The Lakeland Lions Foundation concentrates its giving on vision and disability-related services, funding local and global programs that prevent and treat blindness, provide low-vision support, and supply trained assistance animals. Grants also support pediatric health and youth services, often routed through Lions-affiliated entities and regional Tennessee institutions. The foundation favors mission-driven service organizations and educational programs that serve children and people with visual impairments.
Lakeland Lions Foundation gives through a clear vision-and-support-services pattern, with large recent awards to Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing and Tennessee School for the Blind anchoring its portfolio. The foundation’s grantmaking is built around blindness prevention, low-vision support, assistance animals, and related pediatric and youth services, often through Lions-affiliated organizations and regional institutions in Tennessee. Recent grants also show support for global eye-care work through Orbis and World Cateract, alongside direct service providers such as Leader Dog and Guiding Eye for the Blind. The foundation’s giving reaches both local and broader service networks. In Memphis, Nashville, and other Tennessee communities, it funds clinics, schools, and programs tied to eye care and hearing support, while also backing organizations serving children and people with disabilities. Its recent activity includes grants to youth-serving and pediatric health groups as well as entities focused on visual impairment services, showing a mix of direct care, education, and specialized support. The pattern is consistent with a funder that prioritizes practical services for specific populations rather than broad unrestricted philanthropy.
Vision care is the clearest center of gravity. The foundation gave $24,385 to Orbis for global care and $12,000 to Hamilton Eye Institute for eye care, while also supporting World Cateract with $12,000 for eye research. It also funds services for people who are blind or visually impaired. Recent examples include $12,000 to Guiding Eye for the Blind for assistance for blind services and $13,000 to Leader Dog for service dogs. Tennessee School for the Blind received $14,000 for school support, showing that educational institutions are part of the mix. A third thread is pediatric and youth support. The foundation granted $11,000 to St Jude for children’s cancer care, $10,000 to LeBonheur for children’s care, and $11,000 to Juvenile Diabetes for youth diabetes research. Youth Villages also appears in the recent grants list for juvenile care.
Typical grants cluster in a narrow band: the p25 is $7,250, median grant size is $11,000, and p75 is $12,000. Recent awards often sit just above or below that middle range, with a few larger gifts extending the upper end. The foundation appears to use repeated support for some organizations across multiple years, including Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing, Orbis, Leader Dog, Guiding Eye for the Blind, Hamilton Eye Institute, World Cateract, Youth Villages, Juvenile Diabetes, St Jude, LeBonheur, Southern College of Optomery, and Sight Van. It is a private foundation; it does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. No application process is stated in the data.
$359K
$30K
$86K
$368K
Most grants fall between $7K and $12K, with a median of $11K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$11K
75th Percentile
$12K
Bert Faller
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Concentrated, repeat giving to a core group of sight- and disability-focused organizations (many Lions-affiliated), supplemented by regular mid-sized gifts to regional children’s health and youth service providers; mix of local/regional and international grantees rather than one-off small donations.
Notable grantees: Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing, Orbis, Leader Dog, Hamilton Eye Institute, Youth Villages
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Tennessee, which accounts for 68% of grants and is the top recipient state. Memphis appears frequently, including Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing, World Cateract, Hamilton Eye Institute, Youth Villages, St Jude, LeBonheur, and Southern College of Optomery. Nashville also appears through Tennessee School for the Blind. Outside Tennessee, recent grants reached New York, Michigan, and Arkansas, showing a regional footprint with some national and global partners.
The foundation focuses on vision restoration and cataract treatment, services for people who are blind or visually impaired, training and placement of assistance dogs, pediatric medical care, and youth behavioral or juvenile support services. The recent grants also show support for eye and hearing screening, eye research, and youth diabetes research.
Yes. While most grants go to Tennessee recipients, recent awards also went to Orbis in New York, Leader Dog in Michigan, Guiding Eye for the Blind in New York, and Lions World Service in Arkansas. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the data provided.
The foundation’s grant size distribution is tightly grouped: p25 is $7,250, median grant size is $11,000, and p75 is $12,000. Recent grants often fall within that range, with some larger awards such as $35,385 and $25,385.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple recent grant years, including Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing, Orbis, Leader Dog, Guiding Eye for the Blind, Hamilton Eye Institute, World Cateract, Youth Villages, Juvenile Diabetes, St Jude, LeBonheur, Southern College of Optomery, and Sight Van.
Recent grantees include Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing, Tennessee School for the Blind, Orbis, Leader Dog, Guiding Eye for the Blind, World Cateract, Hamilton Eye Institute, Youth Villages, St Jude, LeBonheur, Juvenile Diabetes, Lions World Service, Southern College of Optomery, and Sight Van.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing | Memphis, TN | $35,385 | 2025 | — |
| Tn School for the Blind | Nashville, TN | $25,385 | 2025 | — |
| District 12L | Bartlett, TN | $25,000 | 2025 | — |
| Leader Dog | Rochester Hills, MI | $24,385 | 2025 | — |
| Orbis | New York, NY | $24,385 | 2025 | — |
| World Cateract | Memphis, TN | $23,385 | 2025 | — |
| Guiding Eye for the Blind | Yorktown Heights, NY | $23,385 | 2025 | — |
| Hamilton Eye Institute | Memphis, TN | $23,385 | 2025 | — |
| Youth Villages | Memphis, TN | $23,365 | 2025 | — |
| Juvenile Diabetes | Brentwood, TN | $22,385 | 2025 | — |
| Lions World Service | Little Rock, AR | $22,385 | 2025 | — |
| St Jude | Memphis, TN | $22,385 | 2025 | — |
| LeBonheur | Memphis, TN | $22,385 | 2025 | — |
| Southern College of Optomery | Memphis, TN | $21,385 | 2025 | — |
| Sight Van | Buchanan, TN | $19,830 | 2025 | — |
| Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing | Memphis, TN | $26,500 | 2024 | Sight Hearing research |
| Tennessee School for the Blind | Nashville, TN | $14,000 | 2024 | Support for School |
| Orbis | New York, NY | $13,000 | 2024 | Global care |
| Leader Dog | Rochester Hills, MI | $13,000 | 2024 | Service Dogs, |
| Hamilton Eye Institute | Memphis, TN | $12,000 | 2024 | Eye Care |
| World Cateract | Memphis, TN | $12,000 | 2024 | Eye research |
| Youth Villages | Memphis, TN | $12,000 | 2024 | Juvenile Care |
| Guiding Eye for the Blind | Yorktown Heights, NY | $12,000 | 2024 | Assistance for Blind |
| Lions World Service | Little Rock, AR | $11,000 | 2024 | Global Eye care |
| St Jude | Memphis, TN | $11,000 | 2024 | Children cancer care |
| Juvenile Diabetes | Brentwood, TN | $11,000 | 2024 | Youth Diabetes research |
| Southern College of Optomery | Memphis, TN | $10,000 | 2024 | Eye care |
| LeBonheur | Memphis, TN | $10,000 | 2024 | Children care |
| Sight Van | Buchanan, TN | $8,000 | 2024 | Eye Hearing tests |
| Mid-South Lions Sight &Hearing | Memphis, TN | $20,000 | 2023 | — |
| Tennessee School for Blind | Nashville, TN | $8,000 | 2023 | — |
| Orbis | New York, NY | $7,000 | 2023 | — |
| Leader Dog | Rochester Hills, MI | $7,000 | 2023 | — |
| Youth Villages | Memphis, TN | $6,000 | 2023 | — |
| Hamilton Eye Institute | Memphis, TN | $6,000 | 2023 | — |
| Guiding Eye for the Blind | Yorktown Heights, NY | $6,000 | 2023 | — |
| World Cateract | Memphis, TN | $6,000 | 2023 | — |
Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing
$35,385Tn School for the Blind
$25,385District 12L
$25,000World Cateract
$23,385Guiding Eye for the Blind
$23,385Lions World Service
$22,385Southern College of Optomery
$21,385Sight Van
$19,830Mid-South Lions Sight & Hearing
$26,500Sight Hearing research
Tennessee School for the Blind
$14,000Support for School
World Cateract
$12,000Eye research
Guiding Eye for the Blind
$12,000Assistance for Blind
Lions World Service
$11,000Global Eye care
Southern College of Optomery
$10,000Eye care
Sight Van
$8,000Eye Hearing tests
Mid-South Lions Sight &Hearing
$20,000Tennessee School for Blind
$8,000Guiding Eye for the Blind
$6,000World Cateract
$6,000