Community foundation · San Luis Obispo, CA (gives in Tennessee from out of state)
The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo
93% of its grant money in 2025 went out through donor-advised funds: individual donors chose those grants, not staff, so there is no application for them. If it also runs open grant rounds, they're in GrantMe's grant search when we've verified them.
Key facts
- Grants in Tennessee
- 1 totaling $25,000
- Typical grant
- $25,000 (1 grant)
- A realistic first ask
- About $25,000, its middle Tennessee grant. First-time winners usually get less than repeat ones.
- Where it gives
- Knox County · plus 93 grants outside Tennessee
- Buildings & equipment
- None of its Tennessee grants in this filing were for buildings or equipment
- Funds new groups?
- 100% of the Tennessee groups it funded in 2025 were new (not funded in 2024): 1 of 1.
- Total giving that year
- $5.9 million
Giving by year
| Tax year | Total grants paid | To Tennessee | Tennessee grants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5.9M | $25K | 1 |
| 2024 | $3.2M | — | 0 |
How to apply
Public charities don't report how to apply on their IRS return. Check its website for open grant rounds, or search GrantMe for its programs.
Board and officers
Does your board know anyone here?
Checked in your browser only. The names are kept on this device for other foundation pages and are never sent to GrantMe.
- Kath TompkinsPresident
- Rick WilliamsVice president
- Anita RobinsonTreasurer
- Pat Hosegood MartinSecretary
- Jeff BuckinghamDirector
- Juliette DukeDirector
- Gwen ErskinePresident of ref, director
- Grenda ErnstDirector
- Suzanne FritzDirector
- Rob GarciaDirector
- Shelly HigginbothamDirector
- Wayne LewisDirector
- Anneka ScrantonDirector
- Tom ShermanDirector
- Linda Somers SmithDirector
- Christine DawsonChief executive officer
- Michael JonesChief financial officer
- Heidi McphersonCeo (through january 2026)
As listed in its 2025 IRS filing. Many foundations decide through their board, so a personal connection often matters more than a perfect application.
What it funds most often
- Restricted to support community data libraries fund, specifically dr. Kelly boles' research related to...
Tennessee organizations it funded
Largest first. Past winners are good people to ask what the foundation looks for. Select a group to see who else funds it.
| Past winner | Where | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Tennessee Foundation Inc. | Knoxville, Knox County | Restricted to support community data libraries fund, specifically dr. Kelly... | $25K |
Foundation website All its IRS filings (ProPublica) Sign in to save