Lift A Life Foundation concentrates its giving on children’s health and education with a strong secondary emphasis on leadership development. A small number of very large gifts—often multi-award support to the same institutions—dominate the portfolio, funding pediatric diabetes treatment/research and leadership programs at universities and nonprofit training organizations. Grants also include early childhood and literacy initiatives, signaling an interest in interventions across childhood development and capacity-building for leaders who serve those sectors.
Lift a Life Foundation Inc C/o Cornerstone Family Office has built a grantmaking profile around juvenile diabetes, with Norton Children's Hospital receiving multiple large awards across 2023, 2024, and 2025. That recurring support sits alongside a clear commitment to leadership development, including a $4,000,000 grant to the University of Missouri in Columbia and a $2,100,000 grant to David Novak Leadership Inc in Mayfield Heights. The foundation also funds early childhood education and literacy work, showing a portfolio that moves beyond health into child development and leadership pipeline support. Several of its largest gifts go to institutions rather than one-off projects, and the same organizations appear more than once in the recent grants list. Metro United Way, Global Game Changers, and Community Foundation of Louisville each received repeated support, while Louisville-area organizations make up much of the giving profile. The foundation’s active Community Impact Grants program is aimed at Kentucky-based nonprofits working in food insecurity, early childhood education, military and first responder support, and diabetes care. Across the record on file, the pattern is focused, multi-year, and concentrated in a few core areas rather than spread thinly across many causes.
Juvenile diabetes is the clearest focus area in the recent grant record. The foundation gave $3,032,850 in 2023, $3,000,000 in 2024, and $2,180,410 in 2025 to Norton Children's Hospital in Louisville, and also awarded $215,000 to Sonia Nabeta Foundation in New York and $100,000 to Camp Hendon in Louisville for juvenile diabetes. Early childhood education is another recurring area. Metro United Way received $812,500 in 2025, $500,000 in 2023, and $407,500 in 2024 for early childhood education, while Community Coordinated Child Care in Louisville received $470,000 in 2025 and $205,000 in 2023 for early child support. Leadership development appears through institutions and local nonprofits. The University of Missouri received $4,000,000 for leadership, Global Game Changers received $425,000 in 2025 and $300,000 in 2024 for leadership, and Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning received $883,250 for leadership development.
$10.2M
$64.3M
$15.4M
$11.4M
Most grants fall between $25K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
About 2% of grants go to recipients in KY.
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Highly concentrated: very few, large grants totaling nearly all giving; repeated support to select institutions (e.g., multiple grants to Norton Children’s Hospital); emphasis on programmatic and leadership investments rather than many small awards.
Notable grantees: Norton Children's Hospital, University of Missouri, David Novak Leadership, Inc., Rita June Foundation Inc., Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning
Typical grants cluster around a mid-sized institutional range: p25 is $25,000, median is $50,000, and p75 is $100,000. The recent record also shows repeated awards to the same organizations over multiple years, especially in Louisville and in the foundation’s main program areas. That suggests a mix of ongoing partnerships and project support rather than isolated one-time gifts. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its active Community Impact Grants program accepts unsolicited applications from Kentucky-based nonprofits.
Giving is national, but it is heavily centered in Kentucky. Louisville appears repeatedly in the recipient list, including Norton Children's Hospital, Metro United Way, Community Coordinated Child Care, Global Game Changers, Dare to Care Food Bank, Home of the Innocents, and Camp Hendon. Lexington also appears through National Christian Foundation, and Frankfort through Kentucky Chamber Foundation. Outside Kentucky, recent recipients include Columbia, Missouri; Broadlands, Virginia; New York, New York; and Alexandria, Virginia. All recorded grants in the country distribution went to U.S. recipients.
The foundation’s stated focus areas are pediatric diabetes research and clinical care, leadership development programs, university-based leadership initiatives, and early childhood education and literacy initiatives. Its active Community Impact Grants program also targets food insecurity, military and first responder support, and diabetes care in Kentucky.
The grant-size distribution is p25 at $25,000, median at $50,000, and p75 at $100,000. The recent record also includes a few much larger awards, such as $4,000,000 to the University of Missouri and multi-million-dollar support to Norton Children's Hospital.
Yes. Norton Children's Hospital appears across 2023, 2024, and 2025 for juvenile diabetes. Metro United Way, Global Game Changers, Community Foundation of Louisville, National Christian Foundation, and West Palm Golf Community Trust also appear more than once in the recent grants list.
Yes. The active Community Impact Grants program accepts unsolicited applications from Kentucky-based nonprofit organizations working in food insecurity, early childhood education, military and first responder support, and diabetes care.
Kentucky is the top state by grant count, and Louisville appears often in the recipient list. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 135 grants going to U.S. recipients.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | LOUISVILLE, KY | $2,180,410 | 2025 | JUVENILE DIABETES (JD) |
| DAVID NOVAK LEADERSHIP INC | MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH | $2,100,000 | 2025 | LEADERSHIP |
| RITA JUNE FOUNDATION INC | LOUISVILLE, KY | $1,500,000 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION |
| METRO UNITED WAY | LOUISVILLE, KY | $812,500 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION |
| COMMUNITY COORDINATED CHILD CARE AKA 4-C | LOUISVILLE, KY | $470,000 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION |
| GLOBAL GAME CHANGERS | LOUISVILLE, KY | $425,000 | 2025 | LEADERSHIP |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION | LEXINGTON, KY | $250,000 | 2025 | RELIGIOUS |
| HOME OF THE INNOCENTS | LOUISVILLE, KY | $250,000 | 2025 | RESPONSIVE |
| SONIA NABETA FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $215,000 | 2025 | JUVENILE DIABETES (JD) |
| WEST PALM GOLF COMMUNITY TRUST | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL - SPORTS |
| HORATIO ALGER ASSOCIATION | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $150,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| KENTUCKY CHAMBER FOUNDATION | FRANKFORT, KY | $122,400 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION |
| CAMP HENDON | LOUISVILLE, KY | $100,000 | 2025 | JUVENILE DIABETES (JD) |
| RAYMOND JAMES CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT FUND | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| MARYHURST | LOUISVILLE, KY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| DELTA FOUNDATION | LOUISVILLE, KY | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| RECENTER MINISTRIES | LOUISVILLE, KY | $60,000 | 2025 | HUNGER |
| NANTZ FRIENDS | HOUSTON, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| R 15-20 MINISTRIES INC | BEDFORD, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | RELIGIOUS - GENERAL |
| A CURE FOR ROBERT INC | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FUND FOR THE ARTS | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | JUVENILE DIABETES |
| IRON BELL MINISTRIES | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | RELIGIOUS |
| NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION / GENERAL |
| PRITCHARD COMMITTEE | LEXINGTON, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION |
| WATERSTEP | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ST VINCENT DE PAUL LOUISVILLE | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | HUNGER |
| WEST END PREPARATORY SCHOOL | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| GIRL SCOUTS OF KENTUCKIANA INC | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | LEADERSHIP |
| ST JOSEPH CHILDRENS HOME | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION / GENERAL |
| KENTUCKY YOUTH ADVOCATES | LOUISVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION |
| SKILZ 4 LIFE INC | LOUISVILLE, KY | $48,197 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION |
| BACKSIDE LEARNING CENTER | LOUISVILLE, KY | $45,000 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION |
| STAGE ONE FAMILY THEATRE | LOUISVILLE, KY | $35,000 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION / GENERAL |
| ADVANCE LOUISVILLE | LOUISVILLE, KY | $35,000 | 2025 | CAREER DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE |
| KENTUCKY HARVEST | LOUISVILLE, KY | $30,000 | 2025 | HUNGER |
| CHARITY WATER | HAGERTOWN, MD | $25,000 | 2025 | CLEAN WATER |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE - CHIEF CARES | NASHVILLE, TN | $25,000 | 2025 | TN FLOODING |
| PITT ACADEMY | LOUISVILLE, KY | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| LEADERSHIP LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC | LOUISVILLE, KY | $20,000 | 2025 | LEADERSHIP |
| VIRGINIA CHANCE SCHOOL | LOUISVILLE, KY | $15,500 | 2025 | EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION / GENERAL |
| BRINGING JUSTICE HOME INC | LOUISVILLE, KY | $15,000 | 2025 | HUNGER |
| LOVE THY NEIGHBOR | FORT LAUDERDALE, FL | $15,000 | 2025 | RELIGIOUS |
| THE PARKLANDS OF FLOYDS FORK | LOUISVILLE, KY | $11,000 | 2025 | PARK PRESERVATION |
| CRITCALLY LOVED | LOUISVILLE, KY | $11,000 | 2025 | JUVENILE DIABETES |
| MIDDLETOWN CHRISTIAN CHURCH | LOUISVILLE, KY | $10,000 | 2025 | RELIGIOUS |
| JUSTIN THOMAS FOUNDATION INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | CHILDREN |
| LESS IS MORE INC | LOUISVILLE, KY | $10,000 | 2025 | IN MEMORY |
| WAYFINDERS | LOUISVILLE, KY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES |
| AMERICAN JUNIOR GOLF ASSN | BRASELTON, GA | $10,000 | 2025 | SPORTS - GOLF/LEADERSHIP CAROLINA CUP |
| MASTERS TOURNAMENT FOUNDATION INC | AUGUSTA, GA | $10,000 | 2025 | RESPONSIVE - EMPLOYEE RELIEF FUND |
NORTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
$2,180,410JUVENILE DIABETES (JD)
DAVID NOVAK LEADERSHIP INC
$2,100,000LEADERSHIP
COMMUNITY COORDINATED CHILD CARE AKA 4-C
$470,000EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
GLOBAL GAME CHANGERS
$425,000LEADERSHIP
NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION
$250,000RELIGIOUS
HOME OF THE INNOCENTS
$250,000RESPONSIVE
SONIA NABETA FOUNDATION
$215,000JUVENILE DIABETES (JD)
HORATIO ALGER ASSOCIATION
$150,000GENERAL
CAMP HENDON
$100,000JUVENILE DIABETES (JD)
NANTZ FRIENDS
$50,000GENERAL
R 15-20 MINISTRIES INC
$50,000RELIGIOUS - GENERAL
A CURE FOR ROBERT INC
$50,000GENERAL
IRON BELL MINISTRIES
$50,000RELIGIOUS
PRITCHARD COMMITTEE
$50,000EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
ST VINCENT DE PAUL LOUISVILLE
$50,000HUNGER
WEST END PREPARATORY SCHOOL
$50,000EDUCATION
ST JOSEPH CHILDRENS HOME
$50,000EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION / GENERAL
SKILZ 4 LIFE INC
$48,197EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
BACKSIDE LEARNING CENTER
$45,000EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
STAGE ONE FAMILY THEATRE
$35,000EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION / GENERAL
ADVANCE LOUISVILLE
$35,000CAREER DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
KENTUCKY HARVEST
$30,000HUNGER
PITT ACADEMY
$25,000EDUCATION
LEADERSHIP LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC
$20,000LEADERSHIP
VIRGINIA CHANCE SCHOOL
$15,500EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION / GENERAL
BRINGING JUSTICE HOME INC
$15,000HUNGER
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR
$15,000RELIGIOUS
CRITCALLY LOVED
$11,000JUVENILE DIABETES
MIDDLETOWN CHRISTIAN CHURCH
$10,000RELIGIOUS
JUSTIN THOMAS FOUNDATION INC
$10,000CHILDREN
LESS IS MORE INC
$10,000IN MEMORY
WAYFINDERS
$10,000CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES
MASTERS TOURNAMENT FOUNDATION INC
$10,000RESPONSIVE - EMPLOYEE RELIEF FUND