Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee

What Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee does

Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee is a private 501(c)(3) charitable foundation (EIN 45-3263428) established in October 2011 as a supporting organization of the East Tennessee Foundation. It was created to continue health-related philanthropy in the region following the sale of Mercy Health Partners to Health Management Associates, carrying forward the legacy of predecessor foundations (St. Mary's Health System and Baptist Health System of East Tennessee) that had collectively raised and granted over $30 million over more than 25 years. The foundation is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, at 525 Portland Street, and is governed by a volunteer board of 21 members with a paid staff of two.

Trinity pursues its mission by convening community stakeholders to identify critical health needs and funding nonprofit organizations through a structured, two-phase competitive grant process. Each year, the foundation defines Trinity Health Initiatives (in 2026 these include Behavioral & Mental Health Wellness & Addiction, Youth Health, Access to Housing, Access to Care for Vulnerable Populations, Serving the Servants, and an Open Topic) and solicits Requests for Proposals through an annual proposal conference and online portal. Phase I Planning Grants of $5,000-$15,000 (split into Small and Large Divisions based on nonprofit annual revenue thresholds of $1.5M) are awarded to 9-15 area nonprofits for three-month planning work, and only successful Phase I grantees may apply for Phase II Implementation Grants of up to $50,000 (Small) or $150,000 (Large) over one year. Beyond grants, Trinity funds Blake Scholarships and Kessel Scholarships for nursing and medical technology students at Carson-Newman University and Lincoln Memorial University, and previously ran the Silver Lamp Awards program (discontinued in January 2025).

The foundation operates within a fixed nine-county contiguous East Tennessee service area (Knox and the surrounding Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Loudon, Roane, Sevier, and Union counties) and has granted over $15.1 million across 424+ projects to date. Annual grantmaking scale is modest: 2024 Phase I awards totaled $218,375 to 24 organizations, 2025 awarded over $239,000 to 26 organizations, and 2026 awarded $244,942 to 27 organizations. Funding for the grant program derives from the foundation's endowment and unrestricted public donations. There is no technology platform, no commercial product, and no AI component to the operating model; Trinity is fundamentally a relationship-driven, regionally-scoped grantmaker with a small overhead footprint.

Name

Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee

Legal name

Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee

Website

https://trinityfound.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee is a Knoxville-based 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that awards two-phase project grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations, healthcare students, and community initiatives across a nine-county East Tennessee service area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF), Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAI), Health Equity & Social Determinants Program Funding (HLAJALAK), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Community health grants
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Healthcare philanthropy
• Charitable foundation services
• East Tennessee regional foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grantmaking: Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation (EIN 45-3263428) founded in October 2011 as a supporting organization of the East Tennessee Foundation. The foundation funds its grant programs through its endowment and charitable donations to its general fund. Trinity raises and grants funds to nonprofit organizations pursuing health-related community projects in its nine-county East Tennessee service area. The foundation also receives unrestricted donations from the public to support its grant program.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that funds nonprofit organizations in a nine-county East Tennessee region through a two-phase grant process: Phase I Planning Grants of $5,000-$15,000 (3 months) followed by Phase II Implementation Grants of up to $50,000 (Small Grants Division) or $150,000 (Large Grants Division) over one year. The foundation awards grants within six annual Health Initiatives spanning behavioral/mental health, youth health, housing access, vulnerable populations, and servant wellness, and administers healthcare student scholarships (Blake and Kessel Scholarships) at Carson-Newman University and Lincoln Memorial University.

Product overview

Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee is a nonprofit health foundation (501(c)(3), EIN 45-3263428) established in October 2011 as a supporting organization of the East Tennessee Foundation. The organization does not offer commercial products or technology services. Its programs include a two-phase grant process (Phase I Planning Grants of $5,000-$15,000 and Phase II Implementation Grants of up to $50,000-$150,000), six annual Health Initiatives focusing on behavioral/mental health, youth health, housing access, vulnerable populations, and servant wellness, scholarship programs (Blake Scholarship and Kessel Scholarship for nursing/medical technology students at Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial Universities), and Silver Lamp Awards recognizing healthcare professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Phase I Planning Grant — Small Grants Division

Quantifiable outcome

• 424+ projects funded and $15.1 million granted to date
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• East Tennessee FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2011Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee was founded in October 2011 as a supporting organization of the East Tennessee Foundation. East Tennessee Foundation is the parent organization that established Trinity to continue health-related philanthropy in the region after the sale of Mercy Health Partners.
• Carson-Newman UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrinity awards Blake Scholarships to nursing students at Carson-Newman University. Students must be in the final two years of their program. Additionally, a Dwight and Gloria Kessel Scholarship is awarded to one student from Carson-Newman University.
• Lincoln Memorial UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrinity awards Blake Scholarships to nursing and medical technology students at Lincoln Memorial University. Students must be in the final two years of their program. Additionally, a Dwight and Gloria Kessel Scholarship is awarded to one student from Lincoln Memorial University.
• United Way of Greater KnoxvilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Way of Greater Knoxville provides nonprofit support resources referenced on Trinity's website, including Nonprofit Support and GrantStation, to assist applicants with grant writing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City: Regional health philanthropy funding mental health, safety net, and healthy communities programs in a defined metro area via a competitive grant process. Strong operational analog to Trinity's two-phase, initiative-based grantmaking approach.
• The Memorial Foundation (Chattanooga): Regional health-focused grantmaking foundation serving the greater Chattanooga area. Comparable as a community-rooted health philanthropy operating a structured grant program for local nonprofits, though serving a different Tennessee geography.
• United Way of Greater Knoxville: Direct regional peer and explicit Trinity partner that funds health and human-services nonprofits in the same nine-county Knoxville area. Operates a competitive grant process targeting overlapping nonprofit recipients such as mental health and youth-serving organizations.
• McNabb Center: A 2026 Trinity Phase I Large Grant recipient and one of the largest regional behavioral health providers in East Tennessee. Comparable as a community-rooted health nonprofit serving the same Knox-area population and overlapping Trinity's behavioral health initiative.
• The Rapides Foundation: A health-focused regional grantmaking foundation serving Central Louisiana with a structured RFP process and defined initiatives. Directly comparable to Trinity's model of community health grantmaking with annual priority areas.
• East Tennessee Foundation: Trinity's parent organization and a regional community foundation serving the same 25-county East Tennessee area. Operates a comparable grantmaking and donor-advised fund model, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• TN Voices: A 2026 Trinity Phase I Large Grant recipient and statewide peer organization that advances behavioral health systems change for children and families. Operates as both a peer in mission (youth mental health) and a grantee, illustrating the overlap.

Regional players

• Ballad Health Foundation: Hospital-system-affiliated foundation serving Northeast Tennessee/Southwest Virginia with overlapping health and community benefit priorities. Comparable mission but operates as part of a large health system rather than as an independent community foundation.
• Knoxville Leadership Foundation: Knoxville-based faith-adjacent community foundation funding local nonprofits and convening civic initiatives. Comparable as a regional grantmaker and convener serving overlapping Knox County nonprofit partners.

Broad incumbents

• BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation: Statewide health-focused foundation of a major insurer, funding behavioral health, childhood health, and community health initiatives across Tennessee. Overlaps with Trinity's health-priority areas but at much larger scale and broader geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TrinityHealthTN
• Facebookfacebook.com/TrinityHealthFoundationOfEastTennessee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trinity-health-foundation-of-east-tennessee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee