Joe C Davis Foundation

NASHVILLE, TN EIN: 62-6125481 Website

The Joe C. Davis Foundation is a private charitable foundation established in 1976 and located in Nashville, Tennessee. The Foundation was created by Joseph Columbus Davis Jr. (1919–1989), a lifelong Nashvillian who rose from modest beginnings during the Great Depression to become a successful coal industry entrepreneur and philanthropic benefactor. The Foundation carries forward Mr. Davis' commitment to helping people who are striving to improve their lives and strengthening the Nashville community.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$112.5M

+10.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$7.1M

-1.6% YoY

Grant Count

107

-12.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$66K

+12.2% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Joe C Davis Foundation reported a distributable amount of $8.7M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The Foundation's mission is to help people help themselves, while encouraging and maintaining individual initiative and responsibility.

The Foundation's primary focus areas are:

Education — all levels of education, including scholarship endowment programs
Community and Social Services — programs supporting vulnerable and low-income populations
Healthcare — health, medical research, and human services

Current funding priorities within these areas include early childhood education, out-of-school time programs, adult education, workforce development, and housing.

Grantmaking

The Foundation provides two primary types of grants:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The Foundation provides grants to organizations located in and directly serving Nashville, Tennessee. Eligible organizations must have an EIN registered with a Davidson County address and/or provide a major portion of their services to Davidson County residents.

Grant Distribution by State

Tennessee $6.8M (97%)

Massachusetts $145K (2%)

Connecticut $75K (1%)

District of Columbia $15K (0%)

States

Connecticut District of Columbia Georgia Massachusetts New York Tennessee

Cities

AntiochAtlantaBostonBrentwoodChattanoogaFranklinHermitageMadisonMemphisMonteagleNashvilleNew HavenNew YorkPeachtreePleasant ViewWashington

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Total Assets: $151,941,508 (as of most recent filing)

Total Annual Giving: $8,209,800

Revenue: $18,251,000 (2024)

Expenses: $10,300,000 (2024)

Total Liabilities: $2,280,000 (2024)

Cumulative Giving: The Foundation has contributed over $155 million to nonprofit organizations serving the Nashville community since its establishment.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$112,536,046	$102,304,445	$101,782,891
Revenue	$18,251,037	$10,381,384	$6,182,733
Expenses	$10,294,651	$9,860,691	$9,588,906
Qualifying Distributions	$7,563,730	$7,971,351	$7,652,022
Net Investment Income	$15,592,045	$8,510,058	$4,546,951
Distributable Amount	$8,695,755	$7,651,320	$7,940,634

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

200 grants across all recorded years

Open Grants

2 open opportunities from Joe C Davis Foundation

Foundation

Joe C Davis Operational Grant

JOE C DAVIS FOUNDATION

Amount

Varies

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Foundation

Joe C. Davis Transformational Grant

JOE C DAVIS FOUNDATION

Amount

Varies

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Kipp Nashville Foundation ($250,000), Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville ($245,000), Family & Children's Services ($175,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
100 BLACK MEN OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE INC NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$2,500
A STEP AHEAD FOUNDATION NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$20,000
AGAPE NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$7,500
ANCORA TN NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$5,000
BACKFIELD IN MOTION NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$20,000
BEGIN ANEW NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$10,000
BETHLEHEM CENTER OF NASHVILLE NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$10,000
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$15,000
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS NASHVILLE, TN	CAPITAL	$25,000
CASA INC NASHVILLE, TN	PROGRAM SUPPORT	$5,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The Foundation's governance structure includes:

Bill DeLoache, Jr. — Trustee (appointed leadership responsibilities in December 2013)
Delta Anne Davis — Trustee (appointed in early 2014)
Nancy Graves Beveridge — Trustee (appointed in early 2014)
Frances DeLoache Ellison — Trustee (added in 2005)

Historical leadership included Bond Davis DeLoache (retired December 2013), Dr. William R. DeLoache (deceased 2009), and Elizabeth Bond Davis (deceased May 2014).

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
WILLIAM R DELOACHE JR	CO-TRUSTEE	5	—
FRANCES ELLISON	CO-TRUSTEE	5	—
ANNE DAVIS	CO-TRUSTEE	5	—
NANCY BEVERIDGE	CO-TRUSTEE	5	—

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

The Foundation has made significant grants to numerous Nashville-area organizations, including:

Montgomery Bell Academy and Harpeth Hall School (scholarship endowment programs)

Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center

YMCA Camp Widjiwagan

Siloam Family Health Center

Crossroads Campus

Martha O'Bryan Center

Conexion Americas

Friends of Mill Ridge Park

Habitat for Humanity

Nashville Early Education Coalition

Oasis Center

Safe Haven Family Shelter

Second Harvest Food Bank

St. Luke's Community House

Tennessee Charter School Incubator

The Foundation maintains an active grantmaking program with two live grant opportunities currently available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Joe C Davis Foundation fund?

The Foundation's mission is to help people help themselves, while encouraging and maintaining individual initiative and responsibility. The Foundation's primary focus areas are: • **Education** — all levels of education, including scholarship endowment programs • **Community and Social Services** — programs supporting vulnerable and low-income populations • **Healthcare** — health, medical research, and human services Current funding priorities within these areas include early childhood educati…

How do I apply for a grant from Joe C Davis Foundation?

The Foundation provides two primary types of grants: **Operational Grants** — Unrestricted operating support to well-run, community-anchored nonprofits. The Foundation prioritizes organizations with strong leadership, financial discipline, and proven outcomes that deliver accessible, affordable services to low-income and vulnerable populations. **Transformational Grants** — Available to organizations demonstrating significant impact potential. Typical grant awards range from $500 to $2,750,000.…

Where does Joe C Davis Foundation make grants?

What size grants does Joe C Davis Foundation award?

In 2024, Joe C Davis Foundation awarded 107 grants totaling $7.1M — an average of about $66K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Joe C Davis Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Joe C Davis Foundation reported a distributable amount of $8.7M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.