Leon Levy Foundation

About Leon Levy Foundation

The Leon Levy Foundation’s grantmaking is anchored by large, repeated commitments to New York University, including three recent awards of $10,704,578 in 2023, $9,793,817 in 2024, and $8,726,786 in 2025. That pattern points to a funder that favors sustained institutional support rather than dispersed small grants. Across the recent grants list, the foundation backs universities, research centers, museums, archives, and conservation organizations, with many awards labeled project support, endowment support, or grants to further exempt purpose. New York institutions appear often, but the portfolio is not limited to one field. The foundation supports higher education and scholarship through places such as the Graduate Center - City University of New York and Bard College, and it also funds cultural and preservation work through organizations including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Public Library, and Center for Jewish History. Outside New York, the Bahamas National Trust received a major grant, showing that the foundation’s reach extends beyond its strongest local concentration when the mission fits its conservation interests. The overall picture is of a foundation that works through established organizations with scholarly, scientific, cultural, and conservation missions, often using sizeable grants to strengthen institutions over time.

What Leon Levy Foundation Funds

In higher education, the Leon Levy Foundation supports major New York institutions with both project and endowment funding. The Graduate Center - City University of New York received $3,275,000 in 2025 for endowment support, while City College New York The received $1,555,000 in 2025 for project support. Science and scholarship are another clear thread. New York Academy of Sciences received $2,818,101 in 2025 for project support and $1,743,230 in 2024 as a grant to further exempt purpose. Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons also appears in the recent grants list with $879,625 in 2023. The foundation also funds cultural and preservation work. Prospect Park Alliance received $2,050,000 in 2025 for endowment support, and New York Public Library received $1,440,000 in 2025 for endowment support. Jewish culture and archaeology are present as well, through grants to the Center for Jewish History and White Levy Program for Archaeological Publications.

How Leon Levy Foundation Gives