PLATINUM2025

EAST TENNESSEE KIDNEY FOUNDATION INC

Your LOCAL kidney foundation.

Knoxville, TN   |  http://www.ETKidney.org

Mission

The EAST TENNESSEE KIDNEY FOUNDATION is dedicated to connecting individual East Tennesseans with early detection of kidney disease, education, and access to life sustaining care. The EAST TENNESSEE KIDNEY FOUNDATION serves residents of 23 counties in East Tennessee.

Notes from the nonprofit

The East Tennessee Kidney Foundation, Inc., is 100% LOCAL & INDEPENDENT. We are not affiliated with the National Kidney Foundation. All donations and grants received stay right here in East Tennessee, and help INDIVIDUALS in need of life sustaining support in their daily battle against kidney disease.

Ruling year info

2010

Executive Director

Travis Ferguson

Main address

PO Box 22072

Knoxville, TN 37933-0072 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

27-2119742

NTEE code info

Kidney (G44)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2024, 2023 and 2022.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Every year, growing numbers of East Tennesseans are diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. We aim to solve the problem of undetected and preventable kidney disease. Improved DEI (diversity, equality & inclusion) strategies need to be incorporated to remove inequalities in program services, in regards to financial/educational/access to healthcare, available to those living with kidney disease.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Nutrition Supplements

This program provides free high protein supplements to dialysis patients with poor lab values and a lack of adequate protein intake. Dietitians at dialysis clinics administer protein bars at their discretion according to needs of patients.

Population(s) Served
Chronically ill people
Adults

A clean bill of health, including dental health, is a requirement for placement on the kidney transplant waiting list. This program pays for required dental work necessary in order to be cleared for the transplant waiting list. Clients are referred by their transplant center support team.

Population(s) Served

The Dianne Hagey DIALYSIS TRANSPORTATION program provides financial assistance for transportation costs incurred while traveling to/from life sustaining dialysis treatments.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Chronically ill people
Low-income people
Extremely poor people
Working poor
Adults
People with disabilities
Veterans
People with physical disabilities

Where we work

  • Anderson County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Blount County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Carter County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Cocke County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Cumberland County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Greene County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Hamblen County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Hawkins County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Jefferson County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Knox County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Loudon County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Monroe County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Roane County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Sevier County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Sullivan County (Tennessee, United States)

  • Washington County (Tennessee, United States)

Affiliations & memberships

Alliance for Better Nonprofits 2023

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

The number of hospitalizations experienced by dialysis patients as a result of missing dialysis treatments

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Dianne Hagey DIALYSIS TRANSPORTATION

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

There is a direct & positive correlation between missing dialysis treatments and risk of hospitalization due to access-related infections and high levels of toxins built up in the body. Consistent dialysis treatments helps prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, which many times result in placement in long-term care facilities or death.

Number of new clients within the past 12 months

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Dianne Hagey DIALYSIS TRANSPORTATION

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

As the number of people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (and specifically end-stage renal disease) increases every year, so do the number of applications for services we receive. More and more people are requiring dialysis every year and struggle to find transportation and to afford transportation.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The East Tennessee Kidney Foundation, Inc.™ aims to reduce the number of East Tennesseans who are diagnosed with kidney disease by means of community education and free early kidney disease detection screenings within our 25-county footprint. Kidney disease is preventable, but not curable. Additionally, we aim to incorporate improved, industry best-practices of embracive strategies to remove inequalities in program services, in regards to financial/educational/access to healthcare, available to those living with kidney disease.

Strategies to achieve our goals include incorporating improved, industry best-practices of embracive strategies to remove inequalities in program services, in regards to financial/educational/access to healthcare, available to those living with kidney disease. Strategies to decrease the number of people diagnosed with kidney disease include providing free early kidney disease detection screenings to the public especially in underserved and rural areas, where access to medical professionals is restricted. Education is a key strategy - providing free education to the community about preventing kidney disease, its risk factors & relationship to other chronic illnesses. Spreading awareness in our community is important for us to help teach others about the dangers of kidney disease and ways to live a healthier lifestyle.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback

Financials

EAST TENNESSEE KIDNEY FOUNDATION INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

EAST TENNESSEE KIDNEY FOUNDATION INC

Board of directors
as of 4/9/2025
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Amy Martinez NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Amy Pangelinan BOARD MEMBER

Bo Johnson NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Brent Hannah NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Charles Carruthers

KenJo Markets

Charles Carruthers TREASURER

Dan McKee BOARD MEMBER

Denise Rivers NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Oscar Grandas NON-VOTING BOARD MEMEBER

Ronald Sherrill NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Steven Cakmes NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Urath Suresh NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Wala Abusalah NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Edith Kaserman SECRETARY

Jad Farmer BOARD MEMBER

Jason Lambert BOARD MEMBER

John Lowe BOARD MEMBER

Katherine Welda NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Katina Arbogast NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Kevin Burris

Premier Surgical Associates

Michael J Saparito CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD/PRESIDENT

Michael Ramey BOARD MEMBER

Robert Suggs BOARD MEMBER

Stacy Blue NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Stephanie Burgett NON-VOTING BOARD MEMBER

Steven Cakmes

Cakmes Dental Studio

Thomas Meyerson BOARD MEMBER

Travis Ferguson Executive Director

East Tennessee Kidney Foundation

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? yes

Organizational demographics

info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability