Formanek Foundation
The Formanek Foundation is a private foundation based in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2024, it made 28 grants totaling $7,601,571 to organizations working in areas including children and families, health care, the arts, criminal justice, and community development.
Formanek Foundation at a glance
In short: Formanek Foundation gave $7.6M across 28 grants in 2024 (avg $271K), mostly in Tennessee. 32% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $7,601,571
- +2.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 28
- +21.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $271,485
- -16.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $161,464
- Total assets
- $155,420,222
- +7.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (9 of 28, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (72% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Formanek Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. An interested party should contact Eric Robertson by email. Applicants must be qualified under 501(c)(3); restrictions and limitations apply only if specified in the grant agreement.
- Contact
Application contact: Eric Robertson
Mailing address: 6075 Poplar Avenue Suite 726, Memphis, TN 38119
Phone: (901) 616-1529
Email: eric@formanek1.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Formanek Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Youth Villages ($1.3M). Together the top 10 received $5.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
130 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 130 (32%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 72% of grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee, 9% to California, 4% to New York, and 3% to South Carolina. The recipient state for a further 7% is unspecified. The grants also included awards to organizations listed in Maine and to Jacaranda Health, for which no location is provided.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Formanek Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 28 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $147K; repeat grants $330K. How we count
Medians: $75K first-time, $175K repeat.
- 68% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 187% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 89% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $2.6M (2021) to $7.7M (2022). In 2024 it made 28 grants totaling $7.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Villages Memphis, TN | To support programs that will serve both children in need as well as their parents | $1,300,000 |
| Brooks Museum Memphis, TN | To promote the provision of visual art medium through diverse exhibits | $1,000,000 |
| Church Health Center Memphis, TN | To support the provision of health care for underinsured people | $750,000 |
| Riverfront Development Memphis, TN | To promote the transformative power of the Mississippi by supporting public events on the river. | $600,000 |
| Just City Memphis, TN | To advance policies and programs for disadvantaged persons in criminal justice system focusing on expungement and bail | $466,000 |
| Muso San Francisco, CA | To promote effort to eliminate preventable deaths rooted in poverty | $400,000 |
| Pure Academy Memphis, TN | To develop young men for lifelong success by providing a comprehensive education within a supportive boarding school environment | $400,000 |
| Lwala Nashville, TN | To unlock the potential of communities to advance their own comprehensive well-being | $300,000 |
| Healthy Learners Columbia, SC | To improve the health of children through school-based community in zambia | $250,000 |
| Homeboy Industries Los Angeles, CA | To provide hope, training, and support to previously incarcerated and formerly gang involved men and women, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community | $250,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Formanek Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $155,420,222 | $21,317,306 | $10,248,214 | $7,601,571 | 28 | $7,569,628 | $19,377,225 | $8,531,322 |
| 2023 | $144,351,130 | $12,023,174 | $10,692,860 | $7,434,674 | 23 | $7,434,674 | $9,318,978 | $8,545,680 |
| 2022 | $143,020,816 | $2,423,782 | $11,506,038 | $7,684,241 | 20 | $7,684,241 | $5,786,387 | $6,335,585 |
| 2021 | $152,103,072 | $114,831,780 | $4,543,030 | $2,647,054 | 18 | $2,647,054 | $6,311,181 | $2,952,526 |
| 2020 | $41,814,322 | $8,305,217 | $4,090,331 | $2,723,024 | 41 | — | $1,091,230 | $1,769,661 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Formanek Foundation reported a distributable amount of $8.5M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Youth Villages says it helps children and families live successfully; MUSO says it works to create a cure for delays in health care; and Just City says it pursues a smaller, fairer, and more humane criminal justice system for families and communities.
Other 2024 recipients include Brooks Museum, which received support for visual-art exhibits; Church Health Center, which received support for health care for underinsured people; and Homeboy Industries, whose stated mission is to provide hope, training, and support to previously incarcerated and formerly gang-involved people.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 28 grants totaling $7,601,571. Grants ranged from $20,000 to $1,300,000, with a median of $161,464.
The largest 2024 grants included $1,300,000 to Youth Villages, $1,000,000 to Brooks Museum, $750,000 to Church Health Center, $600,000 to Riverfront Development, and $466,000 to Just City. Other notable awards were $400,000 each to MUSO and Pure Academy, and $300,000 to Lwala.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Walter W Rotchild as president, director, and executive committee member; J Michael Howard II as secretary-treasurer, director, and executive committee member; Jonathan Spitzer as director and executive committee member; and Mary Lee Copp, Ryan Carroll, and Robin L Formanek as directors.
Formanek Foundation is led by Walter W. Rotchild, President, Director & Executive Committee since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Walter W. Rotchild
President, Director & Executive Committee
President & Director → President, Director & Executive Committee, 2023
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
J. Michael Howard II
Sec-Treasurer, Director & Executive Committee
On filings since 2023
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Spitzer
Director & Executive Committee
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Lee Copp
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robin L. Formanek
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ryan Carroll
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Mike Howard (2020–2022) — Secretary-Treasurer & Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Formanek Foundation
How much does Formanek Foundation give each year?
Formanek Foundation gave $7.6M across 28 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $7.4M across 23 grants.
What is Formanek Foundation's typical grant size?
Formanek Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $161,464, and its average grant was $271,485, across 28 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Formanek Foundation that year got $147K on average.
Where does Formanek Foundation give grants?
Formanek Foundation gives mostly in Tennessee: 72% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Memphis, TN (12 grants) and Nashville, TN (3 grants).
Does Formanek Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 28 grants with a stated purpose on Formanek Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Formanek Foundation's largest grantees?
Formanek Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Youth Villages ($1,300,000), Brooks Museum ($1,000,000) and Church Health Center ($750,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Formanek Foundation?
Formanek Foundation reported $155.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $7.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $8.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Formanek Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Formanek Foundation?
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Formanek Foundation's EIN?
Formanek Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1565007. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Formanek Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Formanek Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Formanek Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/formanek-foundation-morg_e963a9236935418daa1f65c6fe3f99ad
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261565007_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Formanek Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/formanek-foundation-morg_e963a9236935418daa1f65c6fe3f99ad},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Formanek Foundation'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.
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