Sowell Family Foundation
Sowell Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Nashville, Tennessee. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including recipients in Tennessee and Florida.
Sowell Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Sowell Family Foundation gave $69K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Tennessee. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $68,510
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- Average grant
- $2,855
- Median grant
- $1,318
- Total assets
- $2,991,389
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (93% 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 Sowell Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 121312, Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: (615) 881-1150
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sowell Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Crossroads Campus ($10K). Together the top 10 received $55K.
Grant Size Distribution
55 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 55 grants of 55 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee and 7% to recipients in Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
How Sowell Family Foundation gives
- In 2025 it paid out 62% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2023 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $69K (2025) to $113K (2023). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $69K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Crossroads Campus Nashville, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| American Red Cross (Tiffany Circle) Nashville, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $10,000 |
| Our Little Roses Foreign Mission Society Miami Shores, FL | To Further Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Memphis, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
| Nashville Banner (Nville Publc Media) Nashville, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
| Nashville Ballet Nashville, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
| Duck River Conservancy Centerville, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
| NPLF (Literary Gala) Nashville, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $5,000 |
| TN Justice Center Nashville, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $2,500 |
| Room in the Inn Nashville, TN | To Further Exempt Purpose | $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 | $2,991,389 | $1,249,058 | $73,957 | $68,510 | 24 | $68,510 | $129,037 | $111,338 |
| 2023 | $1,814,407 | $50,683 | $116,967 | $112,600 | 31 | $112,600 | $46,316 | $91,598 |
| 2022 | $1,880,691 | $3,063,078 | $18,000 | — | — | — | $1,216,156 | $15,968 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sowell Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $111K 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. Among its 2025 grantees, Nashville Ballet describes its mission as creating, performing, teaching, and promoting dance as part of the community. Nashville Zoo says it works to inspire understanding and discovery of the natural world through conservation, innovation, and leadership. McNeilly Center for Children describes itself as a nonprofit child care center providing quality, affordable care to Nashville families with children from six weeks through age five.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 24 grants totaling $68,510. Grants ranged from $250 to $10,000, with a median of $1,318. Notable grants included $10,000 each to Crossroads Campus and American Red Cross (Tiffany Circle); $5,000 each to Our Little Roses Foreign Mission Society, Planned Parenthood, Nashville Banner (Nville PubLC Media), Nashville Ballet, Duck River Conservancy, and NPLF (Literary Gala); and $2,500 each to Tennessee Justice Center and Room in the Inn. Nashville Zoo received $1,500, and McNeilly Center for Children received $1,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Joseph Sowell III and Joanne Sowell as trustees.
Sowell Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Joanne Sowell
Trustee
On filings since 2022
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Sowell III
Trustee
On filings since 2022
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "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 Sowell Family Foundation
How much does Sowell Family Foundation give each year?
Sowell Family Foundation gave $69K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is Sowell Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Sowell Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,318, and its average grant was $2,855, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Sowell Family Foundation give grants?
Sowell Family Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Florida (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (20 grants).
Who are Sowell Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Sowell Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Crossroads Campus ($10,000), American Red Cross (Tiffany Circle) ($10,000) and Our Little Roses Foreign Mission Society ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sowell Family Foundation?
Sowell Family Foundation reported $3.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $69K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $111K (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 Sowell Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Among its 2025 grantees, Nashville Ballet describes its mission as creating, performing, teaching, and promoting dance as part of the community. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sowell Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sowell Family Foundation's EIN?
Sowell Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-6639764. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Does Sowell Family 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 August 25, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2023
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sowell Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sowell-family-foundation-morg_51970c7c9070459f975fb477b2ac7bd2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_886639764_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sowell Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sowell-family-foundation-morg_51970c7c9070459f975fb477b2ac7bd2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Sowell Family 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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