We believe meaningful change begins with trust. We support organizations and leaders who are closest to the communities they serve, providing flexible resources that allow them to respond to real needs and opportunities.
Our role is to listen, learn, and invest in long-term relationships that strengthen human dignity and community well-being.
Faith is the foundation of our work, guiding us to serve others with humility, gratitude, and a belief in the inherent dignity of every person.
We seek to support efforts that create meaningful and lasting change, helping strengthen lives and build pathways to greater opportunity.
We believe the most effective solutions, whether in social services or the arts, are rooted in relationship and developed alongside the people and organizations closest to the work.
Compassion calls us to listen, understand, and respond with care, recognizing the humanity and worth of every individual we encounter.
Clay Blevins is an entrepreneur who has founded, led, and transformed several companies throughout his career. His approach to philanthropy has been shaped by both personal experience and the entrepreneurial values that have guided his family for generations. Today, those values continue to shape both his philanthropy and his commitment to serving others.
Clay’s commitment to social services and the arts developed side by side during his years in New York City and have remained closely connected ever since. His interest in art began with figurative drawing and continued through his academic studies in anthropology, where he developed an appreciation for how artists interpret history and respond to issues such as slavery, colonialism, and social change.
After moving to New York City, Clay helped open a gallery in Brooklyn and spent countless hours studying the city’s museums. It was there that his lifelong interest in art evolved into a lasting commitment to collecting and cultural leadership. Having relocated to New York just two weeks before September 11, 2001, Clay witnessed the tragedy firsthand. In its aftermath, he volunteered through Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, supporting homeless people displaced from Lower Manhattan, and became certified in the Stephen Ministry to provide one-on-one emotional care to individuals in crisis.
After returning to Nashville, Clay spent the last twenty years serving with Room In The Inn as both a volunteer teacher and board member. During that time, he developed a close friendship with founder Charlie Strobel, whose example continues to shape his philosophy of service: “Compassion is the willingness to come close to pain, to recognize it, honor it, and respond to it wisely.”
Today, that same instinct—to draw close to what is often overlooked—guides both Clay’s philanthropy and his engagement with the arts. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Frist Art Museum, where he chairs the Development Council, and on the Art Collection Committee at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens.
The Clay Blevins Family Foundation reflects the Blevins family’s legacy, from its early roots in the popcorn business to its leadership in the building products industry today. Together, Clay and his wife, Jeannie, have built the Foundation around the values of faith, compassion, community, and impact. Through trust-based philanthropy, they seek to strengthen lives and support organizations that enrich the communities they serve.
Clay and Jeannie live in Nashville with their son, Max.
We know your time is best spent on your work, not on lengthy applications. The Clay Blevins Family Foundation welcomes inquiries from organizations whose work aligns with our areas of focus.
To begin, please complete the brief inquiry form in the application portal. The form asks for basic information about your organization and the program or project for which you are seeking support and the outcomes you hope to achieve. This information will help us better understand your work and determine whether it aligns with the Foundation’s priorities.
A foundation representative will review your responses and be in touch to discuss next steps.
Belkis Ayon
Elias Sime
Emanoel Araujo
Emil Lukas
Erin Sheriff
Faith Ringgold
Glexis Novoa
Kara Walker
Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
Matthew Ritchie
Moses Hoskins
Nick Cave
Pepe Mar
Raymond Saunders
Richard Mayhew
Richard Mosse
Romare Bearden
Sam Gilliam
Sanford Biggers
Shinique Smith
Vaughn Spann
Wardell Milan
Xaviera Simmons
Yashua Klos
Yoan Capote
The Clay Blevins Family Foundation welcomes inquiries from museums and qualified cultural institutions seeking to temporarily steward works from the collection in the context of exhibitions and educational programs. Each request is considered individually, in careful discernment of the proposed exhibition’s purpose, its scholarly and public resonance, conservation needs, security provisions, and the condition and availability of the work.
For loan inquiries, please fill out a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) in the application portal.
