The Leever Foundation
The Leever Foundation is a private foundation based in Reston, Virginia, dedicated to supporting opportunities for people in Waterbury, Connecticut—especially children—to fulfill their potential. Its stated approach centers on collaborative, place-based change toward a just and equitable society.
The Leever Foundation at a glance
In short: The Leever Foundation gave $652K across 56 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in Connecticut. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $652,440
- +41.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 56
- +7.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,651
- +31.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $22,744,748
- +8.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (13 of 56, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Connecticut (96% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Leever Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. The Resilience of Grassroots & Community-Based Initiatives opportunity is invitation-only.
- Contact
Mailing address: 12030 Sunrise Valley Drive 450, Reston, VA 20191
Phone: (703) 437-9720
Website: https://leeverfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Leever Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The People's Place ($204K). Together the top 10 received $449K.
Grant Size Distribution
224 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 216 grants of 224 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation states that its work is focused on Waterbury, Connecticut. Its website describes grant opportunities intended to benefit Waterbury communities, including initiatives led by or informed by people most affected by inequity. In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Connecticut; the remainder went to recipients in New York, New Hampshire, Mississippi, and Massachusetts, as reported.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 56 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Leever Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 56 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 84% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 81% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $355K (2022) to $652K (2025). In 2025 it made 56 grants totaling $652K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The People's Place Waterbury, CT | Program Support | $203,640 |
| Dwight Hall at Yale Waterbury, CT | Program Support | $35,500 |
| Naugatuck Valley Project Inc Waterbury, CT | Program Support | $34,000 |
| Save Girls on Fyer Inc Waterbury, CT | Program Support | $32,500 |
| Connecticut Council for Philanthropy Hartford, CT | Program Support | $30,000 |
| Higher Heights Hamden, CT | Program Support | $30,000 |
| Nest (Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury) Waterbury, CT | Program Support | $24,000 |
| Bridge to Success Waterbury, CT | Program Support | $20,000 |
| She Leads Justice Hartford, CT | Program Support | $20,000 |
| Madre Latina Organization Inc Waterbury, CT | Program Support | $19,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Leever Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $22,744,748 | $3,112,624 | $1,336,612 | $652,440 | 56 | $1,143,381 | $2,958,588 | $1,406,360 |
| 2024 | $20,968,736 | $8,012,932 | $1,004,877 | $460,310 | 52 | $886,245 | $3,504,677 | $1,168,369 |
| 2023 | $13,960,681 | $386,069 | $991,779 | $495,250 | 47 | $874,098 | $285,502 | $927,345 |
| 2022 | $14,566,391 | $1,260,574 | $821,309 | $355,279 | 41 | $676,629 | $1,148,594 | $958,897 |
| 2021 | $14,127,124 | $1,529,578 | $829,486 | $461,827 | 28 | $725,452 | $1,425,544 | $1,045,806 |
| 2020 | $13,427,032 | $371,663 | $939,619 | $598,175 | 39 | — | $174,443 | $870,327 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Leever Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.4M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to support opportunities for people in Waterbury, especially children, to fulfill their potential. Its website emphasizes equity, community leadership and collaboration, social justice, and changing systemic and structural barriers.
The 2025 grants included organizations with varied missions. For example, Naugatuck Valley Project says it works with community groups, churches, unions, and housing cooperatives to improve quality of life in the region. Save Girls on FYER says it supports girls of color through education and community. She Leads Justice describes its work as advocating for and empowering women and girls in Connecticut, especially those who are underserved or marginalized. These are grantees’ descriptions of their own work, not the foundation’s stated mission.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported grantmaking of $652,440 across 56 grants in 2025, compared with $460,310 across 52 grants in 2024 and $495,250 across 47 grants in 2023. In 2025, grants ranged from $250 to $203,640, with a median award of $5,000. The listed grants generally identify their purpose as program support.
The largest 2025 award was $203,640 to The People’s Place in Waterbury, Connecticut. Other large grants included $35,500 to Dwight Hall at Yale; $34,000 to Naugatuck Valley Project; $32,500 to Save Girls on FYER; $30,000 each to Connecticut Council for Philanthropy and Higher Heights; and $24,000 to NEST (Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury).
The website describes a fall Transforming Systemic Inequality opportunity for local and/or regional collaborative strategies supporting greater equity in Waterbury. It welcomes proposals of up to $50,000 for activities implemented over one year; annual continuation may be considered for up to three years. The website also describes a Planning & Building for Social Justice opportunity with up to $100,000 in total funding available to support multiple organizations in 2026, for planning, infrastructure, and capacity-building work. The Resilience of Grassroots & Community-Based Initiatives opportunity is invitation-only and is on hold for 2026.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists D Hart as Treasurer/Director; M Leever as Vice President/Director; S Harte as Secretary/Director; S White as Chief Executive Officer; A Leever as Director; D Coles as Director; C Navarro as Director; B Tajildeen as President/Director; and T Diaz as Director.
The Leever Foundation is led by S. White, Chief Executive Officer since 2025 (on filings since 2021); 1 of 9 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
S. White
Chief Executive Officer
Executive Director → Chief Executive Officer & Director, 2022
Chief Executive Officer & Director → Chief Executive Officer, 2025
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$130K (2021) → $207K (2025)
B. Tajildeen
President & Director
Director → President & Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
A. Leever
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
D. Hart
Treasurer, Director & Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
M. Leever
Vice President & Director
President & Director → Vice President & Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
S. Harte
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
C. Navarro
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
D. Coles
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
T. Diaz
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Andrew V. Leever (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Daniel Hart (2020–2024) — Treasurer & Director
- Former: David Hart (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Jacquee Porter (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Morgan Leever (2020–2024) — Vice President & Director
- Former: Sean Mosley (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Stephen Harte (2020–2024) — Secretary & Director
- Former: Bilal Tajildeen (2023–2024) — President & Director
- Former: Saran White (2023–2024) — Chief Executive Officer & Director
- Former: J. Porter (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: L. Hart (2021–2022) — Vice President & Director
- Former: S. Mosley (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: C. Reyes (2021) — Director
- Former: Lori Hart (2020) — President
- Former: Marianne Barbino Dubuque (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $207K, to S White (Chief Executive Officer).
Frequently asked questions about The Leever Foundation
How much does The Leever Foundation give each year?
The Leever Foundation gave $652K across 56 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $460K across 52 grants.
What is The Leever Foundation's typical grant size?
The Leever Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $11,651, across 56 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Leever Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Leever Foundation give grants?
The Leever Foundation gives mostly in Connecticut: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Waterbury, CT (25 grants), Hartford, CT (8 grants), Boston, MA (4 grants) and Bethlehem, CT (3 grants).
Does The Leever Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 56 grants with a stated purpose on The Leever Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (56 grants).
Who are The Leever Foundation's largest grantees?
The Leever Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The People's Place ($203,640), Dwight Hall at Yale ($35,500) and Naugatuck Valley Project Inc ($34,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 42% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Leever Foundation?
The Leever Foundation reported $22.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Leever Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support opportunities for people in Waterbury, especially children, to fulfill their potential. Its website emphasizes equity, community leadership and collaboration, social justice, and changing systemic and structural barriers. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Leever Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Leever Foundation's EIN?
The Leever Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3115036. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Leever Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 30, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 1, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Leever Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-leever-foundation-morg_541249d6e16c4d338f125b6d02606536
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223115036_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Leever Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-leever-foundation-morg_541249d6e16c4d338f125b6d02606536},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from The Leever Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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