The Leon Levine Foundation
The Leon Levine Foundation is a private foundation based in Charlotte, North Carolina, established in 1980. It supports nonprofit organizations in North and South Carolina working in healthcare, human services, education, and Jewish values, with a mission of empowering underserved Carolinians to be self-sufficient and strengthening the Jewish community.
The Leon Levine Foundation at a glance
In short: The Leon Levine Foundation gave $57.9M across 522 grants in 2025 (avg $111K), mostly in North Carolina. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $57,934,379
- +37.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 522
- +20.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $110,985
- +13.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $60,000
- Total assets
- $1,930,617,421
- +81.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (49 of 417, 2025)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (79% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Leon Levine Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation accepts unsolicited requests through a process that generally begins with an eligibility quiz and registration in its grantee portal. Eligible organizations submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI); the Foundation says it will contact applicants within approximately 60 days if they are invited to apply. A program officer may instead invite an organization to submit a proposal without an LOI. Invited applicants complete the proposal in the portal and provide required attachments. Renewal applicants use the portal when their renewal window opens. The Foundation accepts applications from established organizations serving people in North or South Carolina, or for the benefit of Carolinians. Its stated eligibility criteria include being a registered 501(c)(3) public charity and having contributed revenue from non-government sources above $500,000. The Foundation also considers governmental units and established churches that fit its mission. It does not fund foreign organizations, individuals, or 509(a)(3) supporting organizations. It evaluates leadership, track record, sustainability, and risks; its website also says it does not fund organizations seeking rescue from financial distress. Grant decisions require action by the full Board of Directors.
- Review Cycle
- LOIs are accepted year-round and reviewed on a rolling basis. Organizations may submit only one LOI during the Foundation’s July 1–June 30 fiscal year. Application deadlines depend on the assigned quarter for general operating grants; missing a deadline may mean waiting a full year to reapply.
- Deadline
- LOIs are accepted year-round and reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Contact
Application contact: Tom Lawrence
Mailing address: 4600 Park Road Suite 500, Charlotte, NC 28209
Phone: (704) 817-6500
Website: https://leonlevinefoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Leon Levine Foundation
Who The Leon Levine Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Atrium Health Foundation ($3.5M across 5 grants). Together the top 10 received $14.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
2,325 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,000 grants of 2,325 (43%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation supports organizations operating in North Carolina or South Carolina, or working for the benefit of Carolinians. In 2025, 79% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina and 14% to recipients in South Carolina. The remaining reported shares went to New York (3%), California (2%), and Georgia (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 522 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Leon Levine Foundation open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 49 of 417 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $190K; repeat grants $132K. How we count
Medians: $150K first-time, $60K repeat.
- 87% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 93% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 71% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $23.8M (2019) to $57.9M (2025). In 2025 it made 522 grants totaling $57.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Inc Charlotte, NC | Levine Scholars Program | $2,100,000 |
| Atrium Health Foundation Charlotte, NC | Levine Cancer Institute | $1,000,000 |
| Atrium Health Foundation Charlotte, NC | LCI (II) | $1,000,000 |
| Atrium Health Foundation Charlotte, NC | Levine Cancer Institute (III) | $1,000,000 |
| Roof Above Charlotte, NC | NOAH Capital Campaign | $1,000,000 |
| The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Inc Asheville, NC | Emergency Disaster Response Fund | $1,000,000 |
| United Jewish Charities of Greater Charlotte Inc Charlotte, NC | General Support | $1,000,000 |
| North Carolina Partnership for Children Inc Raleigh, NC | Family Resource Portal & Business Sector Outreach | $960,000 |
| Crossnore Communities for Children Crossnore, NC | Bridging Families | $750,000 |
| SC First Steps Columbia, SC | "Ready for School" Regional Pilot | $750,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Leon Levine 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 | $1,930,617,421 | $1,119,307,403 | $71,045,743 | $57,934,379 | 522 | $63,285,452 | $258,922,897 | $89,017,971 |
| 2024 | $1,062,952,521 | $454,802,339 | $50,252,939 | $42,183,334 | 433 | $45,666,861 | $34,120,352 | $42,236,488 |
| 2023 | $696,277,546 | $14,848,840 | $40,362,507 | $34,599,405 | 409 | $36,830,274 | $46,241,094 | $33,216,721 |
| 2022 | $721,802,260 | $101,958,051 | $34,539,192 | $29,951,659 | 512 | $32,007,945 | $68,094,367 | $35,805,671 |
| 2021 | $654,368,860 | $94,686,429 | $33,754,538 | $27,150,410 | 449 | — | $23,865,451 | $32,354,973 |
| 2020 | $593,293,781 | $48,403,129 | $29,526,322 | $25,211,856 | 424 | — | $42,732,254 | $29,046,663 |
| 2019 | $577,046,500 | $100,097,845 | $27,962,055 | $23,815,952 | 431 | — | $46,720,724 | $27,032,507 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Leon Levine Foundation reported a distributable amount of $89.0M 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 mission is to empower underserved Carolinians to be self-sufficient and strengthen the Jewish community. Its four core areas are healthcare, human services, education, and Jewish values.
Its 2025 grants illustrate the range of work supported. Atrium Health Foundation received grants for the Levine Cancer Institute; Roof Above received support for its NOAH Capital Campaign. Roof Above describes its mission as uniting the community to end homelessness through housing and homeless services. Education-related awards included support for the Levine Scholars Program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and SparkNC’s work in Title 1 schools. SparkNC describes its work as helping students explore careers in high-tech fields. Other awards included support for Crossnore Communities for Children’s “Bridging Families” project; Crossnore describes its mission as championing the well-being of children and families. The Foundation also supported United Jewish Charities of Greater Charlotte for general support.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the Foundation reported 522 grants totaling $57,934,379. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $2,100,000, with a median grant of $60,000.
The largest reported award was $2,100,000 to the Foundation of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for the Levine Scholars Program. Other large grants included three separate $1,000,000 awards to Atrium Health Foundation for the Levine Cancer Institute, LCI (II), and Levine Cancer Institute (III); $1,000,000 to Roof Above for its NOAH Capital Campaign; $1,000,000 to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina for its Emergency Disaster Response Fund; and $1,000,000 to United Jewish Charities of Greater Charlotte for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Leon Levine Foundation is led by Thomas W Lawrence, Director, President & CEO on every filing since 2024; 3 of 9 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Thomas W Lawrence
Director, President & CEO
On filings since 2024
20 hrs/week
$373K (2024) → $634K (2025)
Michael Tarwater
Chairman of the Board
Director & Senior Advisor → Chairman of the Board, 2024
On filings since 2019
30 hrs/week
$99K (2019) → $56K (2025)
Michael Richardson
Director & Senior Program Officer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$100K (2019) → $319K (2025)
Arrington Mixon
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Hal Levinson
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Michael Marsicano
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Sue Worrel
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Sonja Gantt
Director
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Sandra Levine
Chairman Emerita
Secretary & Vice President → Chairman Emerita, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Larry Polsky (2019–2023) — Director & Senior Advisor
- Former: Leon Levine (2019–2023) — Chairman & CEO · Filing note: Deceased April 2023
- Former: Tom Lawrence (2019–2023) — Treasurer & President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $634K, to Thomas W Lawrence (Director/President, CEO). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Leon Levine Foundation
How much does The Leon Levine Foundation give each year?
The Leon Levine Foundation gave $57.9M across 522 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $42.2M across 433 grants.
What is The Leon Levine Foundation's typical grant size?
The Leon Levine Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $60,000, and its average grant was $110,985, across 522 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Leon Levine Foundation that year got $190K on average.
Where does The Leon Levine Foundation give grants?
The Leon Levine Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was South Carolina (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Charlotte, NC (111 grants), Raleigh, NC (40 grants), Asheville, NC (35 grants) and Durham, NC (26 grants).
Does The Leon Levine Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 70% of The Leon Levine Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (363 of 522) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Capital Campaign" (18 grants).
Who are The Leon Levine Foundation's largest grantees?
The Leon Levine Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Atrium Health Foundation ($3,536,400 across 5 grants), Foundation of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Inc ($2,200,000 across 3 grants) and United Jewish Charities of Greater Charlotte Inc ($1,450,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 12% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Leon Levine Foundation?
The Leon Levine Foundation reported $1.9B in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $63.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $89.0M (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 Leon Levine Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to empower underserved Carolinians to be self-sufficient and strengthen the Jewish community. Its four core areas are healthcare, human services, education, and Jewish values. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Leon Levine Foundation?
The Foundation accepts unsolicited requests through a process that generally begins with an eligibility quiz and registration in its grantee portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Leon Levine Foundation's EIN?
The Leon Levine Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-1427515. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Leon Levine Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 25, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 14, 2020)
- 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 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Leon Levine Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-leon-levine-foundation-morg_f493c353251d49f88b0180ed0669d31f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_581427515_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Leon Levine Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-leon-levine-foundation-morg_f493c353251d49f88b0180ed0669d31f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. 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 Leon Levine 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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