The Frist Foundation

What The Frist Foundation does

The Frist Foundation is a private, family-endowed grant-making foundation headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, founded in 1982. It was originally established by HCA Healthcare and later became an independent entity, renamed to honor the philanthropic legacy of co-founders Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr. and Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr. The foundation serves registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations operating in Davidson County and the broader Middle Tennessee area, prioritizing agencies that address community challenges including housing, food insecurity, childcare access, and collaborative community work.

The foundation's core offering is a portfolio of three grant programs: Capacity Building Grants (supporting strategic planning, earned revenue development, technology improvements, and organizational effectiveness), Capital Grants (funding construction, renovation, and land acquisition), and Operational Grants (by invitation only, providing flexible support for core expenses and day-to-day operations). Beyond grant-making, the foundation provides advisory services to grantees on community engagement, development, talent acquisition, and strategic growth, and supports the GeekCause program operated by Hands On Nashville, which matches local technology experts with community organizations needing technical assistance. Grant applications are managed through Temelio, the foundation's grants management system, with a rolling application process that includes an eligibility quiz, a request summary stage, and a full application stage for selected applicants.

The Frist Foundation does not sell products or services. It is funded by an endowment established by the Frist family, and grants are determined on a case-by-case basis rather than through a fixed pricing model. The foundation employs a small staff of approximately 5, led by Executive Director & CEO Corinne Bergeron, and is governed by a board composed entirely of Frist family members and their spouses. Over its 40+ year history, the foundation has played an instrumental role in establishing several major Nashville community institutions, including the Frist Art Museum, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, the Young Leaders Council, the Tocqueville Society at United Way, and the Middle Tennessee Donors Forum.

Name

The Frist Foundation

Legal name

The Frist Foundation

Website

https://fristfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Frist Foundation is a private, family-endowed grant-making foundation in Nashville, Tennessee, founded in 1982, that funds 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Davidson County and Middle Tennessee through capacity building, capital, and operational grants addressing housing, food insecurity, and childcare.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Private foundation grants
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Capital campaign funding
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Community foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grant Making: The foundation distributes grants to nonprofit organizations serving the Nashville and Middle Tennessee community. Funding comes from the foundation's endowment established by the Frist family (founders of HCA Healthcare).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Frist Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that provides grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. It offers three categories of grant funding — Capacity Building, Capital, and Operational grants — to established nonprofits with annual budgets of at least $250,000 and a minimum three-year operating history.

Product overview

The Frist Foundation is a private foundation offering three primary grant programs: Capacity Building Grants (supporting strategic planning, technology improvements, and organizational effectiveness), Capital Grants (funding construction, renovation, and land acquisition), and Operational Grants (invitation-only flexible support for core expenses). Additionally, the Foundation supports GeekCause, a program that connects Nashville tech experts with community organizations needing technical assistance. The Foundation uses Temelio as its grants management system for processing applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capacity Building Grants

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hands On Nashville's GeekCausecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation provides annual support for GeekCause, which matches Nashville tech experts with community partners in need of technology services. The foundation often recommends agencies reach out to GeekCause before applying for technology-specific grants.
• United Way (Tocqueville Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation played a key role in establishing the Tocqueville Society at United Way, which has become a vital pillar of the Nashville community.
• The Community Foundation of Middle TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation was instrumental in founding The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, which has become a vital pillar of the community.
• Young Leaders CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation co-founded the Young Leaders Council, which has become a vital pillar of the Nashville community focused on developing future civic leaders.
• Middle Tennessee Donors ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation co-founded the Middle Tennessee Donors Forum, which has become a vital pillar of the community for connecting and educating donors.
• Frist Art MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation played a key role in founding the Frist Art Museum, a major cultural institution that has become a vital pillar of the Nashville community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: One of the largest private foundations in the U.S., funding nonprofits globally. Comparable in structure (independent private foundation distributing grants to nonprofits) though vastly larger in scale and scope.
• MacArthur Foundation: A large private foundation supporting nonprofits globally across multiple issue areas. Comparable as a privately endowed, multi-program grantmaking institution, though with substantially greater scale and international reach.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: A large health-focused private foundation whose founding family also built a major healthcare enterprise. Comparable to The Frist Foundation in its family/healthcare-sector origins and as a private grantmaking institution.
• Annenberg Foundation: A large private family foundation supporting nonprofits across education, arts, and civic life. Comparable to The Frist Foundation as a multi-generational family-led philanthropic institution, though with much broader geographic scope.
• Kresge Foundation: A national private foundation making grants across urban development, education, health, and arts. Comparable as a multi-program private grantmaker, though operating across the U.S. rather than a single metro.
• HCA Foundation: The corporate-giving arm of HCA Healthcare, the original parent entity of The Frist Foundation. Operates as a larger, corporate-affiliated grantmaking entity with broader geographic and programmatic reach.

Others

• Frist Art Museum: A Nashville cultural institution that The Frist Foundation helped found. It is not a peer in grantmaking but shares deep Frist-family governance ties and serves as part of the foundation's civic ecosystem.

Regional players

• Nashville Predators Foundation: A Nashville-based philanthropic entity of the NHL franchise that funds local youth and community nonprofits. Operates in the same regional grantmaking space as The Frist Foundation but is tied to a corporate/sports sponsor.

Direct peers

• The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee: A regional community foundation serving Middle Tennessee that The Frist Foundation helped found. It pools donor funds and distributes grants to local nonprofits, directly overlapping with The Frist Foundation's geographic focus and grantmaking model.
• United Way of Greater Nashville: A community-based nonprofit fundraising and grantmaking organization serving Nashville. The Frist Foundation played a key role in establishing its Tocqueville Society; both organizations channel funding to local nonprofits addressing community needs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-frist-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Frist Foundation