About The Frist Foundation
The Frist Foundation seeks to build a stronger Nashville by supporting agencies that address broad community challenges including housing, food insecurity, and access to childcare, as well as organizations leading collaborative community efforts.
We prioritize grants that enhance the capacity of nonprofits, expanding their reach and impact across the community.
Central to our work is our commitment to guiding and partnering with others to invest in Nashville’s future. We do this by advising nonprofits on community engagement, development, talent acquisition, and strategic growth. We also support leaders in shaping their philanthropic visions and have played a key role in initiatives such as establishing the Tocqueville Society at United Way, founding the Frist Art Museum, creating The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, launching the Young Leaders Council, and co-founding the Middle Tennessee Donors Forum, all of which have become vital pillars of our community.
MISSION
For over 40 years, we have been dedicated to sustaining and improving the quality of life in Nashville and the broader Middle Tennessee area by investing in nonprofit organizations. We focus on agencies that address significant community challenges in comprehensive and collaborative ways.
History
The Frist Foundation continues the legacy of Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr., who believes in making people’s lives “just a little bit better.” We fulfill this vision by investing in promising organizations with ambitious goals to improve communities across Nashville. Founded in 1982 by HCA Healthcare, the Foundation later became independent and was renamed The Frist Foundation to honor the philanthropic contributions of its founding directors, Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr. and Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr.
Born in Nashville in 1938, Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr. was deeply influenced by his father, Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr., a respected internal medicine specialist who instilled in his children a strong sense of community responsibility. In 1961, Dr. Frist Jr. married Patricia “Trish” Champion, and together they became nationally recognized civic leaders and philanthropists. In 1968, father and son co-founded the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).
The Frist Foundation proudly carries the Frist family’s legacy by supporting the institutions, agencies, and programs that enhance lives across Middle Tennessee.