400K$600K7 grants2020 4 grants2021 5 grants2022 7 grants2023 16 grants2024 22 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $25K (2022) to $571K (2025). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $571K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
The River Community Church Cookeville, TNPromote the Salvation Message Through Community Gatherings.$400,000
Buck Lake Outdoors Cookeville, TNProvide outdoor activities for disabled veterans and special needs individuals$50,000
Rising Above Ministries Cookeville, TNAssist Special Needs Children.$25,000
Tennessee Technological University Foundation Cookeville, TNPromote Cross Country Athletics$20,000
Fellowship of Christian Athletes Kansas City, MOPromote the Salvation Message to Athletes$13,000
Cookeville Pregnancy Clinic Cookeville, TNProvide Women's Health Services.$10,000
Cookeville Rescue Mission Cookeville, TNProvide Temporary Shelter for Homeless Individuals$10,000
Pioneer Church Corvallis, ORPromote the Salvation Message Through Community Gatherings.$10,000
Stevens Street Care Ministry Cookeville, TNProvide Food for Low Income Individuals.$5,000
Cookeville High School Cookeville, TNPromote Cross Country Athletics$5,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$789,576$887,815$579,296$571,10022$571,100$21,169$38,336
2024$481,057$160,144$102,064$97,30016$97,300$42,896$28,903
2023$459,980$-8,937$45,672$42,0007$42,000$6,004$22,351
2022$525,693$42,010$28,674$25,0005$25,000$4,608$21,980
2021$523,342$48,690$28,921$25,5004$25,500$18,655$24,562
2020$503,573$38,889$27,830$27,7507—$13,889$24,181

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Burnett Unity Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $38K 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 grants show support for community religious gatherings and sharing the Christian salvation message, outdoor activities for disabled veterans and people with special needs, and assistance for children with special needs, among other purposes.

The foundation’s grantees describe their own missions as follows: Tennessee Technological University Foundation says it provides guidance and assistance for private gift support for Tennessee Tech; Fellowship of Christian Athletes says it aims to lead coaches and athletes into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and his church; and Lighthouse Christian Camp says it provides a Christian camp for disadvantaged children.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 22 grants totaling $571,100. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $400,000, with a median of $4,300.

Notable grants included $400,000 to The River Community Church to promote the salvation message through community gatherings; $50,000 to Buck Lake Outdoors for outdoor activities for disabled veterans and people with special needs; and $25,000 to Rising Above Ministries to assist children with special needs. Other grants included $20,000 to Tennessee Technological University Foundation for cross-country athletics and $13,000 to Fellowship of Christian Athletes to promote the salvation message to athletes.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists David Burnett and Alice Burnett as trustees.

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Alice Burnett

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • David Burnett

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Burnett Unity Foundation Inc

How much does Burnett Unity Foundation Inc give each year?

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc gave $571K across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $97K across 16 grants.

What is Burnett Unity Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $4,300, and its average grant was $25,959, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Burnett Unity Foundation Inc give grants?

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc gives mostly in Tennessee: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Cookeville, TN (14 grants).

Does Burnett Unity Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on Burnett Unity Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Promote Cross Country Athletics" (3 grants).

Who are Burnett Unity Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include The River Community Church ($400,000), Buck Lake Outdoors ($50,000) and Rising Above Ministries ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 83% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Burnett Unity Foundation Inc?

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc reported $790K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $571K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $38K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Burnett Unity Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for community religious gatherings and sharing the Christian salvation message, outdoor activities for disabled veterans and people with special needs, and assistance for children with special needs, among other purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Burnett Unity Foundation Inc?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Burnett Unity Foundation Inc's EIN?

Burnett Unity Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-2702005. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Burnett Unity Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?

No, 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

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 30, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 6, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 24, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 8, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Burnett Unity Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/burnett-unity-foundation-inc-morg_bc12580192f6469c810185483b1fce23

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_832702005_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Burnett Unity Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/burnett-unity-foundation-inc-morg_bc12580192f6469c810185483b1fce23},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Burnett Unity Foundation Inc'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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