Thompson Charitable Foundation Grants

Thompson Charitable Foundation Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: The Thompson Charitable Foundation
Last Updated: March 20, 2026

Summary

The Thompson Charitable Foundation, established in 1987, aims to enhance the quality of life for communities in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. It focuses on funding nonprofit projects in health services, education, and community development. Grants are available for matching funds and capital projects but do not support endowments or religious activities. Preference is given to applicants previously funded by TCF. Interested organizations must submit a Letter of Inquiry before the application deadline.

Overview

NOTE: To be invited to apply, you must submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) by the deadline. Our online application portal will only be open for invited applicants one month before the application deadline (See Full Proposal Deadline above). We may consider an emergency request outside of our one board meeting review cycle. It is entirely at the Foundation’s discretion if we consider an application outside of the new funding cycle. Our Mission The Thompson Charitable Foundation was established in 1987 by B. Ray Thompson, Sr., a leader in the U.S. coal industry and developer of the Thompson non-recovery coke oven process. Reflecting the concerns and interests of our founder, the Foundation supports projects that seek to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. Specifically, the Foundation supports non-profit organizations in the areas of health services and sciences, education, human services, and quality of life. Areas of Interest The Foundation supports non-profit organizations in the areas of: Health & Human ServicesEducation and Workforce DevelopmentCommunity and Economic DevelopmentQuality of Life

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Contributions to charitable organizations are limited to the following locations:Kentucky:   Bell, Clay, Laurel, and Leslie CountiesTennessee:Knox, Anderson, Scott, and Blount CountiesVirginia:       Buchanan and Tazewell CountiesGrants to qualifying charitable organizations are available for matching funds, and capital projects.

Ineligibility

Grants will not be awarded to support endowment funds or deficit operation budgets.While TCF honors and respects religious institutions, especially those active in their communities, we do not fund religious activities such as worship and evangelism or the general operation of religious organizations whose primary purpose is worship and evangelism.  We also do not fund repair or expansion of buildings primarily used for religious activities.  At our board’s discretion, we may fund religious non-profits engaged in human service programming that does not require adherence to religious beliefs or participation in religious activities.