The 297 Foundation
The organization is a private foundation dedicated to charitable giving. Its mission focuses on supporting a variety of causes, including education, community service, and human services, with a notable emphasis on unrestricted grants to various nonprofits. The foundation serves a diverse range of recipients, including educational institutions and religious organizations, indicating a commitment to enhancing community welfare and educational opportunities. While it operates primarily in the United States, its funding is not limited to a specific geographic area.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
Established nonprofits—particularly education or community organizations with an existing regional connection (notably Tennessee) or a referral from someone in the foundation’s network—seeking general operating or mid-sized grants.
Good Fit
- • A track record as an institutional charity (schools, foundations, or established community nonprofits).
- • Existing relationships or introductions into the Halliday/board network or being a prior grantee of similarly funded organizations.
- • Programs based in Tennessee or demonstrated impact there.
- • Capacity to absorb mid-size grants (typical award sizes observed: $10K–$100K).
- • Requests framed as general/unrestricted support.
Geography
Grants in the latest year were spread across three states, but a large share (about two thirds) went to Tennessee, indicating multi-state giving with strong regional concentration.
Recipient Variety
Six distinct recipients were funded in 2024 with five new grantees that year and only one repeat across the three-year history, showing moderate breadth of recipients despite dollar concentration in the top five.
New Applicants
Observed giving shows frequent new grantees (five new recipients in 2024), which suggests turnover and entry for new organizations, but the foundation states it funds only preselected recipients and has no public website or contact details, so access for an unfamiliar applicant likely depends on referral or invitation rather than an open application process.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
