James And Laura Rogers Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $1,427,550
• Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: $10,000 - $1,000,000
• Median Grant: $41,000
• Geographic Focus: Tennessee and Virginia (primarily Kingsport, TN area)

Contact Details

Address: 105 Coventry Wynd Rd, Kingsport, TN 37664-4877

Phone: 423-288-4219

Email: Not publicly available

Website: Not publicly available

Overview

The James and Laura Rogers Foundation is a private family foundation established in May 2011 and based in Kingsport, Tennessee. With total assets of approximately $25-35 million, the foundation distributes approximately $1.4-1.5 million annually through strategic grants to preselected charitable organizations. Led by James P. Rogers (President) and Laura C. Rogers (Secretary/Treasurer), the foundation focuses primarily on supporting community development, operations support, facility upgrades, and local fundraising initiatives in the Kingsport, Tennessee area and surrounding regions in Tennessee and Virginia. The foundation has been particularly notable for its major support of Bays Mountain Park, where it served as lead donor for the Good Steward Nature Center rededication in May. The foundation's approach emphasizes being good stewards with resources entrusted to them and supporting established organizations that align with the family's philanthropic values.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates through trustee-discretion grants rather than formal grant programs. Recent grants (2024) have ranged from $10,000 to $1,000,000, with a median grant size of $41,000. The foundation made 8 grants in 2024 and 10 grants in 2023.

Notable Recent Grants:

• $1,000,000 to University of Virginia Athletics Foundation
• $750,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee
• $200,000 to Kingsport Homeless Ministry
• Grants to Barter Foundation and Symphony of the Mountains (amounts not disclosed)
• Lead donor support for Bays Mountain Park's Good Steward Nature Center

Priority Areas

Based on documented grant activity, the foundation supports:

• Community Development: Parks, recreation facilities, and community infrastructure
• Food Security: Major support for food banks and hunger relief programs
• Homelessness Services: Support for homeless ministry and related services
• Arts and Culture: Support for regional arts organizations
• Operations Support: General operating grants and facility upgrades
• Higher Education Athletics: Support for university athletic programs

Geographic Focus

• Primary focus: Kingsport, Tennessee and immediate surrounding area
• Secondary focus: Cities across Tennessee and Virginia including Abingdon, Charlottesville, Gray, Nashville, and Ruther Glen

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds, effectively limiting their grant-making to organizations they have pre-existing relationships with or have identified through their own research and connections.

Governance and Leadership

James P. Rogers - President

• Works approximately 1 hour per week (volunteer)
• Leads foundation decision-making

Laura C. Rogers - Secretary/Treasurer

• Works approximately 1 hour per week (volunteer)
• Quote: "Our family believes we should be good stewards with all we've been given and what better way to do that then to support the Bays Mountain Park."

Board of Directors:

• Anna K. Sunderlin - Director (volunteer)
• Jessica L. Rogers - Director (volunteer)
• Tamara M. Cottingim - Director (receives $16,000 annual compensation)

The foundation operates as a close-knit family foundation with minimal administrative overhead, directing 98.4% of annual expenses toward charitable disbursements.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. According to their official filings, the foundation "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded through:

• Trustee discretion and identification of organizations
• Pre-existing relationships with charitable organizations
• Foundation-initiated research and outreach

Decision Timeline

Not applicable for unsolicited applications. The foundation makes grant decisions on its own timeline based on trustee meetings and strategic priorities.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, so there is no public application pool to measure success rates against.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Application Success Factors

Since the James and Laura Rogers Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, organizations that have received funding share certain characteristics:

Profile of Funded Organizations:

• Established nonprofits with demonstrated community impact
• Organizations aligned with the foundation's geographic focus (primarily Kingsport, TN area)
• Causes related to community development, food security, homelessness services, arts, and recreation
• Organizations capable of managing large grants (ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000)

Foundation Values (based on leadership quotes):

• Good stewardship of resources
• Supporting established community institutions
• Long-term community impact
• Facility improvements and capital projects
• Operational sustainability

Recent Funding Examples:

• Bays Mountain Park: Lead donor for Good Steward Nature Center, contributing to over $2.5 million in private investment since 2021
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee: $750,000 grant, part of broader support for the organization's expansion project to reduce food insecurity from 17.4% to 5% by 2030
• Major support for both capital projects and operating support

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process: This foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes grants to preselected organizations
• Relationship-based giving: All grants appear to stem from pre-existing relationships or foundation-initiated research
• Significant grant sizes: The foundation is capable of making transformational gifts ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000, with a median around $41,000
• Geographic focus matters: Strong preference for Kingsport, TN area and surrounding Tennessee/Virginia regions
• Values alignment: The foundation emphasizes good stewardship and supporting established community institutions
• Capital project support: Notable pattern of funding facility improvements, expansions, and major capital campaigns
• Limited annual grants: With only 8-10 grants made annually from a substantial asset base, the foundation is highly selective

References

• Grantmakers.io Profile - James and Laura Rogers Foundation. Retrieved January 20, 2026. https://www.grantmakers.io/profiles/v0/274283892-james-and-laura-rogers-foundation/

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - James And Laura Rogers Foundation (EIN: 274283892). Retrieved January 20, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/274283892

• Instrumentl 990 Report - The James And Laura Rogers Foundation. Retrieved January 20, 2026. https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/james-and-laura-rogers-foundation

• Kingsport, TN Official Website. "Kingsport receives $2.9 million parks and recreation grant." Retrieved January 20, 2026. https://www.kingsporttn.gov/kingsport-receives-2-9-million-parks-and-recreation-grant/

• Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium. "Kingsport receives $2.9 million parks and recreation grant." Retrieved January 20, 2026. https://www.baysmountain.com/kingsport-receives-2-9-million-parks-and-recreation-grant/

• Times News. "Tennessee grants $2.9M for Bays Mountain, Brickyard parks." Retrieved January 20, 2026. https://www.timesnews.net/news/local-news/grant-funding-boosts-kingsport-parks-projects-2-9m-awarded/article_99bdb07e-5b2d-11ef-97fa-ef8ea9fec693.html

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee. "Second Harvest Completes Expansion With Gift From Kingsport Community Foundation." Greeneville Sun. Retrieved January 20, 2026. https://www.greenevillesun.com/news/local_news/second-harvest-completes-expansion-with-gift-from-kingsport-community-foundation/article_d72dcec2-3237-4fa1-a146-d799896391f3.html