# Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is an Endowment / Foundation based in Nashville, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Nashville, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 3421 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37215
- **Founded:** 1991
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** cfmt.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-community-foundation-of-middle-tennessee

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee was established in 1991 by founding president Ellen Lehman. Hal Cato took over as CEO in November 2022 after Lehman's retirement, representing a generational leadership shift at a civic institution that connects donors across 40 Middle Tennessee counties with nonprofit programs nationwide. Its board blends local professional-services leaders with healthcare and civic operators — Jim Meade of LBMC serves as treasurer, Janet Miller of Colliers International Nashville acts as chair-elect, and Milton Johnson, the retired HCA Healthcare chairman, sits among the directors. CFMT's investment posture spans late-stage venture capital, distressed debt, fund-of-funds commitments, and natural resources. By maintaining allocations across multiple asset classes, it targets returns that can fund a sustained grantmaking pace, having already distributed more than $1 billion in grants. The foundation's physical footprint includes its Belmont Boulevard headquarters and the Nashville Catalyst Fund, a vehicle aimed at generating local impact. Artist partners like Jelly Roll and Taylor Swift, who made a notable grant for Tennessee disaster relief, extend its donor base well beyond traditional philanthropic families. The foundation reported approximately $435 million under management as an Altss estimate; no public AUM figure is disclosed. The board carries diverse business relationships — Harry Allen, co-founder of Studio Bank, sits alongside Sara Finley, the board chair. In 2022, the CEO transition from Lehman to Cato marked a deliberate succession milestone after over 30 years of continuous operation. CFMT's hybrid architecture distinguishes it from a grantmaking-endowment-only model. It functions as a community foundation that aggregates donor-advised funds, lead trusts, and commercial real estate interests in the same pool mapped to a multi-asset investment strategy. That blend makes it a facilitator that matches local wealth with investment-grade return targets, a posture reinforced by its accreditation with the Council on Foundations.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Natural Resources

## People

- Hal Cato — CEO
- Sara Finley — Chair of the Board of Directors
- Jim Meade — Treasurer of the Board
- Janet Miller — Chair-Elect of the Board
- Milton Johnson — Board Member
- Harry Allen — Board Member

## Questions

### Does the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee function like an endowment or something different?

It operates as a community foundation, not a pure endowment. It aggregates donor-advised funds, charitable lead trusts, and pooled assets to serve both donor philanthropic goals and investment-return mandates. Its board blends corporate, professional-services, and civic backgrounds, and it holds physical assets such as its Belmont Boulevard headquarters.

### Do Taylor Swift and Jelly Roll manage assets at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee?

No. Both are philanthropic partners — Jelly Roll works through the Buddy DeFord Charitable Fund, and Taylor Swift has made disaster-relief grants facilitated by the foundation. They are donors and entertainers whose giving vehicles are housed at CFMT, not principals directing investment strategy.

### What is the investment return purpose behind CFMT's multi-asset approach?

The foundation targets late-stage venture capital, distressed debt, fund-of-funds, and natural resources to generate financial returns that sustain a historic $1 billion-plus grantmaking pace across 40 Middle Tennessee counties. The strategy is designed to balance liquidity needs for annual grant distributions with capital appreciation.

## Related profiles

- [College of Wooster Endowment](https://altss.com/profile/college-of-wooster-endowment)
- [Town of Fairfield Joint Retirement Investment Board](https://altss.com/profile/town-of-fairfield-joint-retirement-investment-board)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/community-foundation-of-middle-tennessee

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