The Irvin Lansky Foundation focuses tightly on education and youth development, prioritizing literacy, tutoring, and personal/career development programs for children and young adults. Its giving is concentrated: a small number of sizable, repeat grants account for most of its funding, indicating a preference for deep, ongoing partnerships with direct-service education providers.
A repeated $100,000 commitment to Agape across 2023, 2024, and 2025 shows the Irvin Lansky Foundation’s preference for sustained support rather than one-off awards. That pattern fits a grantmaker centered on education and youth development in Memphis, with funding aimed at direct-service programs that build reading skills, tutoring support, personal development, and job readiness. The foundation’s recent gifts also show a strong preference for the same local organizations over multiple years, including Memphis-based providers working with children, teens, and workforce participants. Arise2read received support for teaching reading skills to elementary children, while Peer Power was funded for tutoring. Hope Works appears as a continuing recipient for personal and career development, and Memphis Leadership Foundation was supported for ECOP workforce work. The foundation also funded Memphis Athletic Ministries for education, Redzone Ministries for teen development, and Neighborhood Christian Center for scholarship and summer-institute programming. Together, these grants point to a funder that backs program delivery, recurring partnerships, and youth-serving organizations with a direct educational or workforce-development mission.
Education is the clearest thread in the foundation’s recent giving. Arise2read received $75,000 in 2025 and $50,000 in 2024 for teaching reading skills to elementary children, showing a specific commitment to early literacy. Peer Power was funded at $75,000 in 2025 and $50,000 in 2024 for tutoring, reinforcing that focus on direct academic support. Workforce and life-skills preparation is another recurring theme. Hope Works received $70,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for personal and career development, while Memphis Leadership Foundation received $50,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for ECOP workforce programming. The foundation also backed Advance Memphis with $50,000 grants for Jobs for Life in 2023 and 2025, linking its youth and adult support to employment readiness. The foundation’s portfolio also includes scholarship and teen programming, including support for Neighborhood Christian Center and Redzone Ministries Inc.
Typical awards fall in the $25,000 to $60,000 range, with a median grant size of $50,000 and a 75th percentile of $60,000. The recent record shows a small number of recurring recipients accounting for multiple years of support, especially across 2023 to 2025. That includes several repeated grants to the same organizations rather than many one-time awards. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, makes grants to individuals, and does not make program-related investments. Its pattern is consistent with direct operating support for ongoing programs rather than episodic project funding.
$575K
$14.5M
$932K
$809K
Most grants fall between $25K and $60K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$60K
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Concentrated support through relatively large grants to a few repeat grantees (multi-grant relationships), favoring program-level funding for direct-service education and youth development rather than many small or one-off gifts.
Notable grantees: AGAPE, HOPE WORKS, PEER POWER, ARISE2READ
All recent grants in the data went to U.S. recipients, and every listed grant recipient is in Tennessee. Memphis dominates the giving pattern, with grants to organizations there appearing throughout the recent list. The foundation’s top giving state is TN, and 100% of grants in the file were awarded to recipients in that state. The recipient base is geographically concentrated rather than spread across multiple regions or countries.
Its recent grants center on education and youth development. The foundation funds early literacy, tutoring, personal and career development, workforce readiness, teen development, scholarship support, and some family-support programming through Memphis-area nonprofits.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Agape from 2023 through 2025, Hope Works from 2023 through 2025, Memphis Leadership Foundation from 2023 through 2025, and Arise2read and Peer Power across more than one year.
The typical grant size is $50,000 at the median, with a 25th percentile of $25,000 and a 75th percentile of $60,000. Recent grants also include larger recurring awards, such as $100,000 to Agape.
Its giving is concentrated in Tennessee, and the recent grants list shows Memphis as the main recipient city. The data shows 100% of grants went to recipients in TN.
Yes. The foundation is marked as funding individuals, in addition to making grants to organizations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGAPE | MEMPHIS, TN | $100,000 | 2025 | PCN PROGRAM EDUCATION |
| ARISE2READ | MEMPHIS, TN | $75,000 | 2025 | TEACH READING SKILLS TO ELEMENTARY CHILDREN |
| PEER POWER | MEMPHIS, TN | $75,000 | 2025 | TUTORING |
| HOPE WORKS | MEMPHIS, TN | $70,000 | 2025 | PERSONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT |
| MEMPHIS LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2025 | ECOP WORKFORCE |
| ADVANCE MEMPHIS | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2025 | JOBS FOR LIFE |
| MEMPHIS ATHLETIC MINISTRIES | MEMPHIS, TN | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| NEIGHBORHOOD CHRISTIAN CENTER | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2025 | COLLEGE AND ARTS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM |
| MID-SOUTH MINORITY TADP INC | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2025 | TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT |
| REDZONE MINISTRIES INC | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2025 | TEEN DEVELOPMENT |
| NEIGHBORHOOD CHISTIAN CENTER | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2025 | SUMMER INSTITUTE |
| JEWISH FOUNDATION OF MEMPHIS | MEMPHIS, TN | $20,000 | 2025 | JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES |
| FAMILIES MATTERINC | MEMPHIS, TN | $5,000 | 2025 | BUILD HEALTHY FAMILIES |
| AGAPE | MEMPHIS, TN | $100,000 | 2024 | PCN PROGRAM EDUCATION |
| HOPE WORKS | MEMPHIS, TN | $70,000 | 2024 | PERSONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT |
| PEER POWER | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2024 | TUTORING |
| ADVANCE MEMPHIS | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2024 | JOBS FOR LIFE |
| ARISE2READ | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2024 | TEACH READING SKILLS TO ELEMENTARY CHILDREN |
| MEMPHIS LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2024 | ECOP WORKFORCE |
| MEMPHIS ATHLETIC MINISTRIES | MEMPHIS, TN | $30,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| NEIGHBORHOOD CHISTIAN CENTER | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2024 | SUMMER INSTITUTE |
| MID-SOUTH MINORITY TADP INC | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2024 | TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT |
| REDZONE MINISTRIES INC | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2024 | TEEN DEVELOPMENT |
| NEIGHBORHOOD CHRISTIAN CENTER | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2024 | COLLEGE AND ARTS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM |
| JEWISH FOUNDATION OF MEMPHIS | MEMPHIS, TN | $20,000 | 2024 | JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES |
| AGAPE | MEMPHIS, TN | $100,000 | 2023 | PCN PROGRAM EDUCATION |
| PEER POWER | MEMPHIS, TN | $70,000 | 2023 | TUTORING |
| HOPE WORKS | MEMPHIS, TN | $70,000 | 2023 | PERSONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT |
| ARISE2READ | MEMPHIS, TN | $70,000 | 2023 | TEACH READING SKILLS TO ELEMENTARY CHILDREN |
| ADVANCE MEMPHIS | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2023 | JOBS FOR LIFE |
| MEMPHIS LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2023 | ECOP WORKFORCE |
| MEMPHIS ATHLETIC MINISTRIES | MEMPHIS, TN | $30,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| NEIGHBORHOOD CHISTIAN CENTER | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2023 | SUMMER INSTITUTE |
| MID-SOUTH MINORITY TADP INC | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2023 | TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT |
| NEIGHBORHOOD CHRISTIAN CENTER | MEMPHIS, TN | $25,000 | 2023 | COLLEGE AND ARTS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM |
| JEWISH FOUNDATION OF MEMPHIS | MEMPHIS, TN | $20,000 | 2023 | JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES |
AGAPE
$100,000PCN PROGRAM EDUCATION
ARISE2READ
$75,000TEACH READING SKILLS TO ELEMENTARY CHILDREN
PEER POWER
$75,000TUTORING
HOPE WORKS
$70,000PERSONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
JOBS FOR LIFE
MID-SOUTH MINORITY TADP INC
$25,000TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT
REDZONE MINISTRIES INC
$25,000TEEN DEVELOPMENT
FAMILIES MATTERINC
$5,000BUILD HEALTHY FAMILIES
ARISE2READ
$50,000TEACH READING SKILLS TO ELEMENTARY CHILDREN
MID-SOUTH MINORITY TADP INC
$25,000TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT
REDZONE MINISTRIES INC
$25,000TEEN DEVELOPMENT
AGAPE
$100,000PCN PROGRAM EDUCATION
HOPE WORKS
$70,000PERSONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
ARISE2READ
$70,000TEACH READING SKILLS TO ELEMENTARY CHILDREN
MID-SOUTH MINORITY TADP INC
$25,000TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT