Pam Lewis Foundation
The Pam Lewis Foundation is a private foundation based in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. It reported 24 grants totaling $215,400 in 2025, with recipients listed in the District of Columbia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Colorado.
Pam Lewis Foundation at a glance
In short: Pam Lewis Foundation gave $215K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in District of Columbia. 63% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $215,400
- +105.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- -29.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,975
- +190.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $1,456,814
- -13.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 63% first-time grantees (15 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (70% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Pam Lewis Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 16845 Kercheval Avenue 5, Grosse Pointe, MI 48230
Phone: (313) 884-9700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Pam Lewis Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Land Trust for Tennessee ($150K). Together the top 10 received $200K.
Grant Size Distribution
181 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 180 grants of 181 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 70% of grant dollars went to recipients listed in the District of Columbia, 26% to Tennessee, 3% to North Carolina, and 1% to Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Pam Lewis Foundation open to new grantees?
63%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 24 grantees (63%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 33% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 122% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 523% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $55K (2020) to $215K (2025). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $215K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Land Trust for Tennessee Washington, DC | General Purpose | $149,500 |
| The Battle of Franklin Trust Franklin, TN | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Charity Water Franklin, TN | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Nashville Public Radio Nashville, TN | General Purpose | $7,500 |
| Williamson County African American Veterans Foundation Brevard, NC | General Purpose | $7,000 |
| Franklin Charge Franklin, TN | General Purpose | $4,500 |
| Friends of Franklin Parks Franklin, TN | General Purpose | $3,400 |
| African American Heritage Society Franklin, TN | General Purpose | $3,000 |
| Tennessee State Museum Nashville, TN | General Purpose | $3,000 |
| African American Heritage Association Franklin, TN | General Purpose | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Pam Lewis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,456,814 | $37,035 | $270,721 | $215,400 | 24 | $220,618 | $31,817 | $42,205 |
| 2024 | $1,690,500 | $42,008 | $148,997 | $104,950 | 34 | $107,667 | $39,291 | $42,101 |
| 2023 | $1,797,489 | $49,348 | $156,025 | $101,700 | 35 | $103,554 | $47,494 | $41,987 |
| 2022 | $1,904,166 | $40,063 | $149,044 | $96,850 | 39 | $100,118 | $36,794 | $39,529 |
| 2021 | $2,013,147 | $492,584 | $160,489 | $89,750 | 49 | $92,142 | $290,192 | $38,682 |
| 2020 | $1,681,052 | $170,971 | $160,653 | $55,085 | 43 | — | $105,978 | $31,590 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Pam Lewis Foundation reported a distributable amount of $42K for 2025 — 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included organizations with varied missions: Nashville Public Radio describes its work as connecting communities through nonpartisan journalism, storytelling, civil conversation, and music discovery. Friends of Franklin Parks says it works to bridge gaps in public services and amenities so the community can benefit from its natural and historic resources. The African American Heritage Society says it collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts related to Williamson County African American culture and heritage.
Other 2025 grantees describe work that includes interpreting and preserving Belmont Mansion and the histories of people connected to the estate; supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (BrightStone); protecting Tennessee rivers and ecosystems (Harpeth Conservancy); and providing transitional housing for survivors of domestic violence (Door Step Project).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 24 grants totaling $215,400. Grants ranged from $750 to $149,500, with a median grant of $1,500. The largest listed grants were $149,500 to Land Trust for Tennessee, $10,000 each to The Battle of Franklin Trust and Charity Water, and $7,500 to Nashville Public Radio. Other listed grants included $7,000 to Williamson County African American Veterans Foundation, $4,500 to Franklin Charge, and $3,400 to Friends of Franklin Parks.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Pamela L Lewis as President/Trustee, S Gary Spicer Sr as Secretary, and Shawn R Aldredge as Treasurer.
Pam Lewis Foundation is led by Pamela L Lewis, President & Trustee on every filing since 2020; 2 of 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Pamela L Lewis
President & Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$46K (2020) → $9K (2025)
S Gary Spicer Sr.
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$36K (2020) → $36K (2025)
Shawn R Aldredge
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Tripp Aldredge (2022–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Edward Zionkowski (2020–2021) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $36K, to S Gary Spicer Sr (Secretary). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Pam Lewis Foundation
How much does Pam Lewis Foundation give each year?
Pam Lewis Foundation gave $215K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $105K across 34 grants.
What is Pam Lewis Foundation's typical grant size?
Pam Lewis Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $8,975, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Pam Lewis Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Pam Lewis Foundation give grants?
Pam Lewis Foundation gives mostly in District of Columbia: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Tennessee (26%). The most frequent recipient cities were Franklin, TN (11 grants), Nashville, TN (6 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Pam Lewis Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Pam Lewis Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (24 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Pam Lewis Foundation's largest grantees?
Pam Lewis Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Land Trust for Tennessee ($149,500), The Battle of Franklin Trust ($10,000) and Charity Water ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Pam Lewis Foundation?
Pam Lewis Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $221K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $42K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Pam Lewis Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included organizations with varied missions: Nashville Public Radio describes its work as connecting communities through nonpartisan journalism, storytelling, civil conversation, and music discovery. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Pam Lewis Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Pam Lewis Foundation's EIN?
Pam Lewis Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3278908. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Pam Lewis Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 19, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Pam Lewis Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Pam Lewis Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/pam-lewis-foundation-morg_bd2e7ae6503d41b293e69649789b546d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_383278908_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Pam Lewis Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/pam-lewis-foundation-morg_bd2e7ae6503d41b293e69649789b546d},
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 Pam Lewis 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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