About Leon Levy Foundation
The Leon Levy Foundation concentrates major support on New York–based higher education and research institutions and on science and public scholarship, while also funding cultural and conservation projects (including a notable international conservation grantee in the Bahamas). Grants are high-dollar and strategic — often endowment or program-support gifts — directed to a small number of institutions where the foundation can have sustained impact. The foundation favors established organizations with scholarly, scientific, or cultural missions rather than many small community-based awards.
Focus Areas
Major university research and scholarship support in New York City (e.g., NYU, CUNY Graduate Center)Science and public scholarship initiatives (e.g., New York Academy of Sciences)Cultural and arts-related higher education (e.g., Bard College)Urban park preservation and stewardship (e.g., Prospect Park Alliance)Conservation and protected-area support in the Bahamas (e.g., Bahamas National Trust)
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated, large-dollar grants to a small set of repeat and institutional grantees; mix of endowment support and multi-purpose program funding rather than many small or grassroots grants.
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
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$34.2M
Total Assets
$490.7M
Total Revenue
$46.6M
Total Expenses
$42.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $100K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$100K
Geographic Reach
Regional24 states funded
Intensidad de financiamiento
BajaAlta
Sede
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Leon Levy Foundation Funds
Top 7 recipient countries by grant volume for Leon Levy Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 595 | $102.2M | 96.0% |
| 2 | Israel | 8 |
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