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Leeway Foundation

PHILADELPHIA, PA EIN: 23-2727140 Website

Leeway Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) philanthropic organization headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The foundation supports women, trans, and gender nonconforming artists and cultural producers working at the intersection of art, culture, and social change. The organization was established in 1993 with an initial gift from Philadelphia-based artist Linda Lee Alter.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$20.0M

+0.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$493K

-6.0% YoY

Grant Count

157

+6.1% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$3K

-11.4% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

Leeway Foundation's mission is to support women, trans, and gender nonconforming artists and cultural producers working in communities at the intersection of art, culture, and social change. Through grantmaking and other programs, the foundation promotes artistic expression that amplifies the voices of those on the margins, promotes sustainable and healthy communities, and works in service of movements for economic and social justice.

Grantmaking

Leeway Foundation operates multiple grant programs and awards for artists and cultural producers:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Leeway Foundation funds artists and cultural producers living in Greater Philadelphia, including Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties.

Grant Distribution by State

1states

States

Cities

Philadelphia

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of 2024:

  • Total Assets: $20,011,798
  • Total Revenues: $866,463
  • Total Expenses: $1,735,925

As of 2023:

  • Total Assets: $20M
  • Total Liabilities: $474k
  • Revenue: $1.71M
  • Expenses: $1.47M

The foundation maintains an annual revenue of approximately $19.7M and employs 7-8 staff members.

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$767K$2M$2M$3M20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$20,011,798$19,995,051$17,679,451
Revenue$866,463$1,706,617$1,036,239
Expenses$1,735,925$1,468,867$1,437,073
Qualifying Distributions$1,360,078$1,202,840$1,251,234
Net Investment Income$450,171$87,415$50,047
Distributable Amount$940,304$884,282$940,771

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$146K$292K$438K$584K11 grants202011 grants2021141 grants2022148 grants2023157 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

CAIR PHILADELPHIA$15KDATTS LAKESHA$15KWASELCHUK LORI ANN$15KBUTTERLY JACOB$15KJACKSON GABRIEL GABBY$15KCAIR PHILADELPHIA$10KINDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY …$10KHUMAN RIGHTS COALITION$10KJEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE E…$10KCARE NOT CONTROL$10K

Grant Size Distribution

172 grants across all recorded years

170<$50K$50–100K2$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Open Grants

5 open opportunities from Leeway Foundation

Show all 5 →

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

  • Pia Kishore Agrawal — Executive Director
  • Bee Knight — Director of Communications

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

DENISE BROWN FORMEREXECUTIVE DI$170K

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
AMY SADAOCO-CHAIR1
ELI VANDENBERGCO-CHAIR1
GRETJEN CLAUSINGTREASURER1
CAROLYN CHERNOFFSECRETARY1
GERMAINE INGRAMBOARD MEMBER1
KRISTI POLINGBOARD MEMBER1
TIERRA RICHBOARD MEMBER1
TINA MORTONBOARD MEMBER1
RASHEEDAH PHILLIPSBOARD MEMBER1
MAORI HOLMESBOARD MEMBER1
DENISE BROWN FORMEREXECUTIVE DI40$170,000
PIA AGRAWALEXECUTIVE DI

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2025

The foundation announced recipients for its 2025 Leeway Transformation Award and 2025 Art and Change Grant programs. In early 2022, Leeway Foundation announced a pause in operations, indicating organizational reflection and potential restructuring during that period.

Leeway Foundation announces its 2025 Transformation Award Recipients | Leeway

Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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