There are lots of foundations in California with investment banking roots, but one that you may not have heard of before is the Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation. That’s because this foundation maintains a low public profile, doesn’t have a website and quietly gives to local causes that the founding couple cares about.
Here are a few things to keep in mind about the Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation if you’re a grantseeker in the Los Angeles area.
It is exclusively family-run
At least for now, this foundation is solely under the control of Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine. They serve as co-trustees, and there are no other officers, directors, managers or employees.
In the most recent tax year for which records are available, the foundation gave over $2.6 million in grants. This is an increase from previous years, in which giving hovered in the $1 million to $1.5 million range.
Education is the top cause
This foundation is primarily interested in education, particularly higher education. The couple’s support for education in Los Angeles includes grants for charter high schools and middle schools, as well as law school scholarships. Leichtman and Levine support their alma maters as well, with funding flowing to UCLA and Columbia Law School. Another education-related grantee is the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools in Los Angeles.
There are other interests too
Aside from education, Leichtman and Levine are interested in health, human services, youth, arts and culture, and Jewish causes. Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts have received foundation grants recently. Other local grantees include the L.A. Regional Food Bank, the L.A. Philharmonic Association and Friends of the Observatory.
Grant amounts often range from $5,000 to $200,000
This foundation often provides grants in the $5,000 to $200,000 range. You’ll rarely see multi-million-dollar grants coming from the Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation. However, this is a funder that spreads its donations around to quite a few groups each year. Grants go to everything from program support to pledge payments, food assistance, general funds, disaster relief and scholarship contributions.
Unsolicited requests are unwelcome
Los Angeles grantseekers may be disappointed to learn that the Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation is not a very accessible foundation for first-time grantseekers. The foundation does not have a website, which limits transparency. According to recent tax records, the funder will not accept unsolicited grant requests and prefers to fund pre-selected groups. The foundation often supports the same organizations year after year, and it typically sticks to large, well-established groups in Los Angeles and the surrounding area.
However, the foundation has accepted unsolicited grant requests in the past, so it may be worth a phone call to verify the current guidelines. Learn more about how to get in touch with this funder in IP’s full profile of the Lauren B. Leichtman and Arthur E. Levine Family Foundation, which is part of our LA and SoCal funding guide.