Athens Federal Foundation
Athens, TN · EIN 27-1569250. Reported 132 grants totalling $1,079,432 to 53 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Athens Federal Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $4,000 and $7,500; the smallest was $1,500 and the largest $100,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens-Mcminn Family YMCA | Athens, TN | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| YMCA - Locker Room Project | Athens, TN | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Miracle Lake Inc | Etowah, TN | $95,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Tennessee Wesleyan University | Athens, TN | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Love Thy Neighbor Project - Tennessee Wesleyan University | Athens, TN | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Mcminn County Education & Community Foundation - Mcminn County Public Schoo | Athens, TN | $51,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Straightway Ministry Inc | Englewood, TN | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Hope Center | Athens, TN | $28,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Paul's - Table Graces | Athens, TN | $27,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Grace & Mercy Ministries | Athens, TN | $27,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| CASA Corridor of East Tn | Athens, TN | $23,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| CASA Monroe Inc | Madisonville, TN | $23,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| CASA of Bradley County Tn | Cleveland, TN | $21,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mcminn County Emergency Rescue Squad | Athens, TN | $20,997 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Etowah Community Food Pantry - Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church | Etowah, TN | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Helping Hands Ministry (mcminn United Ministries) | Athens, TN | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Grace House in Athens - St Paul's Episcopal Church | Athens, TN | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Women at the Well Ministries | Athens, TN | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mcminn County Education & Community Foundation | Athens, TN | $17,700 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Coordinated Charities Inc | Athens, TN | $17,660 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Tri-County Center | Athens, TN | $17,575 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mcminn County Education & Community Foundation - Special Grant | Athens, TN | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mcminn County Education & Community Foundation - Let's Read 20 | Athens, TN | $16,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Niota UMC | Niota, TN | $16,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Good Faith Clinic Inc | Athens, TN | $15,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Nourish One Child Outreach Program of Keith Memorial UMC | Athens, TN | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Tennessee Wesleyan University - Love Thy Neighbor | Athens, TN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of the Ocoee Regionandor Division | Cleveland, TN | $13,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Mcminn County Senior Citizens Inc | Athens, TN | $13,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Trousdale School Inc | Cleveland, TN | $11,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Monroe County Rescue Squad | Madisonville, TN | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Polk County Friends of the Library | Benton, TN | $8,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Morning Star Ministries | Athens, TN | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| St Mark's AME Zion Church Food Pantry Ministry | Athens, TN | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Wesley Memorial UMC - Etowah Food Pantry | Etowah, TN | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Monroe County Health Council | Madisonville, TN | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Lee University - English Language Center | Cleveland, TN | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Better Living Center | Athens, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Helping Hands Ministries of Mcminn County | Athens, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Isaiah 117 House | Milligan College, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Keith Memorial UMC - Nourish One Child | Athens, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mcminn County 4-H | Athens, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| New Bethany Missionary Baptist Church | Niota, TN | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| St Paul's - Love Period | Athens, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Meigs-Decatur Friends of the Library | Decatur, TN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Monroe County Imagination Library | Madisonville, TN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Sweetwater Education Foundation | Sweetwater, TN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| YMCA of Metro Chattanooga - Bradley Co Y-Cap (ymca Community Action Project | Cleveland, TN | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Etowah Area Senior Citizen's Center | Etowah, TN | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends of Etowah Carnegie | Etowah, TN | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Set Free Ministries and Programs Inc | Ten Mile, TN | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Growing Meigs | Decatur, TN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Eg Fisher Public Library | Athens, TN | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
37 of 53 (70%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 83%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- YMCA - Locker Room Project
SPECIAL GRANT TO BE USED TOWARD $1.7 MILLION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN TO ADD 2 ADA ACCESSIBLE FAMILY LOCKER ROOMS, 4 ADA ACCESSIBLE FAMILY RESTROOMS, UPDATE MENS AND WOMENS LOCKER ROOMS WITH ADA ACCESSIBLE SHOWERS, AND 2 HANDICAP LIFTS TO CONNECT THE UPPER LOBBY AND POOL DECK TO RESTROOM / LOCKER ROOM LEVEL. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PROVIDE UPDATES TO HVAC, ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AND PLUMBING SYSTEMS TO THESE AREAS. - Athens-Mcminn Family YMCA
PARTIAL FUNDING FOR Y-CAP PROGRAM (PROGRAM FOR KIDS AGE 10-15 REFERRED THROUGH THE JUVENILE COURT SYSTEM OR SCHOOL SYSTEM. PARTIAL FUNDING FOR LOCKER ROOM RENOVATION PROJECT. - Miracle Lake Inc
PROPERTY ACQUISITION TO EXPAND FACILITIES. - Tennessee Wesleyan University
GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND OF TENNESSEE WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. - Love Thy Neighbor Project - Tennessee Wesleyan University
WEEKEND MEAL PROGRAM FOR NEEDY STUDENTS AT MCMINN COUNTY SCHOOLS - Mcminn County Education & Community Foundation - Mcminn County Public Schoo
FUNDS FOR EMERGENCY NEEDS CLOTHING AND HYGIENE ITEMS DISTRIBUTED TO EACH SCHOOL IN MCMINN COUNTY, ATHENS CITY AND ETOWAH CITY BASED ON STUDENT ENROLLMENT.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 55 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 30 | $178,110 | $5,000 |
| 2022 | 30 | $256,800 | $5,000 |
| 2023 | 33 | $272,300 | $5,000 |
| 2024 | 39 | $372,222 | $5,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Tennessee.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Athens Federal Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: Po Box 94, Athens, TN, 37371. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 27-1569250 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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