Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 62-1103568 · since 1981·Florida, Tennessee·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$2.8M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$1,000 to $20,000

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$2,500

Typical grant (median)

309 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity without an invitation should not send a cold application; the realistic route is a warm introduction through someone who already knows the foundation.
Its filing shows strong repeat giving, with 96% of grant dollars to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, so it works mostly with familiar recipients.
Typical grants fall between $1,000 and $20,000, and the median is $2,500, so a modest request fits its usual pattern, though its largest grant was $325,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
No geographic focus is stated; the grants shown go mainly to Tennessee and Florida, which describes past giving rather than a rule.
The filings give no deadlines, so expect the process to be relationship-led and possibly slow.

Overview

Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation is a US private foundation based in Nashville, TN.

What they fund

Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The recorded grants went predominantly to Tennessee recipients and included community foundations, schools and universities, churches, social-service and health organisations, museums and other cultural institutions, conservation groups, and community recreation projects. The recorded purposes include general support, annual giving, capital campaigns, a habitat exhibit and safe skate spots. The records therefore show grants to a broad range of charitable organisations and institutions, rather than a single stated field of funding. They do not set out a published account of thematic priorities or geographic eligibility.

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Tennessee and Florida.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 96% 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 966 grants to organisations were $2,500 or less.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Tennessee87%

Florida5%

Virginia2%

Mississippi2%

District of Columbia1%

Maryland<1%

6 other states: 2%

The largest single recipient received 21% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to organisations Dorothy Cate and Thomas F Frist Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
27% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

309 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $2,500

How much do they typically give?

Share of 309 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k3%

$1k–$2.5k33%

$2.5k–$5k19%

$5k–$10k24%

$10k–$25k11%

$25k–$50k5%

$50k–$100k4%

$100k–$250k1%

$250k–$500k<1%

Median $2,500 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Nashville Zoo at Grassmere · Colobus monkey habitat exhibit
$325,0002024 tax year
Upward Intuition · Safe skate spots
$150,0002024 tax year
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee · The carol k. and robert a. frist, m.d. fund.
$142,0002024 tax year
Ensworth School · Annual fund
$80,0002024 tax year
Harpeth Hall · Leading the way campaign for the stem center
$75,0002024 tax year
United Way of Greater Nashville · Alexis de tocqueville society
$70,0002024 tax year
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee · The mary lauren and lawson allen family fund.
$64,0002024 tax year
University of Mississippi Foundation · Global leadership circle fund - $5,000; robert c. khayat lecture series fund - $45,000.
$50,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

William H Frist MD — Vice President
Thomas F Frist Jr MD — Vice President
Mary Frist Barfield — Secretary
Robert A Frist MD — President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$3,144,444	$2,600,000	$56,898,449	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$3,314,997	$2,650,000	$61,211,869	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$3,499,600	$2,800,000	$63,718,023	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

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