Footprint Foundation Inc
Chattanooga, TN · EIN 27-5486356. Reported 197 grants totalling $5,409,024 to 74 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation told the IRS it does not accept unsolicited requests: it contributes only to organizations it selects itself.
Does this foundation accept applications?
No -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation to check a box if it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds". Footprint Foundation Inc checked it on its most recent filing, as 78% of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered did. An unsolicited request is unlikely to go anywhere.
Organizations it funds that make grants of their own
4 of the organizations Footprint Foundation Inc funded make grants themselves, and it reported 26 grants totalling $966,999 to them. That is 19% of the $5,020,699 of its giving we could match to a registered organization. Each is classified by the IRS as a philanthropy or grantmaking organization, reported grants to at least 25 organizations of its own, and has at least 10 funders behind it.
All of them file Form 990, which never asks whether an organization funds only groups it picks, so there is no answer on record either way.
What that does not mean. It does not mean an application to any of them reaches this foundation's money. A private foundation's grant to a community foundation or a federated campaign is often a donor-advised fund or a gift designated for a purpose the foundation chose, and has nothing to do with any open programme the receiving organization runs. Its return's purpose text sometimes names a family fund or a designated purpose, which is the plainest case of money no applicant can reach; where it names none, neither return says which. The list is who this foundation paid that also makes grants. Whether any of them would fund you is a question for its own page.
| Grantmaker | Kind | State | Received | Grants | Years | Last | Only funds organizations it picks? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga Inc | community foundation | Tennessee | $565,999 | 21 | 4 | 2024 | Its form does not ask |
| Humboldt Area Foundation | community foundation | California | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 | Its form does not ask |
| East Bay Community Foundation | community foundation | California | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 | Its form does not ask |
| Chattanooga Christian Community | community foundation | Tennessee | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 | Its form does not ask |
A floor, not a full list. A grantmaker appears here only where this foundation's return named it clearly enough for us to match the name to an EIN, which we manage for about two thirds of 990-PF grant rows, and only where that grantmaker has a page on this site. There may be more. Dollars here are summed by EIN across every spelling on its returns, so a figure can differ from the matching row in the full list below, which groups names as written. And the IRS classification cannot tell a grantmaker from a funders' association or a donor-advised fund sponsor, so a payment to one of these may be dues or an account rather than support for a grants programme.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $20,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,000 and $26,000; the smallest was $250 and the largest $125,000.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $565,999 | 21 | 4 | 2024 |
| Teach for America Inc | New York, NY | $500,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $420,000 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Artsbuild | Chattanooga, TN | $393,500 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Humboldt Area Foundation | Bayside, CA | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Open Space Institute Land Trust Inc | New York, NY | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Southeast Community Capital Corporation | Nashville, TN | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Launch | Chattanooga, TN | $285,000 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Chattanoogans in Action for Love Equality and Bene | Chattanooga, TN | $226,325 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Rise Chattanooga | Chattanooga, TN | $226,325 | 12 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $216,000 | 7 | 4 | 2024 |
| Purpose Point Community Resource Center Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $150,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| East Bay Community Foundation | Oakland, CA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Medicos Mission Fund | Chattanooga, TN | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Pop-Up Project | Soddy Daisy, TN | $75,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Chattanooga Neighborhoods Arts Partnership | Chattanooga, TN | $66,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| La Paz De Dios | Chattanooga, TN | $66,000 | 6 | 3 | 2023 |
| Trust for Public Land - Tennessee | Chattanooga, TN | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Unified | Chattanooga, TN | $63,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Tennessee River Gorge Trust Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ella Library | Chattanooga, TN | $59,500 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Crabtree Farms of Chattanooga Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $53,000 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| Greenspaces | Chattanooga, TN | $51,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Chattanooga Design Studio | Chattanooga, TN | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Tennessee Aquarium | Chattanooga, TN | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Chattery | Chattanooga, TN | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| United Methodist Neighborhood Centers Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $48,000 | 5 | 3 | 2024 |
| Contemporary Performing Arts of Chattanooga Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $45,200 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center | Chattanooga, TN | $41,425 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| The a I M Center Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $41,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Urban Collective | Chattanooga, TN | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Lookout Mountain Conservancy | Chattanooga, TN | $31,000 | 4 | 2 | 2024 |
| Splash | Chattanooga, TN | $30,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Beloved Asheville | Asheville, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| North Carolina Arts Foundation | Raleigh, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Southern Smoke Foundation | Houston, TX | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Southern Documentary Fund | Durham, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| World Central Kitchen Incorporated | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Young Mens Christian Association of Metropolitan C | Chattanooga, TN | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Glass House Collective | Chattanooga, TN | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lighthouse Collective Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Stove Works | Chattanooga, TN | $16,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Trust for Public Land | Chattanooga, TN | $16,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Conservation Legacy | Durango, CO | $13,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition | Nashville, TN | $11,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Doors Open Jazz Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nooga Diversity Center | Chattanooga, TN | $8,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| White Oak Bicycle Cooperative | Red Bank, TN | $8,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| B4CK - Binders for Confident Kids | Ringgold, GA | $7,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Catalyst Sports Inc | Atlanta, GA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association | Chattanooga, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends of Outdoor Chattanooga Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Girls Preparatory School Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga | Chattanooga, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Prep Public Schools | Chattanooga, TN | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Young Ladies of Power | Chattanooga, TN | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Mark Making | Chattanooga, TN | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| East Lake Expression Engine | Chattanooga, TN | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Lula Lake Land Trust | Lookout Mountain, TN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Thrive Regional Partnership Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Weclimb | Ooltewah, TN | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Adventure Cycling Association | Missoula, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chattanooga Ballet Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Chattanooga Christian Community Foundation | Chattanooga, TN | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chattanooga Theatre Centre Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Grind Smart Foundation | East Ridge, TN | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Hamilton County Schools Foundation | Chattanooga, TN | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Help Right Here | Signal Mountain, TN | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Hunter Museum of Art | Chattanooga, TN | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Rhyme N Chatt Interactive Poetry Organization | Chattanooga, TN | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Southside Youth Development Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Union Theological Seminary | New York, NY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Soundcorps Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Nationa | Chattanooga, TN | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
42 of 74 (57%) 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 65%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one, and this foundation told the IRS it does not.
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.
- Teach for America Inc
To support operations of the Nashville-Chattanooga office for TFA Chattanooga corp members - Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga Inc
To support educational initiatives via the Smart City venture Fund - Humboldt Area Foundation
For programs and activities supported by the Footprint Fund - Launch
To support general operations of LAUNCH - Open Space Institute Land Trust Inc
Cradle of Southern Appalachia Fund and Thriving Communities Natural Treasures - Southeast Community Capital Corporation
To support the launch and general operations of the Chattanooga Small Business Opportunity Fund
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 172 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | $1,514,500 | $36,500 |
| 2022 | 63 | $1,636,000 | $5,000 |
| 2023 | 51 | $1,176,999 | $17,000 |
| 2024 | 51 | $1,081,525 | $10,000 |
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
75% of its giving went to organizations in Tennessee.
Get funders for your state and cause by email
We email you funders that gave to organizations in your state and cause, up to five at a time each week and never the same one twice, from their own IRS filings. Free. The weekly email has not started yet.
Unsubscribe in one click from any email. We never sell or share your address. To match on your organization and typical grant size too, keep a private profile.
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 a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more. Unlike this foundation, none of them is on record as funding only organizations it picks, and each page says what its filings show.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Footprint Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: The Lupton Co 201 W Main St 205, Chattanooga, TN, 37408. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS.
EIN 27-5486356 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.