Hearn Charitable Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Brentwood, TN EIN: 26-3527172

Hearn Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Its 2025 filing reports 10 grants totaling $217,000, including support for Nashville-area arts organizations, charitable events, and other nonprofits.

Hearn Charitable Foundation at a glance

In short: Hearn Charitable Foundation gave $217K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $22K), mostly in Tennessee. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$217,000
+206.9% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
10
+25.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$21,700
+145.5% vs 2024
Median grant
$7,500
Total assets
$540,074
-10.3% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Tennessee (94% 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 Hearn Charitable Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

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

Contact

Mailing address: PO Box 1869, Brentwood, TN 37024-1869
Phone: (615) 309-2313

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

Who Hearn Charitable Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Nashville Symphony: $147KNashville Symphony$147KNashville Wine Auction: $22KNashville Wine Auction$22KNashville Ballet: $10KNashville Ballet$10KAmerican Red Cross-Tiffany Circle: $10KAmerican Red Cross-TiffanyCircle$10KThe New Beginnings Center: $10KThe New Beginnings Center$10KBarefoot Republic Inc: $5KBarefoot Republic Inc$5KThe Nashville Repertory Theatre: $5KThe Nashville RepertoryTheatre$5KDestin Charity Wine Auction Foundation: $4KDestin Charity Wine AuctionFoundation$4KCheekwood Swan Ball: $4KCheekwood Swan Ball$4KFriends of Warner Park: $1KFriends of Warner Park$1K

The largest 2025 recipient was Nashville Symphony ($147K). Together the top 10 received $217K.

Grant Size Distribution

46 grants across all recorded years

45<$50K$50–100K1$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 45 grants of 46 (98%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 grants were distributed among recipients in Tennessee (94% of grant dollars), Iowa (5%), and Florida (2%).

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.

Cities

NashvilleNashbilleMiramar BeachFranklinSanta Rosa BeachBooneDestinNewhallNiceville

Is Hearn Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?

30%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $29K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 235% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 326% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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$100K$200K$300K11 grants2021 9 grants2022 8 grants2023 8 grants2024 10 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $65K (2022) to $217K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $217K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Nashville Symphony Nashville, TNContribution$147,000
Nashville Wine Auction Nashville, TNContribution$22,000
Nashville Ballet Nashbille, TNContribution$10,000
American Red Cross-Tiffany Circle Boone, IAContribution$10,000
The New Beginnings Center Nashville, TNContribution$10,000
Barefoot Republic Inc Franklin, TNContribution$5,000
The Nashville Repertory Theatre Nashville, TNContribution$5,000
Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation Miramar Beach, FLContribution$3,500
Cheekwood Swan Ball Nashville, TNContribution$3,500
Friends of Warner Park Nashville, TNContribution$1,000
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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$540,074$174,844$236,763$217,00010$221,282$159,363$67,777
2024$601,993$48,416$90,116$70,7008$75,276$33,576$69,097
2023$643,693$24,400$122,102$103,5508$112,541$14,839$65,888
2022$739,337$28,924$83,112$64,8009$71,650$19,061$74,692
2021$793,461$28,766$82,536$65,50011—$19,001$68,990

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Hearn Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $68K 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 arts organizations such as Nashville Ballet, whose stated mission is to create, perform, teach, and promote dance, and the Nashville Repertory Theatre. Other recipients include Nashville Wine Auction, which says its wine-related events raise money to fight cancer; The New Beginnings Center, which describes its work as improving Tennessee health statistics with a focus on women’s health; and Barefoot Republic Inc, whose mission is to facilitate Christ-centered relationships across diverse backgrounds through artistic, athletic, and team-building programs.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave $217,000 across 10 grants. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $147,000, with a median grant of $7,500. The largest awards were $147,000 to Nashville Symphony and $22,000 to Nashville Wine Auction. Other grants included $10,000 each to Nashville Ballet, American Red Cross-Tiffany Circle, and The New Beginnings Center; $5,000 each to Barefoot Republic Inc and The Nashville Repertory Theatre; and $3,500 each to Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation and Cheekwood Swan Ball. Friends of Warner Park received $1,000.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Vicki Joan Hearn Horne as president and Holly Hearn Whaley as secretary.

Hearn Charitable Foundation is led by Vicki Joan Hearn Horne, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Vicki Joan Hearn Horne

    President

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Holly Hearn Whaley

    Secretary

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Hearn Charitable Foundation

How much does Hearn Charitable Foundation give each year?

Hearn Charitable Foundation gave $217K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $71K across 8 grants.

What is Hearn Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?

Hearn Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $21,700, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Hearn Charitable Foundation that year got $5K on average.

Where does Hearn Charitable Foundation give grants?

Hearn Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (6 grants).

Does Hearn Charitable Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Hearn Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Contribution" (10 grants).

Who are Hearn Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?

Hearn Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Nashville Symphony ($147,000), Nashville Wine Auction ($22,000) and Nashville Ballet ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 82% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Hearn Charitable Foundation?

Hearn Charitable Foundation reported $540K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $221K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $68K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Hearn Charitable Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include arts organizations such as Nashville Ballet, whose stated mission is to create, perform, teach, and promote dance, and the Nashville Repertory Theatre. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Hearn Charitable Foundation?

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Hearn Charitable Foundation's EIN?

Hearn Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-3527172. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.

Does Hearn Charitable Foundation 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

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Hearn Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hearn-charitable-foundation-morg_cda623a50752408d99d14e7edfb84680

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_263527172_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Hearn Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/hearn-charitable-foundation-morg_cda623a50752408d99d14e7edfb84680},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Hearn Charitable Foundation'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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