The Aslan Foundation
The Aslan Foundation is a private foundation based in Knoxville, Tennessee, supporting the greater Knoxville community through grants, public-private partnerships, and projects on its properties. Established by Lindsay Young in 1994, it focuses on preserving beauty, advancing livability, and supporting cultural assets in Knoxville.
The Aslan Foundation at a glance
In short: The Aslan Foundation gave $918K across 58 grants in 2024 (avg $16K), mostly in Tennessee. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $917,911
- -17.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 58
- -34.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $15,826
- +26.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $3,400
- Total assets
- $121,969,079
- +4.4% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (89% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Aslan Foundation
- Invitation Only
-
The current process is invitation-only. U.S. 501(c)(3) organizations serving the greater Knoxville area may email a one-page letter of inquiry explaining the requested funding and its impact on the Knoxville community to be considered for an invitation. Applications are submitted through the Foundation’s online application. The Foundation’s filing states that giving is not restricted to preselected organizations and lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- For the 2026 cycle, letters of inquiry are due by April 17, 2026. Invitations are to be sent by June 15, 2026, and invited applications are due by 5 p.m. on July 31, 2026. The cycle covers program, capital, and capacity-building grants.
- Deadline
- For the 2026 cycle, letters of inquiry are due by April 17, 2026.
- Contact
Application contact: Applications To Be Submitted Online
Mailing address: 5107 Homberg Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone: (865) 524-6360
Website: https://aslanfoundation.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 The Aslan Foundation
Who The Aslan Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Young-Williams Center ($275K). Together the top 10 received $785K.
Organizations only. It also paid 33 grants to individuals ($98,601), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
296 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 268 grants of 296 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation supports organizations serving the greater Knoxville area; it does not define an eligible service area by square miles. In filing year 2024, 89% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee, with 4% to New York, 2% to California, and 1% each to Washington and Michigan.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 58 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Aslan Foundation gives
- Giving fell 22% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 257% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $859K (2020) to $1.3M (2022). In 2024 it made 58 grants totaling $918K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Young-Williams Center Knoxville, TN | 2024 GRANT | $275,000 |
| Big Ears Festival Knoxville, TN | 2024 GRANT | $229,167 |
| Tri-Star Arts Knoxville, TN | 2024 GRANT | $80,000 |
| Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Knoxville, TN | 2024 GRANT | $38,000 |
| Knoxville Museum of Art Knoxville, TN | 2024 GRANT | $35,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of TN Valley Knoxville, TN | 2024 GRANT | $25,000 |
| Young-Williams Animal Center Knoxville, TN | 2025 GRANT | $25,000 |
| Big Ears Festival Knoxville, TN | 2025 GRANT | $20,832 |
| A Step Ahead Knoxville, TN | 2024 GRANT | $20,000 |
| Ijams Nature Center Knoxville, TN | 2024 GRANT | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Aslan Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $121,969,079 | $2,724,142 | $4,832,385 | $917,911 | 58 | $9,695,253 | $2,456,836 | $3,767,734 |
| 2023 | $116,855,580 | $2,626,302 | $4,484,806 | $1,117,238 | 89 | $7,817,049 | $1,581,350 | $3,572,404 |
| 2022 | $108,126,568 | $4,018,676 | $4,119,313 | $1,322,243 | 62 | $6,701,434 | $3,479,347 | $3,684,413 |
| 2021 | $124,303,232 | $11,638,835 | $4,950,784 | $1,172,958 | 53 | $5,229,945 | $10,728,587 | $4,096,798 |
| 2020 | $116,909,178 | $3,726,007 | $3,418,801 | $858,718 | 34 | — | $3,416,652 | $3,812,056 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Aslan Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.8M for 2024 — 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 stated mission is to preserve beauty, advance livability, and support cultural assets in Knoxville. Its grantmaking priorities include arts and culture, animal welfare, land conservation, historic preservation, parks, and advancing livability in Knoxville. It supports U.S. 501(c)(3) organizations serving the greater Knoxville area.
Examples of grantees’ work include the Big Ears Festival, whose mission is to support artistic expression and cultural education through music, film, and arts programming; the Knoxville Museum of Art, which promotes public interest and education in visual arts in East Tennessee; and Ijams Nature Center, which encourages stewardship of the natural world through an urban greenspace and outdoor learning experiences. Knox Heritage describes its work as preserving, restoring, and transforming historically or architecturally significant buildings, open spaces, and parks in Knoxville and Knox County.
The Foundation also reports direct charitable activity through the an individual recipient Project, which restores a historic building and grounds for public use; the Loghaven Artist Residency, which provides artists time and space to work; and High Ground Park, which preserves the Fort Higley site and the scenic value of a ridge above the Tennessee River.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Foundation reported 58 grants totaling $917,911. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $275,000, with a median of $3,400. Notable grants included $275,000 to Young-Williams Center, $229,167 to Big Ears Festival, $80,000 to Tri-Star Arts, $38,000 to Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and $35,000 to Knoxville Museum of Art.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Robert S. Young as president, Mark K. Williams as secretary, and Lindsay Y. McDonough as treasurer. The Foundation’s board includes Robert Young, Lindsay McDonough, and Mark Williams. Its team is led by Executive Director Katharine Killen.
The Aslan Foundation is led by Robert S. Young, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Robert S. Young
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lindsay Y. McDonough
Treasurer
Vice President → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Mark K. Williams
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Jim McDonough (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 The Aslan Foundation
How much does The Aslan Foundation give each year?
The Aslan Foundation gave $918K across 58 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.1M across 89 grants.
What is The Aslan Foundation's typical grant size?
The Aslan Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $3,400, and its average grant was $15,826, across 58 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Aslan Foundation give grants?
The Aslan Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Knoxville, TN (24 grants).
Does The Aslan Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 58 grants with a stated purpose on The Aslan Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Artist Grant - 2024" (28 grants), "2024 Grant" (11 grants) and "Contribution" (11 grants).
Who are The Aslan Foundation's largest grantees?
The Aslan Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Young-Williams Center ($275,000), Big Ears Festival ($249,999 across 2 grants) and Tri-Star Arts ($80,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 33 grants to individuals ($98,601), which are not listed by name. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Aslan Foundation?
The Aslan Foundation reported $122.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $9.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $3.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Aslan Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated mission is to preserve beauty, advance livability, and support cultural assets in Knoxville. Its grantmaking priorities include arts and culture, animal welfare, land conservation, historic preservation, parks, and advancing livability in Knoxville. It supports U.S. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Aslan Foundation?
The current process is invitation-only. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Aslan Foundation's EIN?
The Aslan Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-1520208. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Aslan Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Aslan Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-aslan-foundation-morg_659657f670094ab6a9e996ce70ddd6a1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_621520208_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Aslan Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-aslan-foundation-morg_659657f670094ab6a9e996ce70ddd6a1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 The Aslan 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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