Jonathan P Formanek Foundation
The Jonathan P Formanek Foundation is a private foundation based in Memphis, Tennessee. Its 2024 grants supported organizations working in visual art, dance, theater, conservation, architecture, and individual rights.
Jonathan P Formanek Foundation at a glance
In short: Jonathan P Formanek Foundation gave $418K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $22K), top state Tennessee. 11% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $417,500
- -19.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- -42.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $21,974
- +39.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $9,556,550
- +11.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 19, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (42% 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 Jonathan P Formanek Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing instructs applicants to contact Jonathan Formanek and submit a written application detailing the purpose of the request. Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) organization; grants have no stated restriction or limitation unless specified in the grant agreement.
- Contact
Application contact: Jonathan Formanek
Mailing address: 6075 Poplar Ave Suite 726, Memphis, TN 38119
Phone: (479) 738-6206
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Jonathan P Formanek Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Memphis Brooks Museum ($175K). Together the top 10 received $400K.
Grant Size Distribution
119 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 108 grants of 119 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in Tennessee (42%), Massachusetts (28%), Texas (27%), New York (2%), and Arizona (1%). The foundation also gave $1,500 to Tulsa Foundation for Architecture in Oklahoma in 2024.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Jonathan P Formanek Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 2 of 19 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $24K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 79% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 38% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 78% 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 $418K (2024) to $670K (2021). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $418K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis Brooks Museum Memphis, TN | To promote the provision of visual art medium through diverse exhibits | $175,000 |
| Jacob's Pillow Becket, MA | To engage the public's appreciation and support for dance with respect to indigenous people | $115,000 |
| Bruce Woods Dance Dallas, TX | To support the dance company in its efforts to entertain and enrich the public | $35,000 |
| Stage West Theatre Fort Worth, TX | To promote educational outreach services to the community through art | $15,000 |
| Amphibian Stage Fort Worth, TX | To support art education programs for veterans and youth and free public events | $15,000 |
| Undermain Theatre Dallas, TX | To support innovative threatre with interest in poetic and language-driven work | $15,000 |
| Turtle Creek Conservancy Dallas, TX | To care for the turtle creek park and arlington hall while creating a public space | $15,000 |
| Second Thought Dallas, TX | To support the creation of challenging and thought provoking plays with local artists | $5,000 |
| Ochre House Theatre Dallas, TX | To support projects that contribute to the artistic and spiritual revival of the community | $5,000 |
| ACLU Membership Dept New York, NY | To Support the Defense of Individual Rights | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Jonathan P 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 | $9,556,550 | $1,461,100 | $446,490 | $417,500 | 19 | $417,500 | $1,461,100 | $531,897 |
| 2023 | $8,541,940 | $781,405 | $539,030 | $520,500 | 33 | $520,500 | $769,559 | $583,483 |
| 2022 | $8,299,565 | $-176,905 | $623,628 | $588,000 | 50 | $588,000 | $84,855 | $549,143 |
| 2021 | $9,100,098 | $974,129 | $910,445 | $670,000 | 9 | $670,000 | $733,684 | $579,656 |
| 2020 | $10,310,540 | $-1,083,043 | $908,501 | $633,000 | 8 | — | — | $571,009 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Jonathan P Formanek Foundation reported a distributable amount of $532K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2024 grants included support for visual arts and dance organizations, theaters, a park conservancy, and the ACLU Membership Department. Grantee descriptions provide further examples of the work supported: Turtle Creek Conservancy says its mission is preserving and enhancing Turtle Creek Park and Arlington Hall; Stage West Theatre says it serves the greater Fort Worth community with theater and other live events; and UnderMain Theatre describes its work as producing innovative theater, with particular interest in poetic and language-driven work.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $417,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $175,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest awards were $175,000 to Memphis Brooks Museum for visual art exhibits and $115,000 to Jacob’s Pillow to engage public appreciation and support for dance with respect to Indigenous people. Other notable grants included $35,000 to Bruce Woods Dance, $15,000 each to Stage West Theatre, Amphibian Stage, UnderMain Theatre, and Turtle Creek Conservancy, and $5,000 to the ACLU Membership Department.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jonathan P Formanek as president and chairman of the board, Andrew Whitmore as secretary-treasurer and director, and Joyce Sealand as director.
Jonathan P Formanek Foundation is led by Jonathan P. Formanek, President & Chairman of the Board since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Jonathan P. Formanek
President & Chairman of the Board
President & Director → President & Chairman of the Board, 2024
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrew J. Whitmore III
Secretary-Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joyce H. Sealand
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Jonathan P Formanek Foundation
How much does Jonathan P Formanek Foundation give each year?
Jonathan P Formanek Foundation gave $418K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $521K across 33 grants.
What is Jonathan P Formanek Foundation's typical grant size?
Jonathan P Formanek Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $21,974, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Jonathan P Formanek Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does Jonathan P Formanek Foundation give grants?
Jonathan P Formanek Foundation's top state is Tennessee, with 42% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (28%) and Texas (27%). The most frequent recipient cities were Dallas, TX (6 grants) and Fort Worth, TX (2 grants).
Does Jonathan P Formanek Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Jonathan P Formanek Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Jonathan P Formanek Foundation's largest grantees?
Jonathan P Formanek Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Memphis Brooks Museum ($175,000), Jacob's Pillow ($115,000) and Bruce Woods Dance ($35,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 78% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Jonathan P Formanek Foundation?
Jonathan P Formanek Foundation reported $9.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $418K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $532K (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 Jonathan P Formanek Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The foundation’s 2024 grants included support for visual arts and dance organizations, theaters, a park conservancy, and the ACLU Membership Department. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Jonathan P Formanek Foundation?
The filing instructs applicants to contact Jonathan Formanek and submit a written application detailing the purpose of the request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Jonathan P Formanek Foundation's EIN?
Jonathan P Formanek Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-3557941. 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Jonathan P Formanek Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/jonathan-p-formanek-foundation-morg_99ce640817ab4ed4bccc5b2357e8fe98
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_823557941_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Jonathan P Formanek Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/jonathan-p-formanek-foundation-morg_99ce640817ab4ed4bccc5b2357e8fe98},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Jonathan P 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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