William S. and Ina Levine Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The William S. and Ina Levine Foundation primarily supports Jewish causes and education in the Phoenix area of Arizona and beyond.
IP TAKE: The William S. and Ina Levine Foundation is not transparent or accessible. It maintains a low profile and prefers a proactive approach to funding, supporting preselected organizations working in its areas of interest. Jewish cultural and educational organizations, particularly those working in the Phoenix area, may find it worthwhile to reach out to this funder at the phone number provided below. Jewish funding is largely national with a portion focused on organizations located in Israel. All of this funder’s other areas of funding focus on it’s home state of Arizona.
PROFILE: Established in 1997, the William S. and Ina Levine Foundation is an independent foundation based in Phoenix, Arizona. This is the foundation of William (Bill) Levine, an investor and real estate developer who co-founded Outdoor Systems, an outdoor advertising firm, in the 1980s. Levine, who is a billionaire, lives with his family in the Phoenix area. His first wife, Ina, for whom the foundation is named, passed away in 1999. Grants fund Jewish causes, while a smaller portion of grants appears to support K-12 education and youth development initiatives in Arizona.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Levine and his current wife, Susan, gave the largest gift in history ($25 million) to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at the time of the gift. Well over half of the Levine Foundation’s grantmaking supports Jewish causes, including temples and Jewish schools, in Arizona and beyond.
Jewish causes are the main focus of the Levine Foundation’s philanthropy. Grants support national and local organizations involved in the exploration and celebration of Jewish culture, history and education. In a recent year, the foundation gave over $500,000 to the New York City-based Cisela Foundation, which “produces documentaries highlighting untold stories of Jewish heroes who challenged negative stereotypical Jewish images and others who fought fascism, sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism.” National Jewish organizations that have received recent support include the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Jewish National Fund and Remember Us, the Holocaust Bnai Mitzvah Project of Santa Monica, California. The foundation supports many Jewish organizations in the Phoenix area and the state of Arizona. Recent recipients include the Phoenix Hebrew Academy, the Phoenix Community Kollel, Chabad Lubavitch of Phoenix, the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center and the Chabad of Scottsdale. Grantees supporting causes in Israel include the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Council of Young Israel and the American Israel Education Foundation.
Grants for K-12 Education
The Levine Foundation makes a handful of grants for K-12 education and youth development programs in the Phoenix area each year. Recent recipients include Career Concepts for Youth, Vista College Preparatory School, Boys Hope Girls Hope and Brophy College Preparatory School, all of which operate in Phoenix.
Important Grant Details:
The William S. and Ina Levine Foundation made over $800,000 in grants in a recent year. Most grants range from $5,000 to $300,000, with an average grant size of about $25,000. Grants of $1 million or more have been made only on a few occasions. The foundation mainly gives to Jewish causes, with a few grants each year supporting K-12 education, youth development initiatives and other community development projects in Phoenix, Arizona. J
Jewish grantmaking appears to focus on cultural organizations and education at the national and local levels, with only a few grants each year supporting causes in Israel. For additional information about past grants, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
The Levine Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding, choosing instead to make grants to preselected organizations in its areas of interest. Contact information is provided below.
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CONTACT:
William S. and Ina Levine Foundation
2801 East Camelback Rd., No 450
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 248-8181
LINKS:
