OVERVIEW: The Haslam Family Foundation supports a variety of charitable organizations with a focus on those working in the areas of youth education and sports initiatives.
IP TAKE: The foundation does not maintain a website, which restricts transparency about grantmaking strategies and guidelines.
PROFILE: Established in 1998, the Haslam Family Foundation was founded by businessman Jim Haslam and his wife Natalie. Jim founded Pilot Flying J, a truck stop company founded created in 1958. According to tax filings, the Haslam Family Foundation supports a variety of charitable organizations with a focus on those working in the areas of youth education and sports initiatives.
While the Haslam Family Foundation keeps a low profile, it has conducted major gifts for education, but largely only to institutions with which the family is affiliated on a personal level. The Haslams’ education spending prioritizes their alma mater University of Tennessee, from where their son Jimmy also graduated. The institution is home to the Haslam College of Business. Over the years, the couple has donated tens of millions of dollars to UT, including money for the football team’s practice field, Haslam Field, and a $32.5 million gift in 2006 that was used to construct the James A. Haslam II Business Building and the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center. The foundation’s grantmaking also prioritizes youth sports. Through the vehicle, the Haslams have given millions to Field of Dreams, “a nonprofit dedicated to providing the opportunity for outdoor adventures to American veterans and special needs kids.”
Grants range between $1,000 to around $1.8 million. In a recent year, the foundation gave away around $9.2 Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking primarily focuses on Eastern Tennessee. Past local grantees Knoxville Museum of Art, United Way of Greater Knoxville, and Junior Achievement Tennessee.
The foundation keeps a low profile but is open to contact. Letters should include a copy of the organizations IRS Determination Letter, the most recent annual report/audited financial statement/990, and a detailed description of project and amount of funding requested.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
CONTACT:
Todd Ellis
P.O. Box 52206
Knoxville, TN 37950