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Donald Levin Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$4.1M
Grant Range
$115K - $0.3M
00

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $4,055,500 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application process)
  • Grant Range: $115,000 - $350,000 (recent grants)
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Arizona, Illinois, and California

Contact Details

Address: 2301 Ravine Way, Glenview, IL 60025

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

The Donald Levin Family Foundation was established in 1985 as a private family foundation based in Glenview, Illinois. With total assets of approximately $51.9 million and annual giving of $4.1 million in 2024, the foundation supports a diverse range of charitable causes including education, animal welfare, children's health, human services, family services, child welfare, youth development, and Jewish religious organizations. Founded by Donald R. Levin, a successful businessman and founder of Republic Tobacco and co-founder of the Chicago Wolves hockey team, the foundation operates as a traditional private foundation making grants to preselected organizations primarily in Arizona, Illinois, and California. The foundation operates without full-time staff and is governed by a small board of directors.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with published guidelines. All grants are made at the discretion of the board of directors to preselected organizations.

Recent grants (2024) have included:

  • Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health: $350,000
  • Saving Paws Rescue AZ: $300,000
  • America Gives: $115,000

Typical grant amounts range from $115,000 to $350,000, though historical data suggests grants can range from as low as $500 to as high as $3,000,000.

Priority Areas

Based on tax filings and available data, the foundation supports:

  • Education: K-12 and higher education initiatives
  • Children's Health: Children's hospitals and pediatric health programs
  • Animal Welfare: Animal rescue, rehabilitation, and welfare organizations
  • Human Services: Family services, child welfare, and youth development
  • Religion: Jewish organizations, synagogues, and faith-based initiatives
  • Environment: Environmental conservation and protection

What They Don't Fund

The foundation has explicitly stated it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds, indicating they do not fund organizations outside their preselected network.

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors:

  • Donald Levin - President and Director
  • Allan Kandelman - Secretary and Director
  • Alan Berry - Treasurer and Director

All directors serve without compensation. The foundation operates without any full-time employees.

About Donald Levin: Donald R. Levin (born October 17, 1947) is a Chicago-area businessman who founded DRL Enterprises, Inc. in 1969. He served as President of Republic Tobacco, Inc. since 1982 and co-founded the Chicago Wolves hockey team in 1994, serving as chairman of the board since inception. He was honored as the International Hockey League's Executive of the Year for the 1999-2000 season and was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame in January 2013. Forbes has estimated his net worth at approximately $1.7 billion.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Donald Levin Family Foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded at the discretion of the board of directors to organizations they have identified and selected independently. There is no application portal, no published deadlines, and no formal application process available to the public.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are made on an invitation-only basis at the discretion of the board.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. Organizations that receive funding from the Donald Levin Family Foundation have been preselected by the board of directors based on criteria known only to the foundation's leadership.

Grant-making patterns observed:

  • The foundation made 11 grants totaling $4,055,500 in 2024
  • The foundation made 3 grants in 2023
  • The foundation made 6 grants in 2022
  • Grants are primarily unrestricted, allowing recipient organizations maximum flexibility
  • The foundation supports organizations across multiple states, with focus on Arizona, Illinois, and California
  • Recent grants have supported children's health, animal welfare, and general charitable giving platforms

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process: This foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or applications from organizations they have not already identified
  • Preselected recipients only: All funding decisions are made at the discretion of the board for organizations they have independently chosen
  • Significant resources: With nearly $52 million in assets and over $4 million in annual giving, this is a well-resourced foundation
  • Diverse interests: The foundation supports a wide range of causes including education, children's health, animal welfare, human services, and Jewish organizations
  • Geographic focus: Grants primarily support organizations in Arizona, Illinois, and California
  • Family foundation structure: As a private family foundation with no staff, decisions are made directly by the founding family and their trusted advisors
  • Unrestricted support: Recent grants have been unrestricted, suggesting the foundation trusts recipient organizations to use funds where most needed

References

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