The Rich Foundation
The Rich Foundation is a private foundation based in Nashville, Tennessee. Its 2025 grants supported organizations including a university gridiron club, schools, cultural and park-preservation organizations, and churches.
The Rich Foundation at a glance
In short: The Rich Foundation gave $150K across 53 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Tennessee. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $150,000
- -19.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 53
- -18.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,830
- -1.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $2,238,651
- -0.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (5 of 53, 2025)
- 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. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Rich Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Applications are submitted by mail to John Gleason. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- May 31.
- Deadline
- May 31.
- Contact
Application contact: John Gleason
Mailing address: C/O Truxton Trust 20 Burton Hills, Blvd Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: (615) 515-1708
Email: john.gleason@truxtontrust.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Rich Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Vanderbilt University Gridiron Club ($50K). Together the top 10 received $112K.
Grant Size Distribution
305 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 301 grants of 305 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee. The remaining shares went to Texas (3%), Washington (2%), New York (1%), and Georgia (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 53 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Rich Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 53 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 89% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 85% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $150K (2019) to $186K (2024). In 2025 it made 53 grants totaling $150K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University Gridiron Club Nashville, TN | General Support | $50,000 |
| Ensworth School Nashville, TN | Capital Campaign for Lower School Building | $11,000 |
| Andrew Jackson's Hermitage Hermitage, TN | General Support | $10,000 |
| Friends of Warner Park Nashville, TN | Support Preservation of Local Parks. | $10,000 |
| Cheekwood Nashville, TN | To help preserve and maintain cheekwood's gardens and museum | $9,000 |
| Westminster Church Nashville, TN | Support for Church Programs and Activities | $8,000 |
| Montgomery Bell Academy Nashville, TN | For School Programs and Capital Projects | $4,200 |
| Harpeth Hall School Nashville, TN | For School Programs and Building Projects | $3,500 |
| Woodmont Christian Church Nashville, TN | For the nashville food project and other church programs | $3,200 |
| Children's Fund Houston, TX | General Support | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Rich 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,238,651 | $223,344 | $239,501 | $150,000 | 53 | $150,000 | $179,305 | $176,769 |
| 2024 | $2,254,808 | $223,792 | $266,606 | $186,000 | 65 | $186,000 | $186,952 | $164,227 |
| 2023 | $2,297,622 | $118,072 | $263,540 | $186,000 | 62 | $186,000 | $76,213 | $159,904 |
| 2022 | $2,443,090 | $130,364 | $266,196 | $167,584 | 67 | $167,584 | $81,264 | $185,330 |
| 2021 | $2,578,922 | $347,112 | $221,556 | $155,984 | 58 | — | $300,030 | $171,114 |
| 2019 | $2,562,313 | $105,205 | $210,286 | $149,833 | 59 | — | $44,752 | $156,041 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Rich Foundation reported a distributable amount of $177K 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 mission statement is provided. The grants listed show support for education, cultural institutions and preservation, parks, and church programs. Among its 2024 grantees, Montgomery Bell Academy describes its mission as offering young men a college preparatory experience and helping them make significant contributions to society. Project Redesign says it reuses donated furniture to redesign homes so families can rebuild their lives; Abe’s Garden describes its purpose as establishing a model for senior life focused on brain health, wellness, and purposeful living.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 53 grants totaling $150,000. Awards ranged from $100 to $50,000, with a median grant of $1,000. Notable grants included $50,000 to Vanderbilt University Gridiron Club for general support; $11,000 to Ensworth School for its Lower School building capital campaign; $10,000 each to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage for general support and Friends of Warner Park for local park preservation; and $9,000 to Cheekwood to help preserve and maintain its gardens and museum.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David Tate Rich, Amy Lucile Rich, and John William Rich as trustees.
The Rich Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Amy Lucile Rich
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$5K (2019) → $12K (2025)
David Tate Rich
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$5K (2019) → $12K (2025)
John William Rich
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$5K (2019) → $12K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $12K, to David Tate Rich (Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Rich Foundation
How much does The Rich Foundation give each year?
The Rich Foundation gave $150K across 53 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $186K across 65 grants.
What is The Rich Foundation's typical grant size?
The Rich Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $2,830, across 53 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Rich Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does The Rich Foundation give grants?
The Rich Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (38 grants) and Houston, TX (2 grants).
Does The Rich Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 53% of The Rich Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (28 of 53) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Rich Foundation's largest grantees?
The Rich Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Vanderbilt University Gridiron Club ($50,000), Ensworth School ($11,000) and Andrew Jackson's Hermitage ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Rich Foundation?
The Rich Foundation reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $150K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $177K (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 The Rich Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The grants listed show support for education, cultural institutions and preservation, parks, and church programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Rich Foundation?
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Rich Foundation's EIN?
The Rich Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-1588498. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 26, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Rich Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Rich Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-rich-foundation-morg_3d5c9dcb839f42ef9d94be75f5301de9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_621588498_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Rich Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-rich-foundation-morg_3d5c9dcb839f42ef9d94be75f5301de9},
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 The Rich 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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