About Chairman Club
The Chairman Club’s giving is built around East Tennessee organizations serving children and teens ages 0 to 17, with grants that reach youth sports, arts and culture, education, and health care. Its recent awards include $20,000 to Hoof & Harness Experiential Learning Inc in Strawberry Plains, $20,000 to East Tennessee Technology Access Ctr Inc in Knoxville, and $20,000 to Freedom Village of Hope in Jefferson City, showing support for direct services and youth-serving programs across the region. The foundation also funds foster-care and family-support work, alongside education and health-related nonprofits.
Recent grants show a practical, program-focused pattern. The Chairman Club has supported Camp Koinonia Foundation, Street Hope Tn, Knoxville Family Justice Center, The Dream Connection, and Yoke Youth Ministries, among others. Several awards are directed to organizations in Knoxville, but the recipient list also reaches Greeneville, Maryville, Alcoa, Powell, Strawberry Plains, and Jefferson City. Leadership is listed as James Vaughn, and the foundation’s annual grant program accepts unsolicited requests from 501(c)(3) organizations that serve youth in East Tennessee.
What Chairman Club Funds
Youth development runs through the foundation’s recent gifts. It awarded $15,000 to Fostering Hope Tn Inc in Knoxville and $15,000 to Holston United Methodist Home for Children Inc in Greeneville, pointing to support for children in foster care and related family services.
Health and special-needs services are another visible thread. The Chairman Club gave $12,000 to University Health Systems Inc (nicu) in Knoxville and $10,000 to Friends of Tennessees Babies With Special Needs in Alcoa, aligning with its health-care focus for children and youth.
Arts, culture, and education also appear in the grant list. It provided $10,000 to The Muse Knoxville and $10,000 to Joy of Music Youth Music School Corporation, along with $10,000 to William Blount High School Clinics in Maryville, showing support for youth learning, enrichment, and school-linked services.
How Chairman Club Gives
Typical awards cluster in a narrow band: p25 is $10,000, median is $12,000, and p75 is $15,000. The recent list also shows several $20,000 grants, suggesting some higher-dollar awards within the same annual program. The Chairman Club appears to make recurring annual grants rather than one-time awards only, with recipients such as Knoxville organizations appearing in both 2024 and 2025. The active grant program is an annual grant program for 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving youth ages 0 to 17 in East Tennessee, and it accepts unsolicited requests.
