The Lew Leibowitz Legacy Foundation directs virtually all of its recorded philanthropy to a single organization, The Ark, providing repeated, unrestricted support for the organization's general operations. The foundation appears to prioritize steady, flexible funding to this one long-term partner rather than a broad portfolio of grantees. Its giving suggests a relationship-based, place- or mission-specific commitment rather than scattershot grantmaking.
Highly concentrated: all reported dollars go to one repeat grantee; gifts are unrestricted and intended for general use, indicating long-term core operating support rather than project-specific funding.
The Sheldon L and Pearl R Leibowitz- Lew Leibowitz Legacy Foundation’s recorded giving is marked by an unusually concentrated relationship with The Ark, including a $150,000 unrestricted grant in 2025, a $141,000 grant in 2024, and a $140,000 grant in 2023. That pattern points to a funder that favors sustained, flexible support rather than a wide spread of one-off awards. Across the recent grants list, the foundation also supports organizations working in civil liberties, hunger relief, homelessness, environmental protection, and refugee assistance, but often with the same unrestricted structure used for its core partner. The foundation’s checks are typically in the $20,000 to $30,000 range, with larger awards appearing for select organizations. The Ark stands out as the clearest long-term beneficiary, while the ACLU received repeated support across 2023, 2024, and 2025. In the environmental and humanitarian space, the foundation gave recurring unrestricted funding to The Nature Conservancy and the International Rescue Committee, showing a mix of loyalty to a primary partner and selective backing for other national organizations.
In social-services and housing-related work, the foundation gave $25,000 in 2025 to Chicago Coalition for the Homeless for unrestricted general use, and $25,000 that same year to Night Ministry for unrestricted general use. Its hunger-relief support includes $30,000 grants to Feeding America in 2023, 2024, and 2025, along with $30,000 grants to Greater Chicago Food Depository in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation also backs civic and advocacy organizations. It awarded $25,000 in 2025 to Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and $35,000 in 2025 to Nrdc, each for unrestricted general use. Environmental grantmaking also appears through $25,000 to Environmental Law & Policy Center in 2025 and $25,000 to World Wildlife Fund in 2025. Humanitarian relief shows up in $45,000 grants to International Rescue Committee in 2024 and 2025.
Typical grants cluster tightly around the mid-five-figure range: p25 is $20,000, median is $25,000, and p75 is $30,000. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially The Ark, Aclu, International Rescue Committee, The Nature Conservancy, Feeding America, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Nrdc, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Nearly all grants are unrestricted general-use gifts, indicating a flexible operating-support style. The foundation is a private family foundation and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$760K
$16.9M
$2.5M
$861K
Most grants fall between $20K and $30K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$30K
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Notable grantees: The Ark
Giving is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with 49 recent grants all landing in the United States. Illinois is the top recipient state by grant count, accounting for 73% of grants, and Chicago appears repeatedly among recipient cities. Other Illinois recipients include Northbrook, while outside Illinois the foundation gave to organizations in New York, Arlington, Washington, and Atlanta. The pattern is regional in scope, but with a clear Illinois concentration.
Its typical grant range is tightly grouped around the mid-five figures: p25 is $20,000, median grant size is $25,000, and p75 is $30,000. The recent record also includes larger grants, such as $150,000 to The Ark in 2025.
The foundation backs a small set of nonprofit categories through unrestricted support, including social services, hunger relief, homelessness, environmental advocacy, civil liberties, and refugee assistance. Recent examples include grants to Feeding America, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, The Nature Conservancy, Aclu, and International Rescue Committee.
Yes. The record shows repeated grants across multiple years to several organizations, including The Ark, Aclu, International Rescue Committee, The Nature Conservancy, Feeding America, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Nrdc, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.
The recent grants are consistently described as unrestricted for general use of charity. That includes the foundation’s largest grant to The Ark and recurring support to multiple other nonprofits.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE ARK | NORTHBROOK, IL | $160,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $72,500 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ACLU | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $52,500 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| NRDC | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| FEEDING AMERICA | CHICAGO, IL | $40,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| WORLD WILDLIFE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| NIGHT MINISTRY | CHICAGO, IL | $35,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $35,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| JEWISH COUNCIL ON URBAN AFFAIRS | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ALL CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING | LIBERTYVILLE, IL | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| CHICAGO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| DEBORAH'S PLACE | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| OPENLANDS | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| THE ARK | NORTHBROOK, IL | $150,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ACLU | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $35,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| NRDC | CHICAGO, IL | $35,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| FEEDING AMERICA | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| JEWISH COUNCIL ON URBAN AFFAIRS | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ALL CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| NIGHT MINISTRY | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| CHICAGO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| WORLD WILDLIFE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING | LIBERTYVILLE, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| DEBORAH'S PLACE | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| OPENLANDS | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| THE ARK | NORTHBROOK, IL | $141,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ACLU | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $45,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $35,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| NRDC | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| FEEDING AMERICA | CHICAGO, IL | $30,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| CHICAGO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| JEWISH COUNCIL ON URBAN AFFAIRS | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY CENTER | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ALL CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| NIGHT MINISTRY | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| WORLD WILDLIFE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING | LIBERTYVILLE, IL | $15,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| DEBORAH'S PLACE | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| OPENLANDS | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| THE ARK | NORTHBROOK, IL | $140,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
| ACLU | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY. |
UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY.
NRDC
$50,000UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY.
UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY.
NRDC
$35,000UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY.
CHICAGO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS
$25,000UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY.
UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY.
NRDC
$30,000UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY.
UNRESTRICTED FOR GENERAL USE OF CHARITY.