Literacy Mid-South
Literacy Mid-South is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1974 that provides high-impact literacy tutoring, adult education, and book distribution across the lifespan to learners in the Memphis and Shelby County region through community partnerships and grant-funded programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersTennessee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Literacy Mid-South does
Literacy Mid-South is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1974 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that operates as a regional literacy intermediary serving learners across the lifespan in Memphis and Shelby County. The organization's core programs include Tutor901 (a high-impact, small-group tutoring program serving students in grades 2-5 with groups of 3 students meeting three times weekly for 45-minute in-school sessions), the Adult Learning Program (literacy and English language instruction for adults), LiteracyCorps (volunteer engagement), OBCARES (out-of-school time support), and Literacy Zones (place-based neighborhood initiatives). Tutor901 reaches approximately 4,000 students across 26 schools, and the organization distributes more than 125,000 culturally inclusive books annually (valued at approximately $1.8M).
The go-to-market is community-led: Literacy Mid-South recruits and trains volunteer tutors, partners directly with public school systems (notably Memphis-Shelby County Schools via an October 2024 MOU covering 23 schools, and Millington Municipal Schools via an Accelerate grant), and collaborates with healthcare institutions, community organizations, and corporate funders. All literacy services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Revenue is sourced from federal, state, and local government grants, private foundation grants (including a $2M Mackenzie Scott's Yield Giving award in 2024 and a $6M U.S. Department of Education award in January 2025), corporate giving, and individual donor fundraising events such as the annual Literatini event and Leading in Literacy Luncheon.
Literacy Mid-South has no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is direct and in-person, supplemented by physical book distribution. Program effectiveness for Tutor901 is independently evaluated by the University of Memphis Center for Research in Education Policy. Under recent leadership the organization scaled from 9 full-time employees to 21 full-time and 170 part-time team members. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and is currently led by Dr. Ameshica Linsey, who was appointed CEO in October 2025 following an interim period under John Nichols.
Literacy Mid-South firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Literacy Mid-South
- Legal name
- Literacy Mid-South
- Website
- https://literacymidsouth.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Literacy Mid-South is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1974 that provides high-impact literacy tutoring, adult education, and book distribution across the lifespan to learners in the Memphis and Shelby County region through community partnerships and grant-funded programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Literacy Mid-South industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Literacy Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reading & Literacy Centers (Phonics, Comprehension, Writing) (EDANAHAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Literacy & Reading Intervention (Phonics, Fluency, Comprehension) (EDAKADAA), K–12 Remedial Reading & Literacy Intervention (EDANAJAA), Foundational Reading & Writing Literacy (EDAAAAAA), Early Literacy & Phonics Programs (EDAMAJAA)
Keywords
Where Literacy Mid-South is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tennessee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Literacy Mid-South business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Government Grants: Primary funding from federal grants (U.S. Department of Education), state grants (TN Department of Education), and local government sources to support tutoring programs and literacy initiatives.
- Foundation & Corporate Giving: Funding from private foundations including Mackenzie Scott's Yield Giving ($2M), Accelerate ($250,000), Urban Child Institute, International Paper, AutoZone, Episcopal Diocese of West TN, and Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.
- Individual Donations: Individual donor contributions and fundraising events including the annual Literatini event and Leading in Literacy Luncheon.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Literacy Mid-South product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Literacy Mid-South is a nonprofit regional literacy intermediary that provides free literacy instruction, tutoring, and resource distribution to learners across the lifespan in the Memphis and Mid-South region. Its offerings span high-impact in-school tutoring for K-5 students (Tutor901), adult literacy and English language tutoring, volunteer engagement programs, and community-based literacy initiatives delivered through partnerships with schools, healthcare facilities, and community organizations.
Product overview
Literacy Mid-South offers a portfolio of interconnected literacy programs serving learners across the lifespan, from children in grades 1-8 through adults. The core offerings include Tutor901 (a high-impact K-12 tutoring program), the Adult Learning Program (adult literacy services), LiteracyCorps (volunteer engagement), OBCARES, Out-of-School Time Support, Collaborative Action, Community Impact, and Literacy Zones. The organization operates primarily in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee, functioning as a regional literacy intermediary that combines tutoring services, resource distribution, capacity building, and collaborative action to advance 100% literacy in the Mid-South.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tutor901: A research-backed, high-impact tutoring program designed to help students reach critical literacy milestones. Provides small-group, in-person tutoring during the school day for students in grades 2-5, with proven success in accelerating learning.
- Adult Learning Program
- LiteracyCorps
- OBCARES
- Literacy Zones
Products and services
- Tutor901 A research-backed high-impact tutoring program designed to help students in grades 2-5 reach critical literacy milestones. Delivers small-group in-person tutoring during the school day with groups of 3 students meeting three times per week for 45-minute sessions. Currently serves approximately 4,000 students across 26 schools in Memphis-Shelby County Schools, with expansion to Millington Municipal Schools.
- Adult Learning Program An adult literacy program that empowers adults to gain basic literacy and language skills necessary to live their best lives. Recruits and trains volunteer tutors and offers Adult Learning Program Tutor Launch Sessions for prospective volunteers.
- LiteracyCorps A volunteer corps program that engages community members as literacy volunteers to support the organization's mission of promoting equitable access to literacy across the lifespan.
- OBCARES A program focused on providing literacy support and resources to the community.
- Out-of-School Time Support Program providing literacy support and resources to students outside of regular school hours.
- Collaborative Action An initiative that brings together community partners to advance literacy efforts through coalition-building and collective impact strategies.
- Community Impact Program focused on measuring and demonstrating the organization's impact on literacy outcomes across Memphis and Shelby County.
- Literacy Zones A place-based literacy initiative that provides targeted literacy resources and support to specific geographic areas in Memphis, including the LMS Literacy Zone Fund (Raleigh area).
Quantifiable outcome
- 4,000 students reached through Tutor901 across 26 schools
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Literacy Mid-South
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Literacy Mid-South technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Literacy Mid-South partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS)coreMemorandum of Understanding signed to expand Tutor901 program into 23 schools. The partnership enables in-school high-impact tutoring during the school day, book distribution, and family engagement activities including Family Literacy Nights.
- University of Memphis Center for Research in Education Policy (CREP)coreCREP conducts rigorous evaluation of Tutor901 program effectiveness, assessing impact on literacy outcomes and providing data to guide program improvements and expansions.
- Le Bonheur Children's HospitalsupportingPartnership for Literacy Day events at the hospital, distributing books to pediatric patients from children's classics to graphic novels and non-fiction.
- Playhouse on the SquaresupportingCo-location partner for LMS headquarters and Adult Learning Program at 66 Cooper Street, 4th Floor.
- Novel BookstoresupportingVenue partner for annual Literatini fundraising event held at Novel Bookstore in Laurelwood Shopping Center.
- Memphis Botanic GardensupportingVenue for annual Donor & Partner Appreciation Celebration and Leading in Literacy Luncheon events.
- Millington Municipal SchoolssupportingExpansion partner for Tutor901 program through Accelerate grant; students will participate in randomized control study.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Literacy Mid-South competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Reading Partners: National nonprofit providing volunteer-led, one-on-one and small-group literacy tutoring to K-5 students in low-income schools. Closely comparable operating model — volunteer tutors, school-day delivery, district partnerships, literacy outcome measurement — to Literacy Mid-South's Tutor901 program.
- Literacy Inc (LINC): NYC-based community literacy intermediary that coordinates cross-sector partners, recruits volunteers, and runs literacy intervention programs citywide. Highly comparable community-intermediary model to LMS, though geographically focused on NYC.
- ProLiteracy: National adult literacy nonprofit that supports a network of community-based adult literacy programs, teacher training, and resource distribution. Direct peer for LMS's Adult Learning Program offerings in adult basic literacy and ESL.
- Raising A Reader: National nonprofit focused on early literacy and family engagement through book rotation and parent education programming. Shares LMS's family-literacy angle and book-distribution model (125,000 books/year).
- Reading Is Fundamental (RIF): Children's literacy nonprofit distributing books and literacy resources to under-resourced schools and communities nationwide. Closely comparable book-distribution and K-12 resource-provision model to LMS's OBCARES and free resource distribution.
- Reach Out and Read: Pediatric literacy nonprofit partnering with hospitals/clinicians to distribute books to children at well-child visits. Comparable to LMS's Le Bonheur Children's Hospital partnership model for book giveaways and literacy day events.
- First Book: Nonprofit social enterprise providing low-cost, high-quality books and educational resources to programs serving children in low-income communities. Comparable to LMS's role as a regional distributor of culturally-inclusive books to schools and partner organizations.
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Book gifting program that mails free, age-appropriate books monthly to children from birth to age 5. Broadly comparable large-scale book-distribution and early-literacy mission to LMS's early childhood work.
Regional players
- Seeding Success: Memphis-based education nonprofit focused on cradle-to-career outcomes including K-12 literacy. Highly comparable regional intermediary operating in the same Memphis-Shelby County geography and overlapping with LMS's Tutor901 stakeholder ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- United Way of Greater Memphis: Regional community-impact intermediary in the Memphis area funding and convening education and literacy initiatives. Provides comparable community-wide intermediary/coalition-building function to LMS's Collaborative Action and Literacy Zones programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Literacy Mid-South social profiles
Digital presenceLiteracy Mid-South financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Literacy Mid-South leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Literacy Mid-South funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Literacy Mid-South M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Literacy Mid-South
What does Literacy Mid-South do?
Literacy Mid-South is a nonprofit regional literacy intermediary that provides free literacy instruction, tutoring, and resource distribution to learners across the lifespan in the Memphis and Mid-South region. Its offerings span high-impact in-school tutoring for K-5 students (Tutor901), adult literacy and English language tutoring, volunteer engagement programs, and community-based literacy initiatives delivered through partnerships with schools, healthcare facilities, and community organizations.
Is Literacy Mid-South a public or private company?
Literacy Mid-South is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Literacy Mid-South founded?
Literacy Mid-South was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Literacy Mid-South based?
Literacy Mid-South is headquartered in Tennessee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Literacy Mid-South make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Grants are the primary driver. The others are foundation & Corporate Giving and individual Donations.
Who are Literacy Mid-South's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Reading Partners, Literacy Inc (LINC), ProLiteracy, Raising A Reader, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), Reach Out and Read, First Book and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Seeding Success is listed as a regional player. United Way of Greater Memphis is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Literacy Mid-South have an API?
No public API is recorded for Literacy Mid-South.
What industry is Literacy Mid-South in?
Literacy Mid-South's product category is Community Literacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAHAD, Reading & Literacy Centers (Phonics, Comprehension, Writing), with a secondary code of EDAKADAA, Literacy & Reading Intervention (Phonics, Fluency, Comprehension). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.