Judy and Noah Liff Foundation
The Judy and Noah Liff Foundation is a private foundation based in Nashville, Tennessee. In filing year 2025, it reported 26 grants totaling $151,590, with most grant dollars going to organizations in Tennessee.
Judy and Noah Liff Foundation at a glance
In short: Judy and Noah Liff Foundation gave $152K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Tennessee. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $151,590
- -17.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- +225.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,830
- -74.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $2,969,015
- -3.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (90% 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 Judy and Noah Liff Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 23830, Nashville, TN 37202
Phone: (615) 812-0923
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Judy and Noah Liff Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Frist Center for Visual Arts ($50K). Together the top 10 received $137K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 66 grants of 69 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee. The remaining grant dollars went to recipients in Maine (5%), New York (3%), Washington, DC (1%), and New Hampshire (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Judy and Noah Liff Foundation gives
- 12% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 54% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $58K (2020) to $183K (2024). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $152K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Frist Center for Visual Arts Nashville, TN | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $50,000 |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $40,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Nashville Nashville, TN | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $16,040 |
| Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art Nashville, TN | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $5,000 |
| Maine Public Bangor, ME | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $5,000 |
| Nashville Public Media Inc Nashville, TN | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $5,000 |
| Nashville Public Radio Nashville, TN | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $5,000 |
| Nashville PBS Nashville, TN | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $5,000 |
| Vanderbilt Hillel Nashville, TN | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $3,000 |
| The Art Students League New York, NY | To Further the Exempt Purpose of the Organization | $2,500 |
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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 | $2,969,015 | $95,909 | $210,816 | $151,590 | 26 | $173,778 | $58,871 | $185,754 |
| 2024 | $3,075,772 | $233,445 | $213,185 | $182,750 | 8 | $190,898 | $211,158 | $175,451 |
| 2023 | $3,054,646 | $122,571 | $211,892 | $152,700 | 19 | $159,194 | $69,873 | $170,640 |
| 2022 | $3,140,863 | $100,753 | $127,674 | $98,700 | 11 | $106,780 | $80,639 | $171,229 |
| 2021 | $3,166,066 | $92,448 | $108,098 | $88,345 | 5 | $95,620 | $72,695 | $183,833 |
| 2020 | $3,181,429 | $67,400 | $103,649 | $57,500 | 4 | — | $20,714 | $160,720 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Judy and Noah Liff Foundation reported a distributable amount of $186K 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 grantees include organizations with a range of missions. For example, Nashville Public Radio describes its mission as connecting communities through non-partisan journalism, storytelling, civil conversation, and music discovery. The Jewish Museum says its mission is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art and Jewish culture. Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee describes its mission as nourishing and empowering people so they can thrive.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 26 grants totaling $151,590. Grants ranged from $250 to $50,000, with a median grant of $1,000.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $50,000 to The Frist Center for Visual Arts, $40,000 to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and $16,040 to the Jewish Federation of Nashville. Other grants included $5,000 each to Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, Maine Public, Nashville Public Media Inc, Nashville Public Radio, and Nashville PBS; and $3,000 to Vanderbilt Hillel. The stated purpose for these grants was “to further the exempt purpose of the organization.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Judy Liff, Joseph N Barker, and Paul Sternberg as trustees.
Judy and Noah Liff Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joseph N. Barker
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Judy Liff
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Sternberg
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
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 Judy and Noah Liff Foundation
How much does Judy and Noah Liff Foundation give each year?
Judy and Noah Liff Foundation gave $152K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $183K across 8 grants.
What is Judy and Noah Liff Foundation's typical grant size?
Judy and Noah Liff Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $5,830, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Judy and Noah Liff Foundation give grants?
Judy and Noah Liff Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (17 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Who are Judy and Noah Liff Foundation's largest grantees?
Judy and Noah Liff Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Frist Center for Visual Arts ($50,000), Vanderbilt University Medical Center ($40,000) and Jewish Federation of Nashville ($16,040), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Judy and Noah Liff Foundation?
Judy and Noah Liff Foundation reported $3.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $174K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $186K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Judy and Noah Liff Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grantees include organizations with a range of missions. For example, Nashville Public Radio describes its mission as connecting communities through non-partisan journalism, storytelling, civil conversation, and music discovery. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Judy and Noah Liff Foundation?
The foundation 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 Judy and Noah Liff Foundation's EIN?
Judy and Noah Liff Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-1587938. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Judy and Noah Liff 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Judy and Noah Liff Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Judy and Noah Liff Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Judy and Noah Liff Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/judy-and-noah-liff-foundation-morg_8adcc51e9fa74eb48a111197289e59c7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_621587938_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Judy and Noah Liff Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/judy-and-noah-liff-foundation-morg_8adcc51e9fa74eb48a111197289e59c7},
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 Judy and Noah Liff 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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