Governor's Early Literacy Foundation
THE MISSION OF GOVERNOR'S EARLY LITERACY FOUNDATION (GELF) IS TO STRENGTHEN EARLY LITERACY IN TENNESSEE. GELF EQUIPS TENNESSEE'S CHILDREN WITH BOOKS AND INNOVATIVE LITERACY TOOLS THAT ENCOURAGE LIFELONG LEARNING FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE. WE DO THIS BY SERVING AS A THOUGHT LEADER, ADVISOR, AND CATALYST TO SUSTAIN EARLY LITERACY PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN ACROSS THE STATE, INCLUDING BIRTH-5 BOOK DELIVERY, K-3 HOME LIBRARIES, CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT, STORYBOOK TRAILS, BOOK BUSES, AND THE STATEWIDE EARLY LITERACY EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE OF TENNESSEE.WE DO THIS BY SERVING AS A THOUGHT LEADER, ADVISOR, AND CATALYST TO SUSTAIN EARLY LITERACY PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN ACCROSS THE STATE, INCLUSING BIRTH-3 BOOK DELIVERY, K-3 HOME LIBRARIES, CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT, STORYBOOK TRAILS, BOOK BUSES, AND THE STATEWIDE EARLY LITERACY EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE OF TENNESSEE.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF
Total Assets
$19.8M
-6.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$22K
-17.8% YoY
Grant Count
2
-33.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$11K
+23.3% YoY
Go deeper than public filings
PRO- Giving trend analysis — growing or declining?
- Organizations like yours that won grants here
- Strategic fit assessment for your organization
- Application timing recommendations
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $19,829,433 | $21,187,455 | $14,335,895 |
| Revenue | $22,655,550 | $24,930,131 | $14,676,458 |
| Expenses | $19,682,268 | $23,200,310 | $13,764,764 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $1,135,582 | $531,188 | $214,722 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
23 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Who else does Governor's Early Literacy Foundation fund?
Explore the funder–grantee relationships behind this foundation, powered by GrantGraph™ — our database of 11 million+ funding connections.
- Similar orgs that won grants here
- GrantGraph™ relationship mapping
- 11M+ connections in GrantGraph™
Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRANDON GIBSON | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| DANIELLE BARNES | SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| DENNIE TORR | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| DEBORAH REED | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| JENNIFER COLQUITT | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| NANCY DISHNER | CHAIR | 1 | — |
| NICOLE WATSON | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| BRYAN JONES | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| JAMES NICHOLSON | VICE CHAIR | 1 | — |
| JEFF BALLARD | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| WILLIAM FRANKLIN | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| JAKE BYNUM | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| JAMIE WILDMAN | BOARD MEMBER | 1 | — |
| JAMES POND | PRESIDENT | 37.5 | $188,560 |
| DEAN HOSKINS | VICE PRESIDENT | 37.5 | $149,293 |
Geographic Focus
Where this funder has awarded grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Data last updated March 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
What could you do with Governor's Early Literacy Foundation on Grantable?
- Assess strategic fit with your organization
- Get AI-generated opportunity briefs
- Monitor for new funding opportunities
- Draft a tailored letter of inquiry