Global Village Charitable Trust

OVERVIEW: Global Village Charitable Trust primarily funds grantmaking related to the arts, education, health, human services, Jewish causes, and policy.

IP TAKE: The foundation does not maintain a website, which restricts transparency about grantmaking strategies and guidelines. This funder is not accessible and makes it hard to get on their radar, which is common of small organizations. This is also a progressive funder particularly interested in the arts and Jewish causes. The Global Village Charitable Trust’s grants are often for general operating support.

PROFILE: Established in 1993, the Global Village Charitable Trust is steered by Daniel R. Lewis and family. Daniel was a director of Progressive Corporation, the auto insurance giant, which was cofounded by his late father, Joseph Lewis. Tax filings suggest that the Global Village Charitable Trust primarily funds grantmaking related to the arts, education, health, human services, Jewish causes, and policy.

Grants for Music, the Arts and Arts Educaiton

Daniel Lewis has spent some two decades years as an arts philanthropist, with his greatest focus on social and musical arts investing. He initiated the Cleveland Orchestra’s multi-week residency in Miami as founding chairman of Miami Music Association. He founded and chairs M:X (Miami Experimental), to pursue making music education and the opportunity to play accessible and affordable to all Miami-Dade County children. He also launched the Lewis Prize for Music, which focuses on leaders of music programs who are advancing positive change for young people through music.

Global Village Charitable Trust’s grantmaking addresses arts and performing arts education.

Via his foundation, Lewis has also supported places like Brooklyn Museum, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, and South Florida Symphony Orchestra.

Grants for K-12 and Higher Education

Lewis supports his alma mater Miami University. Other grantees have included Barnard College, Overtown Youth Center, Teach for America, Frost School of Music, and Barnard College, from where Lewis’ daughter Marley Blue Lewis graduated. It’s worth noting that Lewis taught in inner-city schools for a time.

Grants for Health

Lewis strongly supports Cleveland Clinic Foundation. While Florida serves as an important region of giving, so does the Midwest. Progressive’s corporate headquarters are in Cleveland. Other grantees have included Chapman Community Partnership for the Homeless, Feeding South Florida, Free Medical Clinic of Cleveland, and United Way of Miami-Dade.

Grants for Jewish Causes

Lewis also earmarks funds for Jewish institutions. Grantees have included Temple Beth Am and Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach. He also supports progressive organizations and sits on the board of Third Way Institute, a “national think tank that champions modern center-left ideas.”

Other Grant Opportunities:

Other grantees have included ProPublica and ACLU. His late brother Peter Lewis was an ardent supporter of progressive organizations and was an advocate for drug policy reform.

Important Grant Details:

Grants range between $1,800 and $583,000. In a recent year, the foundation gave away around $4.4 million. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on South Florida, New York, and the Midwest. Past local grantees include Jewish Federation, Greater Miami; Achieve Miami; Overtown Youth Center; United Way of Miami-Dade; and Feeding South Florida.

This foundation does not typically accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits.

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

Global Village Charitable Trust
4000 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Ste. 510
Coral Gables, FL 33146