John R Lindahl Foundation
The John R Lindahl Foundation is a private foundation based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including education, health care, support for people with disabilities, and services for people facing life challenges.
John R Lindahl Foundation at a glance
In short: John R Lindahl Foundation gave $536K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $34K), mostly in Tennessee. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $536,441
- -66.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- -15.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $33,528
- -60.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $27,500
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (5 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (57% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to John R Lindahl Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 205 Derby Glen Lane, Brentwood, TN 37024-2408
Phone: (615) 376-3555
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who John R Lindahl Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was San Luis Obispo Classical Academy ($100K). Together the top 10 received $466K.
Grant Size Distribution
81 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 72 grants of 81 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 57% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee, 39% to recipients in California, and 4% to recipients in Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is John R Lindahl Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 16 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $21K; repeat grants $39K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 69% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 109% 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 (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 $210K (2019) to $1.6M (2024). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $536K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo Classical Academy San Luis Obispo, CA | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $100,000 |
| Vanderbilt Children's Hospital Nashville, TN | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $100,000 |
| Freedom Reigns Ranch Columbia, TN | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $50,000 |
| Saddle up Franklin, TN | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $46,441 |
| Belmont University Nashville, TN | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $30,000 |
| Brightstone Frankln, TN | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $30,000 |
| Standing Stone Ministries San Clemente, CA | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $30,000 |
| St Jude's Childrens Hospital Memphis, TN | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $30,000 |
| Tree of Life San Luis Obispo, CA | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $25,000 |
| Healing Heroes Through Horsemanship Arroyo Grande, CA | To promote religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational activities | $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 | — | $1,210 | $552,304 | $536,441 | 16 | $544,691 | — | $1,131 |
| 2024 | $551,094 | $208,864 | $1,652,918 | $1,614,774 | 19 | $1,618,274 | $182,058 | $103,850 |
| 2023 | $1,994,936 | $272,129 | $284,069 | $232,000 | 15 | $232,000 | $220,846 | $224,735 |
| 2022 | $2,006,356 | $58,180 | $310,989 | $257,000 | 17 | $257,000 | $17,045 | $231,906 |
| 2021 | $2,258,662 | $108,165 | $294,494 | $243,000 | 14 | $243,000 | $56,939 | $252,322 |
| 2020 | $2,444,991 | $200,098 | $288,600 | $245,000 | 20 | — | $156,805 | $209,360 |
| 2019 | $2,533,024 | $82,989 | $256,728 | $210,000 | 18 | — | $42,253 | $200,570 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, John R Lindahl Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1K 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
The foundation’s filings describe grant purposes as promoting religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational activities. Its 2025 recipients included a range of organizations. San Luis Obispo Classical Academy says it provides a classical education model and supports parents educating their children. Freedom Reigns Ranch describes its work as providing a safe, structured ranch environment for children and young adults, including those who have experienced trauma or other challenges. Saddle Up says it serves children and youth with disabilities through a year-round program.
Other grantees describe work supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Christian leaders and their spouses, university students, veterans and first responders, and people with disabilities or economic disadvantage. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 16 grants totaling $536,441 in 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $100,000, with a median grant of $27,500. The foundation reported 19 grants totaling $1,614,774 in 2024 and 15 grants totaling $232,000 in 2023.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $100,000 each to San Luis Obispo Classical Academy and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital; $50,000 to Freedom Reigns Ranch; $46,441 to Saddle Up; and $30,000 each to Belmont University, BrightStone, Standing Stone Ministries, and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Larry T Thrailkill as chairman of the board, and Christopher Harris and Jennifer Staniec as board members.
John R Lindahl Foundation is led by Larry T. Thrailkill, Chairman of Board on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Larry T. Thrailkill
Chairman of Board
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Harris
Board Member
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Staniec
Board Member
On filings since 2019
0.3 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 John R Lindahl Foundation
How much does John R Lindahl Foundation give each year?
John R Lindahl Foundation gave $536K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.6M across 19 grants.
What is John R Lindahl Foundation's typical grant size?
John R Lindahl Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $27,500, and its average grant was $33,528, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from John R Lindahl Foundation that year got $21K on average.
Where does John R Lindahl Foundation give grants?
John R Lindahl Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 57% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (39%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Luis Obispo, CA (3 grants), Nashville, TN (3 grants) and Arroyo Grande, CA (2 grants).
Does John R Lindahl Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on John R Lindahl Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are John R Lindahl Foundation's largest grantees?
John R Lindahl Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include San Luis Obispo Classical Academy ($100,000), Vanderbilt Children's Hospital ($100,000) and Freedom Reigns Ranch ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
What does John R Lindahl Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filings describe grant purposes as promoting religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational activities. Its 2025 recipients included a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from John R Lindahl Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
How much is John R Lindahl Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, John R Lindahl Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is John R Lindahl Foundation's EIN?
John R Lindahl Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5845969. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does John R Lindahl Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 24, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 31, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 8, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). John R Lindahl Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/john-r-lindahl-foundation-morg_72cf1360a5bf4af1bb2a9913d5987b7e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205845969_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{John R Lindahl Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/john-r-lindahl-foundation-morg_72cf1360a5bf4af1bb2a9913d5987b7e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 John R Lindahl 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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