Community Lift Corp
Community LIFT Corp is a public charity based in Memphis, Tennessee. It supports neighborhood revitalization in Memphis through grants and loans, with investments directed primarily to community development corporations (CDCs), grassroots leaders, and neighborhood businesses.
Community Lift Corp at a glance
In short: Community Lift Corp gave $515K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in Tennessee. 47% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $515,000
- +7.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +70.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,294
- -37.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $2,285,845
- -27.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 47% first-time grantees (8 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Community Lift Corp
- How to Apply
-
For the CDC Capacity Fund, the website provides an application and budget templates. For the CDC Pre-Development Fund, applications are accepted on a rolling basis. For the Memphis Empowerment Fund, eligible applicants can use the application process and budget template described by the fund.
- Deadline
- Rolling
- Contact
Mailing address: 1863 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104
Phone: (901) 521-4232
Website: https://communitylift.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from Community Lift Corp
CDC Capacity Fund
Community Lift Corp
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
CDC Pre-Development Fund
Community Lift Corp
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling (quarterly review)
CDC Pre-Development Fund (Community LIFT)
Community Lift Corp
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling
Who Community Lift Corp funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was River City Capital Investment ($180K). Together the top 10 received $413K.
Grant Size Distribution
64 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 62 grants of 64 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Community LIFT’s stated work focuses on Memphis and its disinvested or under-resourced neighborhoods. In 2025, 97% of its grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee and 3% to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Community Lift Corp open to new grantees?
47%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 17 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $39K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $23K first-time, $20K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $92K (2022) to $515K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $515K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| River City Capital Investment Memphis, TN | CDC | $180,000 |
| Score CDC Memphis, TN | CDC | $42,500 |
| Alcy Ball CDC Memphis, TN | Empowerment | $25,000 |
| Legacy of Legends CDC Memphis, TN | CDC | $25,000 |
| Midsouth Genesis CDC Memphis, TN | CDC | $25,000 |
| United Housing Memphis, TN | CDC | $25,000 |
| Victoria Village CDC Memphis, TN | CDC | $25,000 |
| Whitehaven Economic Develop Memphis, TN | CDC | $25,000 |
| Binghampton Develp Corp Memphis, TN | CDC | $20,000 |
| Klondike Smokey City CDC Memphis, TN | CDC | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Community Lift Corp?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Figures below are reported for each filing year.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,285,845 | $541,822 | $1,198,322 | $515,000 | 17 | — |
| 2024 | $3,160,649 | $754,626 | $1,147,278 | $481,360 | 10 | $117,966 |
| 2023 | $3,203,316 | $2,445,286 | $988,653 | $177,541 | 11 | $3,371 |
| 2022 | $1,661,171 | $1,022,035 | $2,497,471 | $91,876 | 9 | — |
| 2021 | $3,325,296 | $1,611,048 | $2,497,912 | $353,599 | 17 | $1,993 |
| 2020 | $4,277,759 | $3,738,831 | $1,870,317 | $403,831 | 15 | $5,205 |
| 2019 | $2,641,001 | $778,835 | $3,066,823 | $413,005 | 17 | $4,689 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Community LIFT’s stated mission is “to accelerate revitalization of disinvested neighborhoods to create a thriving Memphis for all.” Its 2024 filing describes it as a community development intermediary working through strategic investment in human capacity-building and economic and community development.
Its stated strategies include building capacity, empowering residents, and growing businesses; arts and culture through creative placemaking is embedded across those strategies. Its website also identifies neighborhood revitalization with intentional equity, CDC advancement, consumer equity and access, financial literacy and financial products, and policy, advocacy, and collaboration as focus areas.
The organization’s grant recipients illustrate the types of work it supports. River City Capital Investment describes itself as a community development financial institution providing capital to advance shared prosperity and revitalization in underserved Memphis and Shelby County communities. United Housing says it supports sustainable homeownership through services including homebuyer education, counseling, affordable lending, construction, and residential leasing. Oasis of Hope describes its work as fostering relationships across racial and socioeconomic boundaries, while Building Memphis says it supports neighborhood revitalization through policy advocacy, organizational capacity-building, and community education.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Community LIFT reported 17 grants totaling $515,000. Grants ranged from $7,500 to $180,000, with a median of $20,000. The largest award was $180,000 to River City Capital Investment for “CDC.” Other notable awards included $42,500 to Score CDC for “CDC”; $25,000 each to Alcy Ball CDC for “Empowerment,” and to Legacy of Legends CDC, Midsouth Genesis CDC, United Housing, Victoria Village CDC, and Whitehaven Economic Develop for “CDC”; and $20,000 each to Binghampton Develp Corp, Klondike Smokey City CDC, and Uplift Westwood CDC for “CDC.” Black Coalition for Housing in Chicago received $15,000 for “CDC.”
Community LIFT’s website describes several grant programs. The CDC Capacity Fund is exclusively for CDCs and aims to strengthen their organizational and operational capacity. The CDC Pre-Development Fund supports Memphis CDCs with activities such as site assessments and feasibility studies, design and planning, and community engagement; applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The Memphis Empowerment Fund offers grants of up to $2,500 to residents, business or property owners, and neighborhood associations for community-supported projects that promote cohesion, improve neighborhood spaces, cultivate financial stability, or support collaborative action. Its website provides an application process and budget template for that fund.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Luther Mercer as President, Ben Fox as Board Chair, Andre' Wilkes as Treasurer, and Deveney Perry as Ex Officio. It lists Victoria Robinson, Caleb Park, Andre Gist, Gaylan Fitzpatrick, Lara Payne, and Ben Schulman as Board Members.
Community Lift Corp is led by Luther Mercer, President since 2023 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 11 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Luther Mercer
President
President & Vice Chairman → Vice Chairman, 2022
Vice Chairman → President, 2023
On filings since 2019
45 hrs/week
$160K (2024) → $160K (2025)
Ben Fox
Board Chair
Board Member → Board Chair, 2024
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andre Gist
Board Member
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andre' Wilkes
Treasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ben Schulman
Board Member
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Caleb Park
Board Member
Board Vice Chair → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deveney Perry
Executive Officio
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gaylan Fitzpatrick
Board Member
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lara Payne
Board Member
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pearl Eva Walker
Board Member
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Victoria Robinson
Board Member
On filings since 2024
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Victoria Young (2023) — Board Chair
- Former: Alex Turley (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Charia Jackson (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Desi Franklin (2019–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Eric Robertson (2019–2022) — President
- Former: Jay Cofield (2019–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: John Paul Shaffer (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Katie Tobin (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Sheila Jordan Cunningham (2019–2022) — Chairwoman
- Former: William Pegg (2019–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Cassandra Harris (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Joshua Poag (2019) — Chairman
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $160K, to Luther Mercer (President).
Frequently asked questions about Community Lift Corp
How much does Community Lift Corp give each year?
Community Lift Corp gave $515K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $481K across 10 grants.
What is Community Lift Corp's typical grant size?
Community Lift Corp's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $30,294, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Community Lift Corp that year got $39K on average.
Where does Community Lift Corp give grants?
Community Lift Corp gives mostly in Tennessee: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Memphis, TN (16 grants).
Does Community Lift Corp give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Community Lift Corp's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "CDC" (16 grants).
Who are Community Lift Corp's largest grantees?
Community Lift Corp's largest 2025 grantees include River City Capital Investment ($180,000), Score CDC ($42,500) and Alcy Ball CDC ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Community Lift Corp?
Community Lift Corp reported $2.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $542K.
What does Community Lift Corp fund?
Community LIFT’s stated mission is “to accelerate revitalization of disinvested neighborhoods to create a thriving Memphis for all.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Community Lift Corp?
For the CDC Capacity Fund, the website provides an application and budget templates. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Community Lift Corp's EIN?
Community Lift Corp's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-3941355. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 29, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 18, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 28, 2022)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Community Lift Corp's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Community Lift Corp funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/community-lift-corp-morg_934a5022975d4f29bab6fc77238b40d2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_273941355_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Community Lift Corp funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/community-lift-corp-morg_934a5022975d4f29bab6fc77238b40d2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Community Lift Corp's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Community Lift Corp down — hundreds of funders to go?