Washington Foundation
Washington Foundation is a private foundation based in Nashville, Tennessee. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, primarily in Tennessee, including organizations working in the arts, food assistance, health care, and community services.
Washington Foundation at a glance
In short: Washington Foundation gave $827K across 86 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Tennessee. 2% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $827,000
- +3.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 86
- -1.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $9,616
- +4.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,750
- Total assets
- $12,958,211
- +14.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 2% first-time grantees (2 of 86, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Washington Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 159057, Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: (615) 423-4033
Website: https://thewashingtonfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Washington Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Nashville Symphony Association ($42K). Together the top 10 received $300K.
Grant Size Distribution
424 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 423 grants of 424 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee. The remaining reported shares were 1% each for Texas, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana; Michigan accounted for 0% as reported.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 86 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Washington Foundation open to new grantees?
2%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 86 grantees (2%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $14K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $14K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 98% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 109% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $698K (2023) to $827K (2025). In 2025 it made 86 grants totaling $827K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville Symphony Association Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $42,000 |
| The Branch of Nashville Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $37,500 |
| Second Harvest Food Bank of Mid TN Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $34,000 |
| Salvation Army Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $31,000 |
| Faith Family Medical Clinic Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $30,000 |
| Siloam Health Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $27,500 |
| Men of Valor Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $25,000 |
| Nashville Rescue Mission Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $25,000 |
| The Store Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $25,000 |
| Cumberland Heights Nashville, TN | Unrestricted Gift | $22,500 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $12,958,211 | $2,630,984 | $978,336 | $827,000 | 86 | $832,413 | $2,532,963 | $764,562 |
| 2024 | $11,305,563 | $2,086,613 | $898,509 | $800,000 | 87 | $804,985 | $1,993,089 | $737,745 |
| 2023 | $10,117,459 | $299,290 | $787,584 | $697,500 | 80 | $701,820 | $213,526 | $678,660 |
| 2022 | $10,625,345 | $406,322 | $835,629 | $719,000 | 83 | $723,122 | $318,692 | $687,768 |
| 2021 | $11,035,060 | $1,181,024 | $901,531 | $800,000 | 88 | $804,142 | $1,084,681 | $774,705 |
| 2020 | $10,755,567 | $465,995 | $785,421 | $700,000 | 83 | — | $386,028 | $656,401 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Washington Foundation reported a distributable amount of $765K 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 for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the Nashville Symphony Association says it inspires and engages its community through live orchestral music; The Branch of Nashville describes its work as nourishing, educating, and equipping people in Southeast Nashville; and Siloam Health says it provides affordable, whole-person care to uninsured and underserved people. The Store says it addresses hunger through a year-round free grocery store, while Nashville Rescue Mission describes providing food, clothing, shelter, and recovery programs.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 86 grants totaling $827,000. Grants ranged from $500 to $42,000, with a median grant of $5,750. The largest listed grants included $42,000 to Nashville Symphony Association, $37,500 to The Branch of Nashville, $34,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, $31,000 to Salvation Army, and $30,000 to Faith Family Medical Clinic. The listed grants were described as unrestricted gifts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dr. Gilbert D. Ezell as president and Thomas Stumb, James Gooch, and Jeff Hazelip as directors.
Washington Foundation is led by Gilbert D. Ezell, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gilbert D. Ezell
President
Director → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
James Gooch
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jeff Hazelip
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Thomas Stumb
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Harold Hazelip (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: James N. Denton III (2020–2022) — Director
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 Washington Foundation
How much does Washington Foundation give each year?
Washington Foundation gave $827K across 86 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $800K across 87 grants.
What is Washington Foundation's typical grant size?
Washington Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,750, and its average grant was $9,616, across 86 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Washington Foundation that year got $14K on average.
Where does Washington Foundation give grants?
Washington Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Nashville, TN (69 grants), Franklin, TN (3 grants) and Brentwood, TN (2 grants).
Does Washington Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Washington Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (86 of 86) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Washington Foundation's largest grantees?
Washington Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Nashville Symphony Association ($42,000), The Branch of Nashville ($37,500) and Second Harvest Food Bank of Mid TN ($34,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Washington Foundation?
Washington Foundation reported $13.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $832K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $765K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Washington Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Washington Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Washington Foundation's EIN?
Washington Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 62-0649477. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Washington Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Washington Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Washington Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/washington-foundation-morg_03e435ebc7c743408c061476f8223941
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_620649477_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Washington Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/washington-foundation-morg_03e435ebc7c743408c061476f8223941},
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 Washington 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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