The Richard Siegel Foundation
The Richard Siegel Foundation is a private foundation based in Franklin, Tennessee. It supports public education in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, including school grant projects and scholarships, and also supports recreation for young people and families in Rutherford County.
The Richard Siegel Foundation at a glance
In short: The Richard Siegel Foundation gave $214K across 54 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Tennessee. 38% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $213,830
- +10.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 54
- +3.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,960
- +6.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $3,617,227
- +4.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 38% first-time grantees (14 of 37, 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 Richard Siegel Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts annual requests for school grant projects. Its 2026 application procedures direct applicants to submit a written application with the materials described above; the 2025 filing says to contact Gina King for the application form, materials, deadlines, and award restrictions.
- Review Cycle
- June 1, 2026, for the grant application.
- Deadline
- June 1, 2026, for the grant application.
- Contact
Application contact: Firstbank
Mailing address: 722 Columbia Ave, Franklin, TN 37064
Phone: (615) 499-5540
Website: https://richardsiegelfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Richard Siegel Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Archie's Promise ($10K). Together the top 10 received $93K.
Organizations only. It also paid 16 individual scholarships ($40,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
271 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 271 grants of 271 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated purposes focus on Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, Tennessee. In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to Tennessee recipients; 1% each went to recipients in Florida, New York, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 54 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Richard Siegel Foundation open to new grantees?
38%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 37 grantees (38%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 51% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (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 $187K (2020) to $216K (2022). In 2025 it made 54 grants totaling $214K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Archie's Promise Murfreesboro, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $10,000 |
| Blackman Middle School Murfreesboro, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $10,000 |
| Project Transformation Tennessee Nashville, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $10,000 |
| Riverdale High School Murfreesboro, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $10,000 |
| Special Kids Murfreesboro, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $10,000 |
| Blackman Elementary School Murfreesboro, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $9,988 |
| Lascassas Elementary School Lascassas, TN | Richard Seigel Foundation Grant | $9,450 |
| Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System Murfreesboro, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $8,580 |
| Lavergne High School La Vergne, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $7,500 |
| Rutherford County Schools Murfreesboro, TN | Richard Siegel Foundation Grant | $7,146 |
Ready to take the next step with The Richard Siegel 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 | $3,617,227 | $421,555 | $274,020 | $213,830 | 54 | $218,330 | $389,858 | $225,365 |
| 2024 | $3,469,692 | $443,132 | $244,063 | $192,883 | 52 | $197,383 | $409,121 | $218,318 |
| 2023 | $3,270,623 | $175,543 | $237,173 | $193,381 | 51 | $197,881 | $135,843 | $197,383 |
| 2022 | $3,332,253 | $45,158 | $271,138 | $215,970 | 58 | $228,502 | $33,954 | $205,914 |
| 2021 | $3,558,233 | $398,191 | $249,876 | $190,603 | 56 | $204,579 | $354,590 | $229,982 |
| 2020 | $3,409,918 | $159,819 | $237,126 | $187,084 | 48 | — | $119,118 | $203,313 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Richard Siegel Foundation reported a distributable amount of $225K 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
The foundation’s stated purposes include improving the quality of public education in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County by encouraging community involvement and creative approaches to educating public school students, and by supporting teachers, students, and public schools. It also aims to promote the development of young people and families through recreation in Rutherford County.
The foundation provides scholarships to graduates of public high schools in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County; its website says scholarships are open to any senior in Rutherford County. It also accepts annual grant requests from schools.
The 2025 grantees illustrate the range of supported organizations. Project Transformation Tennessee describes its mission as engaging children, college-age young adults, and churches in purposeful relationships through programs for children. Special Kids says it provides therapeutic rehabilitation and professional nursing services to children with special needs. Center for the Arts says it promotes cultural events for the community; The Journey Home describes providing a home environment and care for terminally ill individuals; and Read to Succeed says it offers free literacy programs and events for adults and children in Rutherford County.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 54 grants totaling $213,830. Grant amounts ranged from $1,093 to $10,000, with a median of $2,500. Notable awards included $10,000 each to Archie’s Promise, Blackman Middle School, Project Transformation Tennessee, Riverdale High School, and Special Kids. Other awards included $9,988 to Blackman Elementary School, $9,450 to Lascassas Elementary School, and $8,580 to Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System.
The foundation’s 2026 grant application procedures set a maximum award of $10,000 and state that requests above that amount will not be considered. Applications are to be in writing, limited to a cover page and five additional pages, and include information about the organization and its programs, board members and affiliations where applicable, other and past supporters, and a federal tax-exemption letter. Applications from Rutherford County or Murfreesboro City schools, or groups within a school, must be submitted by the school principal. If a school submits multiple requests in a year, the principal must provide a separate letter prioritizing them.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Casey Carlbom as vice chair. It lists Cheryl Letson, Erin Tucker, Keith Barrett, Sears Hallett, Jeff Ward, Steven Wade Gass, and Brain Thomas Graves as members, and Brian Kinnett and Fred Halfpap as employee liaisons.
The Richard Siegel Foundation is led by Abbye Kent, Chair on the 2025 filing; none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Abbye Kent
Chair
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Fred Halfpap
Employee Liason
Trustee → Employee Liason, 2023
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Sears Hallett
Member
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Brian Kinnett
Employee Liason
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Cheryl Letson
Member
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Erin Tucker
Member
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Jeff Ward
Member
Vice Chair → Member, 2025
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Keith Barrett
Member
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Brain Thomas Graves
Member
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Casey Carlbom
Vice Chair
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Steven Wade Gass
Member
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Former officers (23)
- Former: Myranda Peterson (2022–2024) — Chair
- Former: Jim Martin (2023–2024) — Member
- Former: Whitney Raque (2023–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Bill Caruthers (2021–2023) — Member
- Former: Bj Kerstiens Jr. (2021–2023) — Member
- Former: Ran Powers (2021–2023) — Member
- Former: Bill Reid (2023) — Member
- Former: Kim Ward (2023) — Member
- Former: Brandon Ward (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Brock East (2020–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Emily Jackson (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Rodney Porth (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Firstbank (2021–2022) — Agent
- Former: Fletcher Holland (2021–2022) — Chair
- Former: Rachel Polk (2021–2022) — Trustee
- Former: David Moss (2022) — Trustee
- Former: Barletta Dagley (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Dwayne Alexander (2020) — Vice Chair
- Former: Franklin Synergy Bank (2020) — Agent
- Former: Jenny Reid (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Josh Markham (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Krista Warren (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Sally Millsap (2020) — Secretary
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Richard Siegel Foundation
How much does The Richard Siegel Foundation give each year?
The Richard Siegel Foundation gave $214K across 54 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $193K across 52 grants.
What is The Richard Siegel Foundation's typical grant size?
The Richard Siegel Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $3,960, across 54 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Richard Siegel Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does The Richard Siegel Foundation give grants?
The Richard Siegel 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 Murfreesboro, TN (14 grants), Knoxville, TN (7 grants), Nashville, TN (2 grants) and La Vergne, TN (2 grants).
Does The Richard Siegel Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 54 grants with a stated purpose on The Richard Siegel Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (34 grants) and "Richard Siegel Foundation Grant" (18 grants).
Who are The Richard Siegel Foundation's largest grantees?
The Richard Siegel Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Archie's Promise ($10,000), Blackman Middle School ($10,000) and Project Transformation Tennessee ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 16 individual scholarships ($40,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Richard Siegel Foundation?
The Richard Siegel Foundation reported $3.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $218K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $225K (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 Richard Siegel Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated purposes include improving the quality of public education in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County by encouraging community involvement and creative approaches to educating public school students, and by supporting teachers, students, and public schools. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Richard Siegel Foundation?
The foundation accepts annual requests for school grant projects. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Richard Siegel Foundation's EIN?
The Richard Siegel Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1646336. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Richard Siegel Foundation funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Richard Siegel Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Christy-Houston Foundation Inc
Murfreesboro, TN
The Christy-Houston Foundation supports charitable organizations and public entities serving Rutherford County and neighboring counties, with grants spanning healthcare, human services, arts, youth, and community projects. In 2024, grants ranged from $6,000 to $1.5 million, with a median of $49,750. It does not limit giving to preselected organizations; prospective applicants are directed to contact the foundation and use its forms.
Assets
$96.7M
Grants
24
Total Given
$4.2M
John D Floyd Charitable Foundation Inc
Murfreesboro, TN
The John D Floyd Charitable Foundation supports a broad range of community services, including programs for older adults and children, food assistance, arts education, housing, and employment support. Its 2025 grants ranged from $5,000 to $76,000, with a median of $10,000; nearly all funding went to Tennessee organizations. It accepts letter requests from qualified 501(c)(3) organizations, according to its 2024 filing.
Assets
$11.4M
Grants
30
Total Given
$483K
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Inc
Nashville, TN
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee supports nonprofits across a range of needs, including housing, disaster relief, education, health, public safety, and the arts. Its 2024 grants had a median award of $8,500, with amounts ranging widely; it primarily serves Middle Tennessee, with 76% of 2024 grant dollars going to Tennessee recipients. Special Interest Grant applications are submitted through its grants portal; no new competitive Community Impact cycle is planned for fiscal year 2026–2027.
Assets
$832.0M
Grants
2,450
Total Given
$107.1M
Adams Family Foundation I
Murfreesboro, TN
The foundation supports a range of Tennessee organizations, including arts, education, health, community services, and homelessness programs; its 2025 grants ranged from $1,000 to $95,000, with a median of $5,000. Tennessee is its primary area, with the Southeast listed as secondary. It accepts requests by open letter to Robert Adams, with no deadline stated.
Assets
$4.6M
Grants
23
Total Given
$335K
United Way of South Central Tennessee
Murfreesboro, TN
United Way of South Central Tennessee funds programs supporting education, health, and financial stability, with priority for services that help ALICE households meet needs such as housing, food, child care, transportation, and health care. Its grant programs generally award $3,000–$26,000, and it serves Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Lincoln, Moore, Rutherford, and Warren counties in Tennessee. It provides application instructions and cycle dates, but does not state whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$3.7M
Grants
48
Total Given
$700K
Jennings & Rebecca Jones Foundation Inc
Murfreesboro, TN
The Jennings & Rebecca Jones Foundation supports Tennessee organizations focused on education, literacy, arts, youth, and community services. Its 2025 grants ranged from $2,000 to $60,800, with a median of $16,500. It funds only preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
$3.6M
Grants
14
Total Given
$329K
More similar funders
More Funders in Tennessee
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Richard Siegel Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-richard-siegel-foundation-morg_a2f1c012c69a4b85976e644f8d27bdb4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311646336_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Richard Siegel Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-richard-siegel-foundation-morg_a2f1c012c69a4b85976e644f8d27bdb4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Richard Siegel 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.
The Richard Siegel Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?