The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145

Private foundation · Grantmaker Memphis, TN EIN: 62-6399483

The Sims Family Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Memphis, Tennessee. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations in Memphis and elsewhere in Tennessee.

Key facts about The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145

In short: The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 gave $289K across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Tennessee. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
62-6399483
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$289,000
Grants made (2025)
28
Average grant
$10,321
Median grant
$5,000
New grantees (estimate)
29% first-time grantees (8 of 28, 2025)
Total assets
$2,755,617
Primary geography
Tennessee (96% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$2.8M

+2.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$289K

+35.0% YoY

Grant Count

28

+21.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$10K

+10.9% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 reported a distributable amount of $192K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 open to new grantees?

29%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 8 of 28 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $13K. How we count

Medians: $3K first-time, $8K repeat.

  • 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 166% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 157% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its grants include organizations whose own missions describe work in several areas. St Paul Institute says it supports Catholic education, culture and leadership; Theatre Memphis says it produces plays and encourages the arts through performances and educational programs. Tennis Memphis says it uses tennis, educational programs and life-skills programs to serve people of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds in the Memphis community.

Other 2025 recipients describe work in social services and community support. Dorothy Day House of Hospitality says it provides families with shelter, food, clothing and social services, and helps them secure permanent housing, employment and education or vocational training. Calvary Rescue Mission describes providing shelter and other assistance to people experiencing homelessness in Memphis.

Grantmaking

The trust reported 28 grants totaling $289,000 in 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $75,000, with a median of $5,000. Recent reported grant totals were $214,000 across 23 grants in 2024 and $215,000 across 25 grants in 2023.

Among the largest 2025 grants were $75,000 to Tennessee Shakespeare Co, $40,000 to Memphis Univ School, $25,000 to The Catholic Diocese of Memphis, $17,000 each to St Paul Institute and Steorts Prop dba City Retreat Mphs, and $14,000 to Christ Church Memphis. Other reported awards included $10,000 to Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, $9,000 each to St Louis Catholic Church and Pew Ministries Inc, and $8,000 each to St Peter’s Church and Hutchison School.

How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 grant-dollar distribution was 96% to Tennessee recipients, 2% to California, 1% to Alabama and 1% to Colorado. Many of the listed recipients are in Memphis.

Grant Distribution by State

13states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.

Cities

MemphisGermantownMonteagleGoldenSewaneeCullmanIrondaleWashingtonMcLeanSherman OaksBirminghamDenverElk Grove VillageGreenwood VillageLake CormorantLanghomeMoscowMoundsNashvilleSan Antonio

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K29 grants2019 15 grants2020 26 grants2021 18 grants2022 25 grants2023 23 grants2024 28 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $109K (2022) to $289K (2025). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $289K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Tennessee Shakespeare CO: $75KTennessee Shakespeare CO$75KMemphis Univ School: $40KMemphis Univ School$40KThe Catholic Diocese of Memphis: $25KThe Catholic Diocese ofMemphis$25KSt Paul Institute: $17KSt Paul Institute$17KSteorts Prop DBA City Retreat MPHS: $17KSteorts Prop DBA City RetreatMPHS$17KChrist Church Memphis: $14KChrist Church Memphis$14KMonteagle Sunday School Assembly: $10KMonteagle Sunday SchoolAssembly$10KSt Louis Catholic Church: $9KSt Louis Catholic Church$9KPew Ministries Inc: $9KPew Ministries Inc$9KSt Peter S Church: $8KSt Peter S Church$8K

The largest 2025 recipient was Tennessee Shakespeare CO ($75K). Together the top 10 received $224K.

Grant Size Distribution

120 grants across all recorded years

117<$50K3$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 117 grants of 120 (98%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Tennessee Shakespeare CO Memphis, TNGIFT$75,000
Memphis Univ School Memphis, TNGIFT$40,000
The Catholic Diocese of Memphis Memphis, TNGIFT$25,000
St Paul Institute Memphis, TNGIFT$17,000
Steorts Prop DBA City Retreat MPHS Memphis, TNGIFT$17,000
Christ Church Memphis Memphis, TNGIFT$14,000
Monteagle Sunday School Assembly Monteagle, TNGIFT$10,000
St Louis Catholic Church Memphis, TNGIFT$9,000
Pew Ministries Inc Memphis, TNGIFT$9,000
St Peter S Church Memphis, TNGIFT$8,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Grant total Number of grants
2025 $289,000 28
2024 $214,000 23
2023 $215,000 25
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$2,755,617$2,678,795$2,724,477
Revenue$392,556$195,917$165,610
Expenses$314,670$241,527$238,978
Qualifying Distributions$300,795$226,159$224,777
Net Investment Income$242,876$87,044$76,153
Distributable Amount$192,149$176,071$158,274

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 12, 2025)
  4. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 2, 2020)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 15, 2021)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 9, 2022)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 28, 2023)

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists J Walker Sims and Sherrie J Sims as advisors.

The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • First Horizon Bank

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    $17K (2019) → $24K (2025)

  • J. Walker Sims

    Advisor

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sherrie J. Sims

    Advisor

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

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

First Horizon Bank — Trustee: $24KFirst Horizon BankTrustee$24K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $24K, to First Horizon Bank (Trustee).

Contact

Mailing address: 4385 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38117

Frequently asked questions about The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145

How much does The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 give each year?

The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 gave $289K across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $214K across 23 grants.

What is The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145's typical grant size?

The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $10,321, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 that year got $3K on average.

Where does The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 give grants?

The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 gives mostly in Tennessee: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Memphis, TN (22 grants).

Does The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 28 grants with a stated purpose on The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Gift" (28 grants).

Who are The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145's largest grantees?

The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145's largest 2025 grantees include Tennessee Shakespeare CO ($75,000), Memphis Univ School ($40,000) and The Catholic Diocese of Memphis ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145?

The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $301K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $192K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 fund?

No mission statement for the trust is provided. Its grants include organizations whose own missions describe work in several areas. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145?

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145's EIN?

The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-6399483. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Sims Family Charitable Trust 44-5001145 accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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