Provide opportunities for TVA retirees and former employees to engage in volunteer service, support TVA through staff augmentation and disaster recovery, and support community programs including STEM and robotics education in the Tennessee Valley.
Retiree Resources Corporation’s recent giving centers on Bicentennial Volunteers Inc. in Knoxville, with three consecutive awards of $1.2 million in 2023 and 2024 and $925,000 in 2025. Those grants support a related organization that helps fund charitable projects managed by BVI in support of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the people of the TVA service area. That pattern makes the foundation’s role clear: it functions as a place-based funder tied to TVA-related public benefit work rather than a broad discretionary grantmaker. The foundation’s stated work includes opportunities for TVA retirees and former employees to engage in volunteer service, support for TVA through staff augmentation and disaster recovery, and backing for community programs in the Tennessee Valley. Its topic areas include STEM and robotics education, volunteer services, disaster recovery, staff augmentation for TVA, and community development. The active grant programs also show a structured approach to education funding, with TVA STEM and robotics awards made in partnership with BVI and, in one case, managed with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. The overall picture is of a foundation using large, repeated grants and small program awards to support TVA-connected charitable activity across the region.
In STEM education, the foundation supports classroom projects across the TVA service area through annual award programs tied to TVA and BVI. One active program funds STEM learning projects in classrooms and schools within the seven-state service area, with grants of $0 to $5,000. Robotics is another defined area. A TVA & BVI Robotics Award Program supports robotics programs that encourage science, technology, and engineering learning, again within the TVA’s seven-state footprint and at the same $0 to $5,000 scale. The organization also backs volunteer services and disaster recovery through its stated mission. Those priorities place the foundation alongside TVA-related public benefit work, including staff augmentation support for TVA and community development in the Tennessee Valley. Its partnership model is part of the story as well: the STEM grant program is operated with Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. and managed in partnership with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (Battelle).
$932K
$4.4M
$46.7M
$46.6M
Most grants fall between $1.1M and $1.2M, with a median of $1.2M.
25th Percentile
$1.1M
Median
$1.2M
75th Percentile
$1.2M
KATHERINE BLACK
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Retiree Resources Corporation’s typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25 is $1,062,500, and both the median and p75 are $1,200,000. That indicates a pattern of large, relatively consistent awards rather than a wide range of grant sizes. The recent record also shows repetition: Bicentennial Volunteers Inc received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, all in Knoxville. The foundation appears to operate through partnership-based, project-specific funding rather than an open-ended operating model. It also supports small, unsolicited program grants through active TVA and BVI award programs, each listed at $0 to $5,000 for STEM or robotics projects.
Giving is highly concentrated in Tennessee: 100% of grants in the recent data went to recipients in the HQ state, and Tennessee is also the top state by grant count. The named recipient city in the recent grants list is Knoxville, where Bicentennial Volunteers Inc is based. Program geography is broader than the recent awards, reaching the TVA seven-state service area and the Tennessee Valley region through STEM and robotics award programs.
Its stated focus includes STEM and robotics education, volunteer services, disaster recovery, staff augmentation for TVA, and community development. The active program list also shows classroom STEM awards and robotics awards for the TVA seven-state service area.
Yes. Bicentennial Volunteers Inc received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The amounts were $1.2 million, $1.2 million, and $925,000, showing a recurring relationship rather than a one-time award.
The grant-size distribution is concentrated at a high level. p25 is $1,062,500, while both the median and p75 are $1,200,000. That points to large awards with limited spread.
Yes. The active TVA STEM and robotics award programs are listed at $0 to $5,000 and accept unsolicited applications. They support classroom and robotics projects across the TVA seven-state service area.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Retiree Resources that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: K-12 teachers and school administrators at public and private schools in the TVA service area served by a TVA-served LPC.
Deadline: Applications open August 1 and close September 15.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BICENTENNIAL VOLUNTEERS INC | KNOXVILLE, TN | $931,600 | 2026 | SUPPORT RELATED ORGANIZATION IN ITS MISSION TO SUPPORT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TVA SERVICE AREA BY HELPING TO FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS MANAGED BY BVI. |
| BICENTENNIAL VOLUNTEERS INC | KNOXVILLE, TN | $925,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT RELATED ORGANIZATION IN ITS MISSION TO SUPPORT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TVA SERVICE AREA BY HELPING TO FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS MANAGED BY BVI. |
| BICENTENNIAL VOLUNTEERS INC | KNOXVILLE, TN | $1,200,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT RELATED ORGANIZATION IN ITS MISSION TO SUPPORT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TVA SERVICE AREA BY HELPING TO FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS MANAGED BY BVI. |
| BICENTENNIAL VOLUNTEERS INC | KNOXVILLE, TN | $1,200,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT RELATED ORGANIZATION IN ITS MISSION TO SUPPORT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TVA SERVICE AREA BY HELPING TO FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS MANAGED BY BVI. |
BICENTENNIAL VOLUNTEERS INC
$931,600SUPPORT RELATED ORGANIZATION IN ITS MISSION TO SUPPORT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TVA SERVICE AREA BY HELPING TO FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS MANAGED BY BVI.
BICENTENNIAL VOLUNTEERS INC
$925,000SUPPORT RELATED ORGANIZATION IN ITS MISSION TO SUPPORT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TVA SERVICE AREA BY HELPING TO FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS MANAGED BY BVI.
BICENTENNIAL VOLUNTEERS INC
$1,200,000SUPPORT RELATED ORGANIZATION IN ITS MISSION TO SUPPORT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TVA SERVICE AREA BY HELPING TO FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS MANAGED BY BVI.
BICENTENNIAL VOLUNTEERS INC
$1,200,000SUPPORT RELATED ORGANIZATION IN ITS MISSION TO SUPPORT THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AND THE PEOPLE OF THE TVA SERVICE AREA BY HELPING TO FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS MANAGED BY BVI.
