Tennessee Bar Foundation
The Tennessee Bar Foundation is a Nashville-based public charity that administers Tennessee’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program and makes grants for law-related public interest projects. Its website says it was founded in 1982; its IRS filing type is Form 990 (a public charity).
Tennessee Bar Foundation at a glance
In short: Tennessee Bar Foundation gave $3.2M across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $83K), mostly in Tennessee. 34% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,159,034
- +5.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- +18.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $83,132
- -11.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $39,000
- Total assets
- $34,345,562
- +26.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 34% first-time grantees (13 of 38, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Tennessee Bar Foundation
- How to Apply
The website says eligible IOLTA applicants must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3), or agree to use the grant only for charitable or educational purposes within the meaning of that section, and must be equal…
The website says eligible IOLTA applicants must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3), or agree to use the grant only for charitable or educational purposes within the meaning of that section, and must be equal opportunity employers that do not discriminate on the listed grounds. The Foundation will not make grants for political campaigns, organizations designed primarily for lobbying, or activities that government has an obligation to fund. It also does not fund religious charitable activities that promote religion or require participation in religious activity as a condition of service, though it may award grants to faith-based organizations for nonreligious purposes. Successful applicants must comply with a grant agreement and the project described in the application. The Foundation’s filing says grant payments are made twice a year and that a recipient must submit a written report on its prior six months of activities and use of funds before receiving the second payment.
- Review Cycle
- The website states that the 2026 IOLTA grant submission deadline has passed and that the 2027 IOLTA application has been released. No deadline for the 2027 cycle is stated in the information provided.
- Deadline
- The website states that the 2026 IOLTA grant submission deadline has passed and that the 2027 IOLTA application has…
- Next open deadline
- September 30, 2027 (IOLTA Grant Program)
- Contact
Mailing address: 618 Church Street Suite 120, Nashville, TN 37219-2456
Phone: (615) 242-1531
Website: https://tnbarfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Tennessee Bar Foundation
Who Tennessee Bar Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Legal Aid of East Tennessee ($408K). Together the top 10 received $2.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
151 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 94 grants of 151 (62%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s filing describes grants for organizations working within Tennessee, including organizations responsible for defined geographic areas intended to make a minimum amount of legal assistance available in all Tennessee counties. All grant dollars listed in the 2025 filing went to recipients in Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Tennessee Bar Foundation open to new grantees?
34%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 38 grantees (34%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $50K; repeat grants $100K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $50K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $1.0M (2020) to $3.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $3.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Aid of East Tennessee Chattanooga, TN | Legal Services | $408,401 |
| Tennessee Justice Center Nashville, TN | Legal Services | $325,000 |
| Legal Aid Society of Middle TN Nashville, TN | Legal Services | $322,702 |
| Memphis Area Legal Services Memphis, TN | Legal Services | $300,000 |
| West Tennessee Legal Services Jackson, TN | Legal Services | $272,660 |
| Advocating Opportunity Nashville, TN | Legal Services | $172,405 |
| Nashville Hispanic Bar Association Nashville, TN | Legal Services | $140,000 |
| Tals Nashville, TN | Legal Services | $125,988 |
| Chattanooga Bar Association Chattanooga, TN | Administration of Justice | $100,000 |
| Air Inc Memphis, TN | Legal Services | $95,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Tennessee Bar Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $34,345,562 | $9,715,524 | $4,372,021 | $3,159,034 | 38 | $1,256,004 |
| 2024 | $27,152,613 | $10,164,516 | $3,667,476 | $2,997,002 | 32 | $930,134 |
| 2023 | $18,377,132 | $8,615,048 | $1,797,210 | $1,273,890 | 27 | $1,108,477 |
| 2022 | $11,655,415 | $1,860,355 | $1,819,656 | $1,347,000 | 28 | $137,879 |
| 2021 | $12,179,214 | $1,412,721 | $1,852,316 | $1,448,800 | 26 | $201,611 |
| 2020 | $12,040,360 | $1,857,926 | $1,456,706 | $1,048,667 | 31 | $225,284 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation says it honors attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the profession and community and supports organizations providing civil legal assistance to people with low incomes, as well as organizations working to improve the administration of justice. Its filing describes support for representation in civil matters, including through organizations serving defined geographic areas, organizations focused on smaller areas or specific subjects, and organizations coordinating pro bono services from private attorneys. It also describes support for work involving families, children, domestic violence victims, immigrants, mediation, and offender rehabilitation.
The Foundation’s 2025 grants show support for legal-services organizations and administration-of-justice projects. For example, the Tennessee Justice Center describes its own mission as advocating for low-income Tennesseans on public policies affecting health and welfare. The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee says it provides free civil legal assistance to low-income and vulnerable people, with particular attention to groups including older adults, children, domestic-violence survivors, and people with disabilities. Memphis Area Legal Services describes itself as providing legal advocacy for people in need.
Grantmaking
The Foundation’s website describes the IOLTA program as supporting legal aid organizations, direct civil representation for low-income clients, mediation, support for domestic-violence survivors, and housing advocacy. It reports that in 2025 the Foundation provided over $3 million through IOLTA grants to 39 law-related organizations. The 2025 IRS filing lists 38 grants totaling $3,159,034; those grants ranged from $5,000 to $408,401, with a median grant of $39,000.
Among the largest grants listed in the 2025 filing were $408,401 to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, $325,000 to the Tennessee Justice Center, $322,702 to the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee, $300,000 to Memphis Area Legal Services, and $272,660 to West Tennessee Legal Services. Each was listed for legal services. Other listed awards included $140,000 to the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association and $125,988 to TALS for legal services, and $100,000 to the Chattanooga Bar Association for administration of justice.
The Foundation also describes the Tennessee Legal Initiatives Fund (TLIF), launched in 2018, as supporting projects that build selected organizations’ capacity to address poverty and barriers to justice through civil legal aid and education. Its published categories include Capacity Building and Readiness and Rapid Innovation, each with budget guidance of $5,000–$50,000, and Implementation and Scaling, with guidance of up to $100,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The Foundation’s website says it is governed by a 12-member Board of Trustees, with three trustees elected from each of Tennessee’s East, Middle, and West Grand Divisions. The board page lists Jeffery P. Boyd as Chair, Patrick M. Carter as Chair-Elect, and Sam D. Elliott as Immediate Past Chair.
The 2025 filing lists John D. Murphy as Executive Director; Jacqueline B. Dixon as Chair; Hon. John W. Whitworth as Immediate Past Chair; Sam D. Elliott as Chair-Elect; Marcia McMurry as Secretary; Charles K. Grant as Treasurer; and C. Scott Taylor, Robin L. Miller, Patrick M. Carter, and Hon. Cynthia C. Chappell as trustees.
Tennessee Bar Foundation is led by John D. Murphy, Executive Director on the 2025 filing; 1 of 13 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John D. Murphy
Executive Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$64K (2025)
Jacqueline B. Dixon Esq.
Chair
Trustee → Chair- Elect, 2024
Chair- Elect → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cynthia C. Chappell
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robin L. Miller Esq.
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey P. Boyd
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Molly A. Glover
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patrick M. Carter Esq.
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
C. Scott Taylor
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Conley
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Charles K. Grant Esq.
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John W. Whitworth
Immediate Past Chair
Chair-Elect → Chair, 2024
Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sam D. Elliott Esq.
Chair-Elect
Trustee → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Chair-Elect, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marcia McCmurry
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Angelia M. Nystrom Esq. (2020–2024) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Barri Bernstein Esq. (2020–2024) — Exe. Director
- Former: C. Barry Ward Esq. (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: D. Kelly Thomas (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Amy V. Hollars (2020–2023) — Immediate Past Chair
- Former: Floyd S. Flippin Esq. (2020–2022) — General Counsel
- Former: W. Lewis Jenkins Esq. (2020–2021) — Trustee
- Former: David M. Eldridge Esq. (2020) — Chair
- Former: N. Houston Parks Esq. (2020) — Immediate Past Chair
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $64K, to John D Murphy (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Tennessee Bar Foundation
How much does Tennessee Bar Foundation give each year?
Tennessee Bar Foundation gave $3.2M across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $3.0M across 32 grants.
What is Tennessee Bar Foundation's typical grant size?
Tennessee Bar Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $39,000, and its average grant was $83,132, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Tennessee Bar Foundation that year got $50K on average.
Where does Tennessee Bar Foundation give grants?
Tennessee Bar Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (14 grants), Memphis, TN (5 grants), Jackson, TN (3 grants) and Chattanooga, TN (2 grants).
Does Tennessee Bar Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 38 grants with a stated purpose on Tennessee Bar Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Administration of Justice" (23 grants) and "Legal Services" (15 grants).
Who are Tennessee Bar Foundation's largest grantees?
Tennessee Bar Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Legal Aid of East Tennessee ($408,401), Tennessee Justice Center ($325,000) and Legal Aid Society of Middle TN ($322,702), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Tennessee Bar Foundation?
Tennessee Bar Foundation reported $34.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $9.7M.
What does Tennessee Bar Foundation fund?
The Foundation says it honors attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the profession and community and supports organizations providing civil legal assistance to people with low incomes, as well as organizations working to improve the administration of justice. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Tennessee Bar Foundation?
The website says eligible IOLTA applicants must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3), or agree to use the grant only for charitable or educational purposes within the meaning of that section, and must be equal… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Tennessee Bar Foundation's EIN?
Tennessee Bar Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-6074501. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 2, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Tennessee Bar Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Tennessee Bar Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/tennessee-bar-foundation-morg_fce55908be4f4cf7852090b66aee4025
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_626074501_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Tennessee Bar Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/tennessee-bar-foundation-morg_fce55908be4f4cf7852090b66aee4025},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Tennessee Bar 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.
Tennessee Bar Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?