
The FTDD Foundation is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the First Tennessee Development District that raises private funds and pursues grants to expand services across Northeast Tennessee — including support for seniors, childhood literacy, workforce development, food security, housing repair, disaster recovery, and regional community development.
The First Tennessee Development District Foundation’s largest recent grant was a $5,161,737 passthrough TANF Opportunity Act pilot award to Ballad Health in 2025. That pattern points to a funder that does more than make small discretionary gifts: it channels substantial public-purpose dollars through regional partners and supports program delivery across Northeast Tennessee. Recent filings show two major recipients accounting for the top grants, with Ballad Health and the First Tennessee Development District itself receiving the largest awards in 2024 and 2025. The foundation’s grantmaking sits alongside a broader set of regional services that include senior support, workforce development, food security, housing repair, disaster recovery, and community development. Its legal structure is a public charity, and it operates as the philanthropic arm of the First Tennessee Development District. The foundation’s recent activity also shows a clear emphasis on passthrough and operations support rather than individual grants, with awards tied to specific programs and administrative implementation. That mix makes it relevant to researchers tracking regional human services funding, benefits delivery pilots, and local nonprofit infrastructure in Tennessee.
A central theme in the foundation’s grantmaking is benefits delivery and pilot implementation. The largest recent grant was a passthrough TANF Opportunity Act pilot award to Ballad Health, and the same pilot appears again in a later grant to the First Tennessee Development District for operations and passthrough support. The foundation also backs senior services through its program support work, including Home Delivered Meals and the Emergency Assistance Program for low-income older adults. Another recurring line of activity is workforce development: FTDD program support includes CareerQuest TN events and youth career exposure. Beyond human services, the foundation’s active programs include housing rehabilitation and food insecurity-related work through FTDD-assisted Community Development Block Grant applications.
Typical grant size is large and tightly clustered: the p25 is $1,659,369, the median is $1,921,344, and the p75 is $2,183,318. Recent awards also suggest a repeated funding relationship, not one-off giving; the same two recipients appear across 2024 and 2025. The foundation is a public charity and functions as the philanthropic arm of the First Tennessee Development District. Its recent grants are structured as passthrough and operations support, especially for TANF Opportunity Act pilot work. It does not fund individuals.
$7.9M
$2.9M
$10.2M
$9.1M
Most grants fall between $1.7M and $2.2M, with a median of $1.9M.
25th Percentile
$1.7M
Median
$1.9M
75th Percentile
$2.2M
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Grantmaking is local and entirely in Tennessee, with 100% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. The recent grant list names Johnson City, TN as the recipient city for both Ballad Health and the First Tennessee Development District. The broader program area is Northeast Tennessee, including the FTDD service area and, for one program, Johnson County, TN. Recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
It makes large program and passthrough grants tied to regional services. Recent awards include TANF Opportunity Act pilot funding, operations support, and program support for services such as Home Delivered Meals, the Emergency Assistance Program, and CareerQuest TN.
No. The foundation is marked as not funding individuals, and the recent grant record reflects grants to organizations rather than people.
Its grant sizes are clustered at a high level: the 25th percentile is $1,659,369, the median is $1,921,344, and the 75th percentile is $2,183,318.
Its giving is local and entirely in Tennessee. The recipient country distribution is 100% U.S., and the top state by grant count is Tennessee.
The active program list includes arts grants, senior services, food security, housing rehabilitation, disaster recovery, and workforce development. It also supports FTDD-assisted CDBG applications for infrastructure, health and safety, and housing-related needs.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALLAD HEALTH | JOHNSON CITY, TN | $5,161,737 | 2025 | PASSTHROUGH TANF OPPORTUNITY ACT PILOT GRANT |
| FIRST TENNESSEE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT | JOHNSON CITY, TN | $2,727,077 | 2025 | OPERATIONS & PASSTHROUGH TANF OPPORTUNITY ACT PILOT GRANT |
| BALLAD HEALTH | JOHNSON CITY, TN | $2,445,292 | 2024 | PASSTHROUGH TANF OPPORTUNITY ACT PILOT GRANT |
| FIRST TENNESSEE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT | JOHNSON CITY, TN | $1,397,395 | 2024 | OPERATIONS & PASSTHROUGH TANF OPPORTUNITY ACT PILOT GRANT |
| FIRST TENNESSEE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT | JOHNSON CITY, TN | $82,169 | 2024 | OPERATIONS |
BALLAD HEALTH
$5,161,737PASSTHROUGH TANF OPPORTUNITY ACT PILOT GRANT
FIRST TENNESSEE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
$2,727,077OPERATIONS & PASSTHROUGH TANF OPPORTUNITY ACT PILOT GRANT
BALLAD HEALTH
$2,445,292PASSTHROUGH TANF OPPORTUNITY ACT PILOT GRANT
FIRST TENNESSEE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
$1,397,395OPERATIONS & PASSTHROUGH TANF OPPORTUNITY ACT PILOT GRANT