The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund
The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund is a private family foundation established in 2001 and based in San Francisco, California. The foundation makes grants to organizations focused on education, health care access, and Jewish philanthropy.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$200.7M
+2.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$24.3M
+20.7% YoY
Grant Count
51
-63.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$477K
+226.7% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund reported a distributable amount of $9.8M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's primary funding interests include:
- Education
- Health care access and health economics
- Jewish philanthropy
- Human services
- Social service and educational programs
Grantmaking
The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and operates on an invite-only basis.
Grant Range
$50,000
Average Grant
award: $142,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in:
- California
- District of Columbia
- New York
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (Most Recent Data):
- Total assets: $200.7 million (2024)
- Annual income: $74.9 million
- Total giving: $24.3 million (2024)
- Total expenses: $20.1 million (2023)
- Giving rate: 10.3% of assets
Asset Growth: Total assets have grown from $82.4 million in 2010 to $200.7 million in 2024.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $200,671,805 | $194,971,782 | $183,885,714 |
| Revenue | $30,682,133 | $17,289,445 | $20,338,373 |
| Expenses | $26,026,595 | $21,589,334 | $22,693,511 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $24,945,069 | $20,757,268 | $21,112,492 |
| Net Investment Income | $23,440,269 | $10,202,041 | $13,194,830 |
| Distributable Amount | $9,755,954 | $9,206,484 | $9,478,100 |
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
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Tides Foundation ($4,605,000), The University of Southern California (usc) Leonard Davis School of Geronto ($2,500,000), The San Francisco Foundation ($1,550,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| A NONPROFIT GROUP ENRICHING LIVES INC ORANGE, CA | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $25,000 |
| ACCELERATE CHANGE INC BOSTON, MA | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $1,100,000 |
| AMALGAMATED FOUNDATION WASHINGTON, DC | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $1,000,000 |
| AMERICA VOTES EDUCATION FUND WASHINGTON, DC | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $200,000 |
| THE ANDREW GOODMAN FOUNDATION INC NEW YORK, NY | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $50,000 |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND WOONSOCKET, RI | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $200,000 |
| CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION LOS ANGELES, CA | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $50,000 |
| CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS OAKLAND, CA | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $25,000 |
| TEMPLE EMANU-EL NEW YORK, NY | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $5,000 |
| EXCESSIVE WEALTH DISORDER INSTITUTE NEW YORK, NY | SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS OR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | $1,050,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Alan Davis serves as the principal officer and president of the foundation.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALAN S DAVIS | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 10 | — |
| MARY LOU DAVIS | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 2 | — |
| JAMES HASSAN | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has recently advanced research and training initiatives focused on expanding health care access. In 2025, the foundation announced a transformative gift and matching challenge to the Wharton School and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. The foundation also established the Davis Family SUMR Program Endowment Fund to support research and training in health care access expansion.
Transformative Gift and Matching Challenge from the Leonard and Sophie DavisSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund fund?
The foundation's primary funding interests include: • Education • Health care access and health economics • Jewish philanthropy • Human services • Social service and educational programs
How do I apply for a grant from The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund?
**Grant Activity:** • The foundation has made 823 grants totaling $117 million across its history • Annual giving ranges from $19.2 million to $41 million (2020-2023) • Highest grantmaking activity occurred in 2022 with $41 million distributed across 242 grants • Typical grant awards range from $10,000 to $3.6 million • Median grant size: $50,000 • Average grant award: $142,000 **Recent Notable Grants:** • $3.5 million gift to the Wharton School and Leonard Davis Institute to establish the Davi…
Where does The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund make grants?
The foundation primarily funds organizations in: • California • District of Columbia • New York
What size grants does The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund award?
In 2024, The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund awarded 51 grants totaling $24.3M — an average of about $477K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund reported a distributable amount of $9.8M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund's EIN?
The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3402266. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Leonard & Sophie Davis Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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