The Miranda Genese Hill Scholarship Fund concentrates philanthropic support in East Tennessee with a clear emphasis on postsecondary scholarships and institutional endowments alongside targeted local food security assistance. Most grants are mid‑sized, directed to public universities, a community college, and a regional food bank, signaling a preference for capacity‑building gifts that benefit students and vulnerable residents in the foundation’s service area.
Concentrated, small portfolio of mid‑size grants (roughly $25K each) rather than many small gifts; funding is regionally focused and directed to institutional endowments and program support rather than numerous one‑time operational grants.
The Miranda Genese Hill Scholarship Fund’s largest recent grant was $27,500 to Second Harvest Food Bank in Maryville for food distribution, a good marker of how the fund balances scholarship support with local hunger relief. In 2023, it also made three $25,000 grants tied to scholarship endowments and leadership development: Walters State Community College, East Tennessee State University’s Roan Scholars Leadership Endowment, and the University of Tennessee Foundation. That mix points to a funder that supports both student opportunity and community need through institutional gifts and direct assistance. Its recent grant record is compact but focused. The fund gave $113,252 in annual grants and all of its reported grants went to Tennessee recipients. Alongside higher-education gifts, it supported a choir trip to Carnegie Hall for Cocke County Highschool and food pantry support for several Newport-area organizations. The pattern suggests a local funder working through schools, universities, and community nonprofits rather than through broad-open grant cycles. Grantees range from a regional food bank to postsecondary institutions and a high school in East Tennessee.
Scholarship funding is the core of the fund’s higher-education giving. It awarded $25,000 to Walters State Community College for scholarship endowment and another $25,000 to the University of Tennessee Foundation for scholarship endowment, showing a preference for supporting student aid through institutional assets rather than one-time tuition relief. Leadership development appears as a separate strand. The fund gave $25,000 to East Tennessee State University for the Roan Scholars Leadership Endowment, tying its educational support to a named leadership program. On the community side, hunger relief is a recurring theme. A $27,500 grant to Second Harvest Food Bank was designated for food distribution, and smaller gifts went to Newport-based food pantry providers, including Newport Kiwanis Club, First Christian Church, and Hope House of Cocke County. The fund also supports student enrichment outside academics, as shown by its grant to Cocke County Highschool for a choir trip to Carnegie Hall.
The typical grant size is mid-range: p25 at $1,568, median at $3,780, and p75 at $25,000. That spread shows a split between smaller local awards and larger institutional commitments. The 2023 record includes both one-off community grants and larger endowment gifts, but the dataset does not show multi-year recipient repetition. The foundation funds individuals as well as organizations, as reflected by a scholarship grant to Madyson Stuart. It does not make program-related investments.
$113K
$1K
$182K
$181K
Most grants fall between $2K and $25K, with a median of $4K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$4K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in TN.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Notable grantees: Second Harvest Food Bank, East Tennessee State University (Roan Scholars), University of Tennessee Foundation, Walters State Community College
Grantmaking is entirely local in the data provided: 100% of grants went to recipients in Tennessee. The strongest recipient concentration is in East Tennessee, with grants in Maryville, Morristown, Johnson City, Knoxville, Newport, and Cosby. Newport appears multiple times through local schools and community groups, while larger institutional gifts reached Johnson City, Knoxville, and Morristown. No non-U.S. recipient countries appear in the record.
The fund supports public universities, a community college, a regional food bank, local food pantry providers, a high school, and an individual scholarship recipient. Its recent grants include scholarship endowments, food distribution, food pantry support, and a choir travel award.
The grant-size distribution is p25 $1,568, median $3,780, and p75 $25,000. That indicates a mix of smaller local awards and larger institutional grants.
Yes. All 9 recent grants in the data went to recipients in Tennessee, and the top state by grant count is TN.
The main areas are scholarship endowments, leadership development scholarships, and food security. The record also includes a student arts grant for a choir trip to Carnegie Hall.
Yes. The fund is marked as funding individuals, and one recent grant went to Madyson Stuart in Cosby for a scholarship.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK | MARYVILLE, TN | $27,500 | 2023 | FOOD DISTRIBUTION |
| WALTERS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE | MORRISTOWN, TN | $25,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT |
| EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY | JOHNSON CITY, TN | $25,000 | 2023 | ROAN SCHOLARS LEADERSHIP ENDOWMENT |
| UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE FOUNDATION | KNOXVILLE, TN | $25,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT |
| COCKE COUNTY HIGHSCHOOL | NEWPORT, TN | $3,780 | 2023 | CCHS CHOIR TRIP TO CARNEGIE HALL |
| NEWPORT KIWANIS CLUB | NEWPORT, TN | $2,991 | 2023 | FOOD PANTRY |
| MADYSON STUART | COSBY, TN | $1,568 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH | NEWPORT, TN | $1,348 | 2023 | FOOD PANTRY |
| HOPE HOUSE OF COCKE COUNTY | NEWPORT, TN | $1,065 | 2023 | FOOD PANTRY |
SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK
$27,500FOOD DISTRIBUTION
WALTERS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$25,000SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT
EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
$25,000ROAN SCHOLARS LEADERSHIP ENDOWMENT
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE FOUNDATION
$25,000SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT
COCKE COUNTY HIGHSCHOOL
$3,780CCHS CHOIR TRIP TO CARNEGIE HALL
NEWPORT KIWANIS CLUB
$2,991FOOD PANTRY
MADYSON STUART
$1,568SCHOLARSHIP
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
$1,348FOOD PANTRY
HOPE HOUSE OF COCKE COUNTY
$1,065FOOD PANTRY