The Maclellan Foundation Inc
The Maclellan Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Incorporated in 1945, it supports faith-based ministries and describes its work as promoting discipleship and leadership development, community transformation, prayer, and generosity.
The Maclellan Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Maclellan Foundation Inc gave $21.5M across 161 grants in 2024 (avg $133K), mostly in Florida. 33% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $21,453,335
- -0.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 161
- -53.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $133,251
- +112.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $9,500
- Total assets
- $167,367,179
- -8.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (34 of 103, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Florida (74% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Maclellan Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing says to contact Executive Director David G Denmark for instructions; it lists no award restrictions. The foundation’s website says requests go through a series of reviews, and applicants are notified when an official determination is made. For a full request, it asks for information about the organization and its leadership, project, finances, and objectives, along with required budget and donor materials.
- Review Cycle
- None is listed in the 2024 filing.
- Deadline
- None is listed in the 2024 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: David G Denmark
Mailing address: 820 Broad Street Suite 300, Chattanooga, TN 37402
Phone: (423) 755-1051
Website: https://maclellan.net
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Maclellan Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) ($15.8M across 17 grants). Together the top 10 received $20.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
1,492 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,061 grants of 1,492 (71%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says its strategic grantmaking focus covers every region of the world, while specifying that it grants only to U.S. public charities and may consider foreign organizations with a current equivalency determination. In filing year 2024, 74% of grant dollars went to recipients in Florida and 23% to recipients in Tennessee; Georgia accounted for 2%. The filing reports shares of 0% for North Carolina and Kansas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 161 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Maclellan Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 34 of 103 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $580K; repeat grants $25K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 56% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−1%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 216% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $20.4M (2020) to $22.0M (2022). In 2024 it made 161 grants totaling $21.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $4,000,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $3,000,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $2,000,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $1,250,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $1,250,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $1,250,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $890,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $860,000 |
| Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation (The Generosity Trust) Chattanooga, TN | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $600,000 |
| International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) Clearwater, FL | For various charitable purposes including spiritual formation, building capacity. | $500,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported 161 grants in 2024, 343 in 2023, and 309 in 2022.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $167,367,179 | $13,829,774 | $29,774,320 | $21,453,335 | 161 | $27,012,336 | $9,438,081 | $12,486,247 |
| 2023 | $183,339,323 | $7,801,963 | $31,235,363 | $21,546,081 | 343 | $27,420,467 | $4,711,590 | $13,643,668 |
| 2022 | $207,028,871 | $13,594,154 | $32,010,638 | $21,978,565 | 309 | $26,933,346 | $9,214,722 | $14,485,098 |
| 2021 | $225,301,353 | $34,552,415 | $31,311,887 | $21,676,187 | 320 | $25,922,541 | $28,819,470 | $16,768,541 |
| 2020 | $222,051,381 | $20,410,052 | $29,575,660 | $20,395,442 | 359 | — | $15,940,642 | $12,379,291 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Maclellan Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $12.5M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation says it aims to honor God through excellence, integrity, and prayer, and to pursue measured, transformational impact. Its stated focus areas include discipleship and leadership development, community transformation, prayer, and generosity. In its 2024 filing, it describes work providing nonprofits and grantees with technical assistance and training in governance, strategic planning, impact measurement, and leadership. It also reports literacy work with the Hamilton County Department of Education and a feasibility study related to early-childhood educators, as well as programs and trainings intended to promote generosity.
The foundation’s website says it funds a wide variety of projects worldwide, but grants only to certain 501(c)(3) public charities, including qualified fiscal sponsors applying on behalf of projects. It may consider foreign organizations with a current equivalency determination. It does not consider requests from supporting organizations, private foundations, 501(c)(4) organizations, for-profit organizations, individuals, or foreign organizations without that determination. Its website identifies capital campaigns, buildings, individual field workers, individual churches or schools, scholarships, political or lobbying projects, and projects outside Chattanooga focused on a narrow geographic region without broader impact as outside its current strategy.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of grantees. United Way of Greater Chattanooga describes its mission as building a stronger, healthier community by uniting people and resources. CHA Charitable Benefit Corporation says it supports affordable housing and community development initiatives of the Chattanooga Housing Authority. Lee University describes itself as a private comprehensive university operated under the auspices of the Church of God. Signal Centers says it serves children, adults, and families through programs focused on disabilities, early-childhood education, and self-sufficiency. These are the grantees’ own descriptions of their missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 161 grants totaling $21,453,335. Grant amounts ranged from $50 to $4,000,000, with a median of $9,500. The largest grants listed were to International Generosity Foundation Trust (TrustBridge) in Clearwater, Florida, including awards of $4 million, $3 million, and $2 million; the stated purpose was various charitable purposes, including spiritual formation and building capacity. Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation (The Generosity Trust) received listed grants of $600,000 and $400,000, with the same stated purpose.
Other 2024 grantees included United Way of Greater Chattanooga and CHA Charitable Benefit Corporation, each at $175,000; Lee University, $175,000; Signal Centers and ChattAcademy Community Schools, each $75,000; and Chatt Foundation, National Christian Foundation, and Covenant College Foundation, each $50,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists W Miller Welborn, Ben Fischer, Morgan Maclellan, Michael Tremain, and Frances Heald Sheffield as trustees; Lucien Behar as chief financial officer; David G Denmark as executive director; Hugh O Maclellan Jr as chairman emeritus; Robert H Maclellan as vice chairman, secretary, and treasurer; and Ronald W Blue as trustee emeritus.
The Maclellan Foundation Inc is led by David G. Denmark, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 2 of 16 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
David G. Denmark
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
38 hrs/week
$249K (2020) → $368K (2024)
Christopher H. Maclellan
Chairman of the Board
Chairman → Chairman of the Board, 2023
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ben Fischer
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Catherine M. Heald
Trustee
Secretary → Treasurer, 2021
Treasurer → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Lindquist
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laurence Powell
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Reid Maclellan
Trustee
Associate Trustee → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
W. Miller Welborn
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Frances Heald Sheffield
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Michael Tremain
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Morgan Maclellan
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lucien Behar
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2022
38 hrs/week
$238K (2022) → $257K (2024)
Daryl J. Heald
Associate Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hugh O. Maclellan Jr.
Chairman Emeritus
Treasurer → Secretary, 2021
Secretary → Chairman Emeritus, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert H. Maclellan
Vice Chairman, Secretary & Treasurer
Vice Chairman → Vice Chairman, Secretary & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ronald W. Blue
Trustee Emeritus
Trustee → Trustee Emeritus, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Pat Macmillan (2020–2022) — Trustee
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $368K, to David G Denmark (Executive Director). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Maclellan Foundation Inc
How much does The Maclellan Foundation Inc give each year?
The Maclellan Foundation Inc gave $21.5M across 161 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $21.5M across 343 grants.
What is The Maclellan Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Maclellan Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $9,500, and its average grant was $133,251, across 161 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Maclellan Foundation Inc that year got $580K on average.
Where does The Maclellan Foundation Inc give grants?
The Maclellan Foundation Inc gives mostly in Florida: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Tennessee (23%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chattanooga, TN (75 grants), Clearwater, FL (17 grants), Atlanta, GA (6 grants) and Alpharetta, GA (4 grants).
Does The Maclellan Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 56% of The Maclellan Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (90 of 161) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "For Building Organizational Capacity." (13 grants), "For Outreach to Families." (5 grants) and "For Education of Youth and Children." (5 grants).
Who are The Maclellan Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Maclellan Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include International Generosity Foundation Trust (Trustbridge) ($15,804,325 across 17 grants), Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation (The Generosity Trust) ($3,193,000 across 13 grants) and Mission Increase ($296,000 across 3 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 90% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Maclellan Foundation Inc?
The Maclellan Foundation Inc reported $167.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $27.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $12.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Maclellan Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation says it aims to honor God through excellence, integrity, and prayer, and to pursue measured, transformational impact. Its stated focus areas include discipleship and leadership development, community transformation, prayer, and generosity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Maclellan Foundation Inc?
The 2024 filing says to contact Executive Director David G Denmark for instructions; it lists no award restrictions. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Maclellan Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Maclellan Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-6041468. 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Maclellan Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-maclellan-foundation-inc-morg_b6546e50431d401cbc26528f0a4ef278
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_626041468_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Maclellan Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-maclellan-foundation-inc-morg_b6546e50431d401cbc26528f0a4ef278},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Maclellan Foundation Inc'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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