Dan & Margaret Maddox Fund
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If your organisation works with young people or on the natural environment in Middle Tennessee, and has an annual budget under $1.5 million, the Fund's focus is a close fit.
- Most of its grants fall between $2,500 and $45,000, and half of its grants to organisations are $20,000 or less, so a request around $20,000 is a realistic starting point; its largest grant was $94,500.
- Its giving leans heavily on existing relationships, with 86% of its grant dollars to organisations going to groups it had funded in earlier filings, so contact a member of staff before you write a request.
- Requests can be made at any time and are reviewed monthly, or sooner when a rapid response is needed.
- It does not fund private or charter schools, so those should not apply.
Overview
Dan & Margaret Maddox Fund is a US private foundation based in Nashville, TN.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund partners with nonprofits to improve the lives of young people and protect the natural environment. Its youth grantmaking prioritises young people from systematically under-resourced communities, including Black, Indigenous, people of colour and LGBTQIA+ communities, and supports youth voice, leadership, advocacy, civic engagement, equitable education and belonging. Its environmental work connects people and planet through access to nature, climate solutions, environmental protection, environmental justice and conservation. It favours organisations rooted in and reflective of the communities they serve, with community-rooted leadership, accountability and shared decision-making. The Fund also prioritises place-based, relationship-centred work that strengthens youth leadership, community well-being or environmental stewardship in Middle Tennessee, and focuses on small to mid-sized organisations.
Themes
- Youth leadership and voice
- Equitable education
- Youth belonging
- Access to nature
- Climate solutions
- Environmental justice
- Conservation
Geographic Focus
Middle Tennessee: Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham and 37 more counties in Tennessee.
What They Don't Fund
- Private and charter schools
How to apply
For Responsive Grants, organisations should contact a Maddox staff member first; requests can be made throughout the year and are reviewed monthly, or sooner when a rapid response is needed.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 86% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 250 grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Fund favours organisations rooted in and reflective of the communities they serve, including BIPOC-led and LGBTQ+-led organisations or those with strong community-rooted leadership and governance.
- The Fund values dignity, belonging, community voice and shared decision-making in organisations’ values and everyday practices.
- The Fund prioritises community-centred or liberation-aligned approaches serving historically excluded communities.
- The Fund favours place-based, relationship-centred work in Middle Tennessee that strengthens youth leadership, community well-being or environmental stewardship.
- The Fund focuses on small to mid-sized organisations with annual budgets under $1.5 million supporting a focus area.
- The Fund values meaningful connection to and accountability with the communities most impacted by an organisation’s work.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 4% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 86% of grant dollars went to organisations Dan & Margaret Maddox Fund had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 81 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $20,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Tennessee Immigrant And Refugee Rig · To provide operating support for youth and environmental programs$94,5002024 tax year
- Equity Alliance · To provide operating support for youth programs$85,0002024 tax year
- Launch Pad · To provide operating support for youth programs$65,0002024 tax year
- Southern Movement Committee · To provide operating support for youth programs$65,0002024 tax year
- Tennessee Educators of Color Alliance · To provide operating support for youth programs$62,0002024 tax year
- Nashville Peace and Justice Center · To provide operating support for environmental programs of sunrise movement$55,0002024 tax year
- Brooklyn Heights Community Garden · To provide operating support for environmental programs$55,0002024 tax year
- Futuro · To provide operating support for youth programs$52,5002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Joseph Gutierrez — Progam Officer
- Mary K Friskics-Warren — Executive Director
- Jennifer Wang — Trustee
- Jamaal Sheats — Trustee
- Tommye Maddox — Trustee
- Brandon Hill — Trustee
- Herman Hicks — Trustee
- Melissa Gordon — Trustee
- David Esquivel — Trustee
- Ashlee Davis — Trustee
- Andrea Blackman — Trustee
- Cathy Bender — Trustee
- Kasar Abdulla — Trustee
- Stephanie Mahnke — Secretary / Treasurer
- Indira Dammu — Vice-Chair
- Ana Escobar — Chair
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $3,054,677 | $1,860,470 | $52,028,327 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $2,811,175 | $1,751,413 | $55,355,294 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $3,279,327 | $1,914,214 | $57,601,525 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Dan & Margaret Maddox Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (615) 385-1006
- joseph@maddoxfund.org
- shun@maddoxfund.org
- jen@maddoxfund.org
- Nashville, TN
- maddoxfund.org
Applying to Dan & Margaret Maddox Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (615) 385-1006
- joseph@maddoxfund.org
- shun@maddoxfund.org
- jen@maddoxfund.org
- Nashville, TN
- maddoxfund.org