Lift a Life Foundation

What Lift a Life Foundation does

Lift a Life Foundation (legal name: Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation) is a private family foundation established in 1999 by David and Wendy Novak, the co-founder of Yum! Brands and his late wife, as a charitable trust focused on Kentucky. Headquartered in Louisville, the foundation operates exclusively through grantmaking and strategic partnerships rather than commercial product lines, deploying over $100 million since inception across five verticals: early childhood education, food insecurity, diabetes care, military and first responder support, and leadership development. Its operating model combines long-term strategic partnerships with high-impact nonprofits (such as Norton Healthcare for the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, Dare to Care Food Bank, Feeding Kentucky, USA Cares, Camp Hendon, and Lead4Change) with an annual Community Impact Grants cycle that funds a long tail of Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) organizations.

The foundation's core "products" are therefore grant instruments and programmatic funding vehicles, not software or goods. Community Impact Grants run on a fixed annual cadence (2026 cycle: LOI September 8, full application October 13, awards October 30) and are restricted to 501(c)(3) organizations serving Kentucky communities across three of the five verticals (food insecurity, early childhood education, military/first responder support). Diabetes care and leadership development are funded exclusively via strategic partnerships. Flagship commitments include a $5 million gift in 2013 to establish the Wendy Novak Diabetes Center, a $15 million lead gift in 2022 to launch the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute (part of a $60 million vision), and the 2024 spin-off of Thrive by 5 Louisville to implement a five-year universal pre-k plan with Louisville Metro. The foundation has no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no commercial revenue model; its sole "go-to-market" is the annual grant application process and outbound partner engagement led by Executive Director Ashley Novak Butler and Director of Grantmaking & Strategic Initiatives Kiana Brown.

Name

Lift a Life Foundation

Legal name

Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation

Website

https://liftalifefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lift a Life Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1999 by David and Wendy Novak that deploys over $100 million in grants and strategic partnerships to Kentucky-based nonprofits across food insecurity, early childhood education, diabetes care, military support, and leadership development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Maternal, Child & Family Health Program Funding (HLAJALAG)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Community impact grants
• Nonprofit strategic partnerships
• Charitable foundation funding
• Family foundation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Bowling Green

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grant Funding: The foundation operates as a private family foundation funded by the Novak family. It provides grants and programmatic support to nonprofit organizations in Kentucky. Over $100 million has been invested since 1999 to support leadership, education, health, and community-based programs. Major gifts include $15 million to create Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute (2022) and $5 million to establish Wendy Novak Diabetes Center (2013).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation is a private family foundation that provides grants and strategic partnership support to Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Its core offering is the Community Impact Grants program, an annual grant cycle that funds nonprofits working in five impact areas: food insecurity, early childhood education, diabetes care, military/first responder support, and leadership development. The foundation supplements this with multi-year strategic partnerships, including flagship initiatives such as the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute and support for organizations like Dare to Care Food Bank, Feeding Kentucky, Lead4Change, and Thrive by 5 Louisville.

Product overview

Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1999 that operates primarily through grantmaking and strategic partnerships rather than a traditional product platform. The foundation's core offerings include Community Impact Grants for Kentucky-based nonprofits, five strategic focus areas (Early Childhood Education, Food Insecurity, Diabetes Care, Military & First Responder Support, and Leadership Development), and partnerships with organizations including David Novak Leadership, Lead4Change, Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute (via Norton Healthcare), Dare to Care Food Bank, Feeding Kentucky, and Thrive by 5 Louisville. The foundation funds innovative programs and nonprofit leaders to create measurable community impact across Kentucky.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute: A comprehensive diabetes care institute serving both children and adults, established through a $15 million lead gift as part of a $60 million vision to become a national center of excellence.
• Community Impact Grants
• David Novak Leadership

Products and services

• Community Impact Grants Annual grant program funding Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits working in food insecurity, early childhood education, and military/first responder support areas. The program operates through a structured annual cycle with a Letter of Intent stage, full application stage, and award notification.
• Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute A flagship diabetes care partnership with Norton Healthcare offering comprehensive pediatric and adult diabetes care, education, and research across the continuum from perinatal to end-of-life. Norton Children's is ranked 14th nationally in diabetes/endocrinology by U.S. News & World Report (2024-25).
• David Novak Leadership Digital leadership development platform offering free content, curriculum, podcasts, and resources to help people become better leaders across all ages. The foundation refers grantees to this platform to support the leadership development focus area.
• Lead4Change Student Leadership Program The nation's fastest-growing privately funded student leadership program, teaching middle and high school students leadership skills through service projects and free curriculum aligned with educational standards. The program has reached 1.8+ million students across all 50 states.
• Thrive by 5 Louisville An independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to quality early care and education in Louisville through universal pre-k implementation. The foundation supports this organization as part of its early childhood education focus area.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $100 million invested in Kentucky communities since 1999
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Norton Healthcare / Norton Children'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2022The foundation's flagship healthcare partnership. In 2013, Lift a Life gave $5 million to establish the Wendy Novak Diabetes Center as part of a $12 million initiative. In 2022, a $15 million lead gift created the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute as part of a $60 million vision to expand diabetes care for children and adults. Norton Children's is ranked 14th nationally in diabetes/endocrinology (U.S. News & World Report 2024-25).
• Dare to Care Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner addressing food insecurity in Kentucky. Dare to Care increased food distribution by 150% under leadership supported by the foundation, providing food for 23 million meals annually across eight Kentucky and five Indiana counties.
• Feeding KentuckycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide hunger relief partnership reaching all 120 Kentucky counties. Foundation provided $35,000 grant to support emergency food boxes for seniors during COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding Kentucky's seven food banks serve an estimated one in seven Kentuckians annually.
• Camp HendonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing camp experiences for children with diabetes, supporting the foundation's diabetes care focus area.
• USA CaressupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMilitary support organization providing education, care, and support to military members, veterans, first responders, and their families in Kentucky.
• Thrive by 5 LouisvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent 501(c)(3) nonprofit established to expand access to quality early childhood education in Louisville. Ashley Novak Butler serves as Board Chair. Received $5 million seed capital from 2024-2025 Louisville Metro budget backed by Mayor Craig Greenberg for universal pre-k implementation.
• David Novak LeadershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital leadership development platform founded by David Novak offering free leadership curriculum, podcasts, and resources. Provides the free leadership development resources that the foundation refers grantees to, supporting the leadership development focus area without Community Impact Grants.
• Lead4ChangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNation's fastest growing privately funded student leadership program, developed by Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning and Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation. Inspired by David Novak, it teaches leadership skills to middle and high school students through service projects. Reached 1.8+ million students across all 50 states.
• Global Game ChangerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent empowerment program for Pre-K through 5th grade teaching philanthropy and leadership skills. Received $1 million three-year grant from Lift a Life Foundation to scale nationally. Has served over 12,000 children in Louisville since founding.
• Kentucky ChambersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on child care research initiatives. Kentucky Chamber released reports on child care's impact on Kentucky's economy and workforce, supported by the Lift a Life Novak Family Foundation. Reports found expanding child care could enable 16,000-28,000 parents to join workforce and generate $599M-$1.1B in new wages.
• Louisville Mayor's Office / Mayor Craig GreenbergsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on universal pre-k initiative. Mayor Greenberg unveiled five-year plan for universal pre-k with Thrive by 5 Louisville established to implement the program. Ashley Novak Butler serves as Board Chair of Thrive by 5 Louisville.
• Community Foundation of LouisvillesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to create the 2018 Hunger Innovation Fellowship, a 12-month, $100,000 fellowship to accelerate Louisville's efforts addressing food insecurity. Selected Monique Kuykendoll Quarterman as the inaugural fellow.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Large national foundation addressing inequality across multiple focus areas including education, economic opportunity, and civic engagement. Comparable as a multi-focus grantmaker using strategic partnerships, though at much larger scale than Lift a Life.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Largest private family foundation globally, focused on global health, education, and poverty. Comparable as a family foundation using strategic grantmaking and partnerships, though at vastly larger scale and broader geographic scope than Lift a Life.
• JPMorgan Chase Foundation: Corporate foundation supporting workforce development, small business, and community development with large-scale partnerships. Comparable as a corporate/family-aligned foundation using strategic multi-year grants with measurable outcomes, though at far greater scale.

Direct peers

• Lilly Endowment: Indianapolis-based private family foundation focused primarily on religion, education, and community development with deep regional roots. Closely comparable to Lift a Life as a geographically concentrated, family-controlled foundation funding community nonprofits with multi-year partnerships.
• Walton Family Foundation: Family foundation of Walmart heirs focused on K-12 education, environment, and community development in select regions. Comparable as a private family foundation using strategic long-term partnerships and concentrating investments in specific geographies.
• Community Foundation of Louisville: Louisville-based community foundation that Lift a Life has partnered with on the Hunger Innovation Fellowship. Directly comparable as a regional grantmaking organization and Lift a Life's explicit collaboration partner on food insecurity initiatives.
• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation: Family foundation of Hilton Hotels focused on early childhood education, disaster relief, and Catholic education globally. Directly comparable given Lift a Life's early childhood education focus and family-foundation grantmaking model.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large health-focused foundation funding diabetes care, childhood health, and community health initiatives with measurable outcomes. Directly comparable given Lift a Life's significant diabetes focus area and healthcare partnership model with Norton.
• Kresge Foundation: Private foundation focused on expanding opportunity in American cities through education, health, environment, and arts grants. Comparable as a mid-size foundation funding multiple social issue areas with community-based partners and measurable impact metrics.

Regional players

• Blue Grass Community Foundation: Kentucky-based community foundation serving Central and Eastern Kentucky with grants, scholarships, and community impact funds. Comparable as a Kentucky-based grantmaking entity, though structured as a community foundation rather than family foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lift-a-life-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Lift a Life Foundation