Milton and Denice Johnson Family
Milton and Denice Johnson Family is a private foundation based in Nashville, Tennessee. In filing year 2025, it reported 54 grants totaling $3,930,500, with nearly all grant dollars going to recipients in Tennessee.
Milton and Denice Johnson Family at a glance
In short: Milton and Denice Johnson Family gave $3.9M across 54 grants in 2025 (avg $73K), mostly in Tennessee. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,930,500
- +176.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 54
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $72,787
- +176.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $37,934,060
- +18.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (3 of 51, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (99% 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 Milton and Denice Johnson Family
- 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: 3100 West End Ave 700, Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: (615) 292-3011
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Milton and Denice Johnson Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Woodmont Christian Church ($2.7M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $3.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
260 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 224 grants of 260 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee and 1% to recipients in Georgia. The listed grants include organizations in Nashville and a grant to Teach For America in Atlanta.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 54 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Milton and Denice Johnson Family open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 51 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $52K; repeat grants $79K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 230% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 231% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 $120K (2020) to $3.9M (2025). In 2025 it made 54 grants totaling $3.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Woodmont Christian Church Nashville, TN | Capital Campaign | $2,500,000 |
| Pencil Nashville, TN | Reimagining Community Spaces in MNPS | $250,000 |
| Woodmont Christian Church Nashville, TN | Operational Support | $175,000 |
| Creativets Nashville, TN | Capital Campaign | $125,000 |
| Abe's Garden Nashville, TN | Capital Campaign | $100,000 |
| Second Harvest Food Bank Nashville, TN | Support for the Mobile Program and Operations | $100,000 |
| Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Nashville, TN | Operational Support | $50,000 |
| On the Avenue Foundation Nashville, TN | Operational Support | $50,000 |
| Teach for America Atlanta, GA | Operational Support | $50,000 |
| United for Hope Nashville, TN | Operational Support | $40,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Milton and Denice Johnson Family?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation’s filing type is Form 990-PF.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $37,934,060 | $1,735,948 | $4,012,162 | $3,930,500 | 54 | $3,949,376 | $1,684,215 | $1,707,647 |
| 2024 | $32,078,878 | $5,904,955 | $1,635,754 | $1,420,500 | 54 | $1,441,315 | $9,382,916 | $1,515,437 |
| 2023 | $29,602,715 | $1,637,278 | $1,520,080 | $1,378,000 | 54 | $1,402,874 | $2,756,872 | $1,407,427 |
| 2022 | $27,410,855 | $1,119,334 | $1,280,644 | $1,190,500 | 51 | $1,220,743 | $1,665,307 | $1,284,133 |
| 2021 | $30,297,655 | $2,834,897 | $1,373,380 | $1,237,500 | 47 | $1,248,131 | $6,583,951 | $1,228,319 |
| 2020 | $19,279,779 | $19,686,079 | $127,000 | $119,500 | 20 | — | $259,179 | $147,918 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Milton and Denice Johnson Family reported a distributable amount of $1.7M 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 foundation mission statement is provided in the available information. The 2025 grants include capital campaigns and operational support, as well as support for a school-community initiative and a food bank’s mobile program and operations.
Grantees describe a range of charitable work. For example, CreatiVets says it empowers wounded veterans to heal through arts and music; Abe’s Garden says it focuses on brain health, wellness, and purposeful living for seniors; and Communities in Schools of Tennessee says it surrounds students with community support to help them stay in school and achieve in life. Other supported organizations describe work in arts and education, conservation, public parks, and bringing music to patients and caregivers.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 54 grants totaling $3,930,500. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $2,500,000, with a median grant of $10,000.
The largest reported 2025 grants included $2,500,000 to Woodmont Christian Church for a capital campaign, $250,000 to PENCIL for reimagining community spaces in MNPS, and $175,000 to Woodmont Christian Church for operational support. Other notable grants were $125,000 to CreatiVets and $100,000 each to Abe’s Garden and Second Harvest Food Bank. The foundation also gave $50,000 each to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, On the Avenue Foundation, and Teach For America.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists R Milton Johnson as chairman. Trustees are Denice Johnson, Kaitlyn Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Clark Rollins, and Lyndsey Rollins.
Milton and Denice Johnson Family is led by R. Milton Johnson, Chairman since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
R. Milton Johnson
Chairman
Director → Chairman, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clark B. Rollins IV
Trustee
Director → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Denice D. Johnson
Trustee
Director → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kaitlyn T. Johnson
Trustee
Director → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lyndsey J. Rollins
Trustee
Director → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Tyler R. Johnson
Trustee
Director → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
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 Milton and Denice Johnson Family
How much does Milton and Denice Johnson Family give each year?
Milton and Denice Johnson Family gave $3.9M across 54 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 54 grants.
What is Milton and Denice Johnson Family's typical grant size?
Milton and Denice Johnson Family's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $72,787, across 54 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Milton and Denice Johnson Family that year got $52K on average.
Where does Milton and Denice Johnson Family give grants?
Milton and Denice Johnson Family gives mostly in Tennessee: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (50 grants).
Does Milton and Denice Johnson Family give general operating support?
Yes: 91% of Milton and Denice Johnson Family's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (49 of 54) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Capital Campaign" (3 grants).
Who are Milton and Denice Johnson Family's largest grantees?
Milton and Denice Johnson Family's largest 2025 grantees include Woodmont Christian Church ($2,675,000 across 2 grants), Pencil ($260,000 across 2 grants) and Creativets ($125,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 78% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Milton and Denice Johnson Family?
Milton and Denice Johnson Family reported $37.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Milton and Denice Johnson Family fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided in the available information. The 2025 grants include capital campaigns and operational support, as well as support for a school-community initiative and a food bank’s mobile program and operations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Milton and Denice Johnson Family?
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 Milton and Denice Johnson Family's EIN?
Milton and Denice Johnson Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-6607033. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Milton and Denice Johnson Family 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 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Milton and Denice Johnson Family funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Milton and Denice Johnson Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/milton-and-denice-johnson-family-morg_e8c69c9b6ae542a78c896e7932ddc5c9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_856607033_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Milton and Denice Johnson Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/milton-and-denice-johnson-family-morg_e8c69c9b6ae542a78c896e7932ddc5c9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Milton and Denice Johnson Family'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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