Lisa & Michael Leffell Foundation
The Lisa & Michael Leffell Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1999 and based in New York City. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to philanthropic grantmaking with a focus on Jewish education and support for Israel.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$16.9M
-7.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.9M
-51.3% YoY
Grant Count
54
-6.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$35K
-47.7% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation is dedicated to inspiring passion for Jewish education and strengthening the security and vibrancy of the State of Israel. To build strong support for Israel, the foundation advances initiatives that educate and engage opinion leaders to become effective advocates of Israel and research issues impacting the Jewish community.
The foundation pursues these goals by fostering strategic partnerships, collaboration, and ongoing communication with other foundations, organizations, and individuals to leverage opportunities for cooperation and change.
Primary funding areas include:
- Jewish education and causes
- Israel-related initiatives
- Education and youth programs
- Jewish community organizations
Grantmaking
The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.
Grant Range
approximately $49,000
Average Grant
approximately $49,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in:
- New York
- District of Columbia
- California
- Florida
These three states account for approximately 72% of all grants. The foundation also supports initiatives in international locations, including Jerusalem.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2023):
- Total assets: $18.3 million
- Annual revenue: $2.17 million
- Annual expenses: $4.46 million
- Total liabilities: $0
Historical Asset Trends: Total assets have decreased from $27.9 million in 2011 to $16.9 million in 2024.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $16,878,879 | $18,294,719 | $16,397,301 |
| Revenue | $1,999,513 | $2,167,474 | $3,555,670 |
| Expenses | $3,388,320 | $4,455,645 | $2,139,329 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $2,768,053 | $4,179,570 | $1,700,643 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,589,452 | $1,921,909 | $2,616,234 |
| Distributable Amount | $903,555 | $786,388 | $983,864 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
232 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers:
- Michael Leffell – Officer (5 hours per week, uncompensated)
- Lisa Leffell – Officer (5 hours per week, uncompensated)
- Stacey Popovsky – Manager (40 hours per week)
Background on Michael Leffell: Michael Leffell holds a B.A. from Clark University (1981) and a J.D. from Columbia Law School (1984). He was previously a litigation associate at the New York law firm Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler and served as deputy executive managing member at Davidson Kempner Capital Management. He founded Portage Advisors in 2010.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MICHAEL LEFFELL | OFFICER | 5 | — |
| LISA LEFFELL | OFFICER | 5 | — |
Contact Information
Address: 10 E 53rd Street, Floor 18 New York City, NY 10022-5285
Phone: 646-532-2445
EIN: 31-6633021
Tax-Exempt Status: Tax-exempt since January 2000
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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