About Smile 180 Foundation
Supports and improves oral health in Tennessee by funding dental colleges, children’s hospitals, charitable and reduced-cost dental clinics, and oral health education and outreach to expand access to dental care and improve overall community wellness.
Focus Areas
Oral healthDental clinicsChildren's hospitalsDental education and trainingSchool health/hydration programsCommunity grants and partnerships
Who They Fund
patients needing primary dental care (including low-income/uninsured)people with cleft and craniofacial conditionscommunity health centers and dental clinics (safety-net providers)local community members served by sponsored events/programs
About Smile 180 Foundation
Smile 180 Foundation’s clearest pattern is sustained support for Tennessee’s safety-net dental system: large grants repeatedly flow to clinic operations, capital improvements, and dental safety-net payments. One of the biggest recent awards, $1,210,458 to Monroe Carell Jr Children's Hospital in Nashville, was for a cleft and craniofacial program and capital improvements, showing that the foundation backs both direct care and the infrastructure behind it. In Memphis, Church Health Center received $514,644 in 2025 and $489,889 in 2024 for dental clinic operations, capital improvements, event sponsorship, and safety-net payments, while Nashville’s Interfaith Dental Clinic received $613,393 in 2023 and $433,153 in 2024 for similar work. Those grants fit the foundation’s broader emphasis on oral health access in Tennessee, including support for dental education, children’s hospitals, and reduced-cost clinics. The grant record also shows a mix of clinical service funding and facility-oriented support, with recipients spread across hospital systems, community clinics, and dental education institutions.
What Smile 180 Foundation Funds
Oral health access is the center of Smile 180 Foundation’s grantmaking. In Memphis, Christ Community Health Services received $395,748 in 2025 for dental clinic operations, capital improvements, and dental safety-net payments, and earlier received $97,236 in 2023 for dental clinic operations. The foundation also backs community clinics outside the largest cities: Keystone Dental in Johnson City received $184,275 in 2024 and $113,132 in 2025 for dental clinic operations, capital improvements, and safety-net payments, while Friends in Need Health Center Inc in Kingsport received $103,603 in 2025 for the same type of support. Dental education is another clear line of giving; the University of Tennessee Foundation in Knoxville received $261,200 in 2025 for capital improvements and dental safety-net payments, alongside prior support to the University of Tennessee. The foundation also funds child-focused oral health care through hospitals, including support tied to cleft and craniofacial services.
How Smile 180 Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster in the five-figure to low six-figure range, with a p25 of $20,000, median of $48,960, and p75 of $98,072. The recent record also includes several much larger awards, which suggests a layered approach: smaller grants sit alongside major operating and capital commitments for core partners. Repeated awards to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025 show recurring support rather than one-time gifts. Smile 180 Foundation is a philanthropic program of Delta Dental of Tennessee, and it does not fund individuals or PRIs. Accepted grant activity is structured through program categories rather than an open unsolicited application model, except for the Water’s Cool @ School program, which accepts unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.5M
Total Assets
$39.8M
Total Revenue
$3.9M
Total Expenses
$3.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $20K and $98K, with a median of $49K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$49K
75th Percentile
$98K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
JEFFREY A NEWTON
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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