The Powell Foundation
The Powell Foundation is a private foundation based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Its 2024 grants went to Tennessee recipients, including universities, a church, and a rehabilitation organization, for purposes including endowments, scholarships, research, building support, and annual gifts.
The Powell Foundation at a glance
In short: The Powell Foundation gave $1.7M across 41 grants in 2024 (avg $41K), mostly in Tennessee. 80% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,661,295
- Grants made (2024)
- 41
- Average grant
- $40,519
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $30,737,247
- New grantees (estimate)
- 80% first-time grantees (8 of 10, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (100% 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 Powell Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Contact James J Powell with a letter explaining the charitable purpose and need. The filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: James J Powell
Mailing address: 2105 Key Drive, Brentwood, TN 37027
Phone: (423) 794-6095
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Powell Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was University of Tennessee ($650K across 9 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.5M.
Organizations only. It also paid 10 grants to individuals ($201,295), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
135 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 102 grants of 135 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2024 went to recipients in Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Powell Foundation open to new grantees?
80%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 10 grantees (80%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $94K; repeat grants $355K. How we count
Medians: $43K first-time, $355K repeat.
- Giving grew 103% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 199% 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 $678K (2022) to $1.7M (2024). In 2024 it made 41 grants totaling $1.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN | Jenrett Endowment | $235,000 |
| University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN | James J Powell Genomics Endowment | $200,000 |
| University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN | UT Genomics Graduate Student | $75,000 |
| University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN | UT Genomics Graduate Student | $75,000 |
| Crumley House Limestone, TN | Annual Gift | $60,000 |
| Bumc Brentwood, TN | Building Fund | $50,000 |
| Bumc Brentwood, TN | Building Fund | $50,000 |
| Bumc Brentwood, TN | Building Fund | $50,000 |
| Bumc Brentwood, TN | Building Fund | $50,000 |
| 10 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $201,295 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $30,737,247 | $1,132,112 | $1,962,314 | $1,661,295 | 41 | $1,661,295 | $830,902 | $834,203 |
| 2022 | $15,490,537 | $2,820,170 | $826,812 | $677,500 | 36 | $677,500 | $1,135,843 | $751,330 |
| 2021 | $13,497,179 | $1,015,566 | $1,001,870 | $817,500 | 30 | $817,500 | $872,977 | $861,252 |
| 2020 | $13,483,483 | $471,473 | $954,079 | $823,000 | 28 | — | $332,369 | $753,216 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Powell Foundation reported a distributable amount of $834K 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
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for higher education, university research, scholarships, a church building fund, and a head injury rehabilitation organization.
An individual recipient State University describes its mission as supporting university research, scholarly, and artistic activities. The University of Tennessee recipient describes its mission as promoting and aiding scientific, social, and educational investigation and research by assisting the marketing of technologies. These are the grantees’ descriptions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 41 grants totaling $1,661,295. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $235,000, with a median of $25,000. Among the largest were $235,000 to an individual recipient State University for the Jenrett Endowment, $200,000 to the University of Tennessee for the James J Powell Genomics Endowment, and $60,000 to Crumley House for an annual gift. The foundation also made four separate $50,000 grants to BUMC for its building fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jennifer Von de Heiden as president; James J Powell Jr as secretary; and Sandra Powell and Michael Powell as directors.
The Powell Foundation is led by Jennifer Von De Heiden, President on the 2024 filing; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Jennifer Von De Heiden
President
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael W. Powell
Director
Assistant Se → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sandra G. Powell
Director
Vice President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James J. Powell Jr.
Secretary
Vice President → President, 2022
President → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Cathy Essin (2020–2022) — Secretary
- Former: James J. Powell (2020–2021) — President
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 Powell Foundation
How much does The Powell Foundation give each year?
The Powell Foundation gave $1.7M across 41 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is The Powell Foundation's typical grant size?
The Powell Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $40,519, across 41 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Powell Foundation that year got $94K on average.
Where does The Powell Foundation give grants?
The Powell Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Knoxville, TN (9 grants), Brentwood, TN (9 grants), Johnson City, TN (7 grants) and Greeneville, TN (3 grants).
Does The Powell Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 41 grants with a stated purpose on The Powell Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (5 grants), "Building Fund" (4 grants) and "Annual Gift" (4 grants).
Who are The Powell Foundation's largest grantees?
The Powell Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include University of Tennessee ($650,000 across 9 grants), East Tennessee State University ($320,000 across 5 grants) and Bumc ($220,000 across 7 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 10 grants to individuals ($201,295), which are not listed by name. Together they received 72% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Powell Foundation?
The Powell Foundation reported $30.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $834K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Powell Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for higher education, university research, scholarships, a church building fund, and a head injury rehabilitation organization. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Powell Foundation?
Contact James J Powell with a letter explaining the charitable purpose and need. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Powell Foundation's EIN?
The Powell Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-1819796. 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 Powell Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-powell-foundation-morg_9733514243b84823aa571be698b082ea
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_621819796_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Powell Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-powell-foundation-morg_9733514243b84823aa571be698b082ea},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Powell 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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