Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity is a private foundation based in Mountain Brook, Alabama. Its 2025 filing reports grants for scholarships and charitable purposes, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Alabama.
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity at a glance
In short: Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity gave $147K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Alabama. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $147,365
- -1.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- -21.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $9,824
- +24.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,964
- Total assets
- $52,861
- -39.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Alabama (78% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity
- Contact
Application contact: Michael Luce
Mailing address: 3123 Overhill Rd, Birmingham, AL 35223
Phone: (205) 987-5507
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 5 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Stair of Birmingham ($25K). Together the top 5 received $74K.
Organizations only. It also paid 10 individual scholarships ($73,794), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
120 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 120 grants of 120 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Alabama (78%), Tennessee (7%), Minnesota (6%), the District of Columbia (6%), and Massachusetts (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
How Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity gives
- Giving fell 47% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $147K (2025) to $277K (2022). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $147K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Stair of Birmingham Birmingham, AL | Donation to Charity | $25,000 |
| St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Chur Montevallo, AL | Donation to Charity | $21,000 |
| Amiya Harris - Jacksonville State U Jacksonville, AL | Scholarships | $19,593 |
| 10 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $73,794 |
| Charity Penn - University of Alabam Tuscaloosa, AL | Scholarships | $7,478 |
| Sarah Granderson - Jacksonville Sta Jacksonville, AL | Scholarships | $500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $52,861 | $125,000 | $159,006 | $147,365 | 15 | $153,185 | $1,245 |
| 2024 | $86,740 | $205,000 | $161,525 | $149,695 | 19 | $155,611 | $1,378 |
| 2023 | $43,265 | $200,000 | $202,976 | $191,412 | 25 | $197,195 | $2,236 |
| 2022 | $46,241 | $277,500 | $287,522 | $277,384 | 33 | $282,453 | $1,929 |
| 2021 | $56,263 | $282,000 | $248,037 | $241,058 | 28 | $244,548 | $1,750 |
| 2020 | $22,300 | $252,956 | $231,243 | $228,427 | 29 | — | $1,120 |
| 2019 | $587 | $186,465 | $229,571 | $226,319 | 27 | — | $2,060 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity reported a distributable amount of $1K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants include scholarships and donations to charitable organizations. One recipient, STAIR of Birmingham, describes its mission as providing educational assistance to Birmingham City Schools’ children through an after-school reading program.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $147,365. Grants ranged from $500 to $25,000, with a median grant of $7,964. The largest grants included $25,000 to STAIR of Birmingham and $21,000 to St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Montevallo, Alabama. Scholarship grants included $19,593 to a recipient associated with Jacksonville State University and awards to individual recipients.
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. How to apply: The filing says to submit a letter stating the request with a copy of the tax-exempt determination letter. It lists no restrictions on awards. Deadline: None.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Michael Luce as president/director, Gates Shaw as vice president/director, Richard Simmons as secretary/director, and William Dow as treasurer/director.
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity is led by Michael Luce, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael Luce
President & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gates Shaw
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Simmons
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Dow
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity
How much does Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity give each year?
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity gave $147K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $150K across 19 grants.
What is Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity's typical grant size?
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity's median grant in 2025 was $7,964, and its average grant was $9,824, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity give grants?
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity gives mostly in Alabama: 78% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Tennessee (7%) and Minnesota (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Jacksonville, AL (2 grants).
Does Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships" (13 grants).
Who are Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity's largest grantees?
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity's largest 2025 grantees include Stair of Birmingham ($25,000), St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Chur ($21,000) and Amiya Harris - Jacksonville State U ($19,593), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 10 individual scholarships ($73,794), which are not listed by name. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity?
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity reported $53K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $153K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants include scholarships and donations to charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity?
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity's EIN?
Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-1319587. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 20, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/luce-ends-educational-opportunity-morg_7e268b35434c4316ba91ea1a541d00f8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_471319587_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/luce-ends-educational-opportunity-morg_7e268b35434c4316ba91ea1a541d00f8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-24. 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 Luce Ends - Educational Opportunity'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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