Memphis Lift

Name

Memphis Lift

Legal name

The Memphis Lift

Website

https://memphislift.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Advocacy and Parent Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Parent advocacy services
• Education advocacy
• Community organizing
• School choice counseling
• Special education support

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts one-time and recurring monthly donations from individuals. Recurring donation tiers range from $5 to $500 per month. Donations are tax-deductible as Memphis Lift is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Memphis Lift is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates and empowers parents and grandparents in Memphis to advocate for their children's public education through a portfolio of free programs. Its core offerings include the Public Advocate Fellowship (parent education), SPED (special education IEP/504 support), Choice Counseling (school selection and transfer assistance), Surge Outreach (door-to-door mobilization), Board Watch (school board advocacy), a Literacy Program, and the Brenda Rogers Parent Resource Center (food pantry, uniforms, laundry). All programs are provided at no cost to families and funded by donations and grants.

Product overview

Memphis Lift is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that offers a suite of parent empowerment and advocacy programs focused on improving public education in Memphis, Tennessee. The core offerings include the Public Advocate Fellowship (a free parent training program), SPED (special education navigation support), Choice Counseling (school selection assistance), Surge Outreach (grassroots parent mobilization), Board Watch (school board advocacy), and a Literacy Program (focused on literacy as civil rights). The organization also operates the Brenda Rogers Parent Resource Center providing food, uniforms, and laundry services to support families. All programs are free and designed to make powerless parents powerful advocates for their children's education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Advocate Fellowship Free fellowship program designed by and for parents that educates parents, grandparents, and community members about the public education system and how to advocate for their children.
• SPED (Special Education Support) Program that educates, supports and guides parents and grandparents who believe their child may need testing for services, has a child with an IEP or 504 document, or supports a child with special needs.
• Choice Counseling Free service helping parents choose better schools for their children, including assistance with General Choice Transfer applications and resolving school problems through principal/teacher meetings or school transfers.
• Surge Outreach Grassroots program that identifies, educates and mobilizes parents and grandparents through door-to-door outreach, school board and community meeting attendance, and one-on-one support to address parent needs and concerns.
• Board Watch Program that trains parents to review board agendas, set priorities, attend Memphis Shelby County Schools board meetings, voice concerns on social media, and hold board members accountable.
• Literacy Program Program focused on literacy as a civil right, educating parents about reading and math grade levels, demanding accurate parent-friendly information on report cards, and partnering with organizations to improve literacy rates.
• Brenda Rogers Parent Resource Center Community resource center offering food pantry, school uniforms, laundry facilities, and Powerful Parent Classes for families facing hardships to support children staying in school.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for report cards to include reading levels in addition to grades
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nonprofit Organizations Committed to LiteracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemphis Lift partners with nonprofit organizations committed to literacy assessments and improving reading and math levels. They collaborate on organizing parents, community members, and decision makers to lift literacy rates in Memphis.
• Juvenile Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Juvenile Justice Center to ensure children are receiving proper reading instruction. This addresses the clear data showing 80% of young people who interact with the juvenile justice system are functionally illiterate.
• Memphis Shelby County Schools BoardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThrough the Board Watch program, parents engage with MSCS board members to notify them of priorities and comment on actions taken. This is an advocacy relationship rather than formal partnership.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Parents Action for Children: National nonprofit mobilizing parents around children's developmental and educational needs, with emphasis on early childhood and school readiness. Comparable parent-empowerment framing and educational advocacy focus.
• Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI): Family-run parent civic and education leadership training program operating in multiple states. Directly comparable to Memphis Lift's Fellowship model, which trains parents to advocate for children in school and civic settings.
• Stand for Children: National parent-led education advocacy nonprofit that organizes parents to demand policy and accountability from public schools. Closest direct peer to Memphis Lift's parent mobilization, school board engagement, and policy-advocacy model, though operating at greater geographic scale.
• The Parents' Place of Maryland: Parent training and information center helping families navigate special education (IEP/504) systems. Directly comparable to Memphis Lift's SPED support program in function and beneficiary profile.
• Parents Together: National parent advocacy organization focused on empowering parents — particularly in underserved communities — to influence education policy and improve outcomes for children. Shares Memphis Lift's grassroots organizing, parent training, and equity-centered framing.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: Large national charter school network serving predominantly low-income, Black communities — a sibling mission space (educational equity for underserved families in Memphis-area schools) but delivers direct instruction rather than parent advocacy. Useful as a broad-incumbent reference point for Memphis education reform.
• Teach For America: Large national education nonprofit placing teachers in low-income schools. Operates in Memphis with overlapping equity narrative but pursues supply-side (teacher pipeline) rather than parent-demand-side reform, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct peer.

Regional players

• United Way of the Mid-South: Memphis-based social services and family support umbrella organization. Shares Memphis geography and family-support mission but operates as a grantmaker/funder rather than a direct grassroots organizer; useful as a potential funding partner and regional reference.

Others

• Memphis-Shelby County Schools (district-level parent engagement): The public school district itself runs parent engagement and family resource programs. Not a competitor — Memphis Lift's most important advocacy target — but the closest institutional counterpart for family-facing services and a potential strategic partner.

Emerging players

• Black Parent Advocate Network: Smaller-scale national network centering Black parents as advocates for educational equity. Comparable in mission, racial-equity framing, and parent-empowerment approach to Memphis Lift, though at an earlier stage and with lighter local infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=97iT06K2Kudw
• Xx.com/memphis_lift
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheMemphisLift
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-memphis-lift

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Memphis Lift