Leadership Tennessee Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
LEADERSHIP TENNESSEE FOSTERS COLLABORATIVE, NON-PARTISAN DIALOGUE ON ISSUES OF STATE IMPORTANCE, BY CONNECTING AND DEPLOYING A NETWORK OF DIVERSE LEADERS AND ENGAGED CITIZENS.
- Income
- $680,387
- Spending
- $647,854
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 6.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 54%
- Employees
- 3
- Volunteers
- 200
- Highest pay
- $167,000, president
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
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 9% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 9% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 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
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 259 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
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave 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
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (2)
- $276,759 spent. SIGNATURE PROGRAM EACH YEAR, FEWER THAN 50 TOP BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM ACROSS TENNESSEE ARE SELECTED TO JOIN A 10-MONTH IMMERSIVE SIGNATURE PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM OFFERS AN IN-DEPTH EXPLORATION OF KEY ISSUES FACING THE STATE, FOSTERS STATEWIDE NETWORKING, AND ENCOURAGES COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING. PARTICIPANTS MEET IN EACH OF TENNESSEE'S THREE GRAND DIVISIONS, WITH SESSIONS CO-DEVELOPED BY STAFF AND ALUMNI, FEATURING VOLUNTEER LEADERS WHO GUIDE DISCUSSIONS ON CRITICAL TOPICS. THE PROGRAM ADVANCES THE ORGANIZATION'S EDUCATIONAL MISSION BY DEEPENING PARTICIPANTS' UNDERSTANDING OF STATE ISSUES, REGIONAL DIVERSITY, AND BUILDING A STRONG STATEWIDE SUPPORT NETWORK.
- $230,151 spent. LEADERSHIP TENNESSEE NEXT (LT NEXT) LT NEXT IS THE ONLY STATEWIDE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM FOR EARLY TO MID-CAREER PROFESSIONALS. LT NEXT SELECTS APPROXIMATELY 30 MID-CAREER LEADERS TO ENGAGE IN A FOUR MONTH IMMERSIVE COHORT THAT FOSTERS CROSS-STATE AND CROSS-SECTOR NETWORKS TWICE A YEAR. PARTICIPANTS ENGAGE WITH SIGNATURE PROGRAM MEMBERS, EXPLORE TENNESSEE-SPECIFIC ISSUES, AND DEVELOP PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS. THE ORGANIZATION'S STAFF CO-DEVELOP SESSION AGENDAS WITH ALUMNI AND CURRENT MEMBERS, RECRUITING STATE AND NATIONAL LEADERS TO GUIDE DISCUSSIONS. SESSIONS TAKE PLACE ACROSS TENNESSEE'S THREE GRAND DIVISIONS IN VARIED LOCATIONS, ADVANCING THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION BY PREPARING PARTICIPANTS TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES AND PROFESSIONS EFFECTIVELY.AN INCREASE IN NOMINATIONS FOR BOTH LEADERSHIP TENNESSEE'S SIGNATURE AND LT NEXT PROGRAMS REFLECTS THE GROWING IMPACT AND RECOGNITION OF OUR PROGRAMMING. THIS SURGE IN INTEREST UNDERSCORES OUR COMMITMENT TO EXPANDING REACH AND RELEVANCE, WITH A CONTINUED FOCUS ON ENGAGING RURAL AND SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT EACH PROGRAM YEAR.
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 September 2021.
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.
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.