Covenant Health Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Covenant Health Foundation raises and distributes funds in support of patient care, equipment, programs, services and staff not otherwise funded by Covenant Health and its affiliates. The Foundation's mission is to provide charitable support to further Covenant Health's mission to serve the community by improving the quality of life through better health.
- Income
- $2.0 million
- Spending
- $2.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- 54 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 75%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 76
- Highest pay
- $3.2 million, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 63% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 54.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 34% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 30% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1591% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 12 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 48% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 9 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $1.2 million spent. Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Hospitals & Outpatient Clinics:Distributions to support Patricia Neal therapy programs and services in 2024 were led by $850,000 to fund capital improvements and expansion at the outpatient therapy clinic in West Knoxville. Approximately $331,000 was distributed for patients in need of care who do not have insurance coverage or any other ability to pay for treatment, $26,400 for staff education and advanced certifications, $15,000 for the annual operating and equipment expenses of the Innovative Recreation Cooperative which provides adaptive sports and recreation opportunities throughout the community, as well as $6,000 in funding for several patient support groups and community brain injury and concussion education/prevention programs.
- $294,690 spent. Covenant HomeCare & Hospice:Donors to Covenant Health Foundation provide funding for a partnership between Covenant HomeCare and Knoxville Area Rescue Mission (KARM) to reduce frequent hospitalizations among the homeless community. In 2024, $214,776 was distributed to support that project which provides onsite medical care, clinic facilities, medication management and case management at the KARM shelter. Since opening in 2019, the program has served 330 patients. Following participation in these services, patients show a 40% reduction in emergency department visits and the avoidance of 13,116 inpatient hospitalization days. As a result of these shelter-based services, the patients at KARM are leading healthier lives. Another $34,214 was distributed to underwrite professional education opportunities for staff, fund membership in the National Hospice and Palliative Care organization, provide medical/hospice housing for indigent patients, provide patient education materials, fund grief counseling services, and conduct the annual memorial service for families of deceased Hospice patients.Covenant Hospice's annual Katerpillar Kids Camp programming continued to be funded by the Foundation in 2024. Approximately $45,700 was distributed to support free weekend day camp experiences and grief support for some 150 children who have experienced the death of a loved one. Approximately 250 parents, guardians, and siblings were also impacted by camp services. The annual camp provides grieving children and teens a safe, understanding environment to express their grief and learn that they are not alone in their grief journey.
- $290,572 spent. Patient & Employee Emergency Assistance :Each year funds are contributed, primarily through Covenant Health's annual WeCare Employee Giving Campaign, to assist employees and patients in times of crisis. Support includes assistance with housing, transportation, food, clothing, medicines/medical supplies, utilities, childcare, disaster recovery (employees affected by hurricane, tornado, flood, etc.), and unexpected funeral expenses. In 2024, assistance was distributed to assist 4,803 individuals at Claiborne Medical Center (14), Covenant parent company (110), Covenant HomeCare (150), Cumberland Medical Center (23), Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (139), Fort Loudoun Medical Center (52), LeConte Medical Center (38), Methodist Medical Center (78), Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System (29), Parkwest Medical Center (153), Peninsula (52), Roane Medical Center (24), and Thompson Cancer Survival Center (1,210).
- $548,885 spent. The Foundation supports a variety of other programs and services throughout Covenant Health. The most significant distributions in 2024, which were directed to the Covenant parent company, Peninsula behavioral health programs, Parkwest Medical Center, the Fellowship outpatient lodging program, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Cumberland Medical Center, systemwide outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs, the Fort Sanders Dept. of Nursing at Tennessee Wesleyan College, Fort Loudoun Medical Center, and Roane Medical Center are outlined below:In 2024, the Foundation supported the Covenant Health parent company by underwriting a $300,000 portion of the new vice president of philanthropy salary costs for the first year of that position. Some $140,000 in funds raised through the annual Artsclamation! fine art sale and other donations supported behavioral health care at Peninsula. Funds supported Peninsula's emergency room diversion project which places a team of behavioral specialists in Covenant Health emergency departments to assess patients who make repeated non-emergency visits to the emergency room. These specialists develop a personalized treatment plan for patients, proposing alternative options to visiting the ED and providing follow-up support and resources to these patients. Additional funds provided discharge medications to patients who need a supply of prescriptions when they leave the hospital to maintain their health until they are set up on TennCare or other payer sources for ongoing maintenance medications. Donations also supported the placement of behavioral health staff in Covenant HomeCare's onsite clinic at Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) to provide counseling and case management services to those clients. Peninsula patients were supported with emergency funding assistance to help with necessary living expenses such as utilities, housing, medications and transportation.Distributions to Parkwest Medical Center of just over $40,000 supported advanced clinical education and training, as well as postpartum and newborn care educational materials for new parents. The Fellowship Outpatient Lodging Program, which is supported entirely by contributions, offers free hotel accommodations and transportation to treatment for patients and families coping with serious illnesses. The program primarily serves Thompson Cancer Survival Center patients and their families who live more than 30 miles from Knoxville. In 2024, $26,675 in distributions supported the program. The program housed 24 guests in 2024 providing 200 nights of free lodging. Approximately $18,500 was distributed to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, including funds to support perinatal center parents, cardiac rehab patients, the hospital's chaplaincy program, and an ethics gap needs assessment for staff.Just over $13,000 in donations were distributed to Cumberland Medical Center, primarily to provide cancer patient assistance and continuing clinical education.The Foundation receives grant funds annually from the Will Rogers Institute to support pulmonary rehabilitation across Covenant Health. The grant funds provide scholarships to assist outpatient pulmonary rehab patients without insurance coverage or the ability to pay. In 2024, approximately $8,300 in funding benefited 38 patients at Methodist, LeConte, and Fort Sanders Regional outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation clinics.Small distributions were also made to the Fort Sanders Dept. of Nursing at Tennessee Wesleyan College, Fort Loudoun Medical Center, and Roane Medical Center to support clinical education.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 1999.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Could it be confused with another charity? Worth knowing.
A much larger organization has a similar name: Foundation Health LLC (Fairbanks, AK), EIN 81-3021580. If that is the one you meant, check the EIN before giving.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.