Levine-Sklut Family Foundation

The Levine-Sklut Family Foundation is a Charlotte-based private family foundation established in 1995 by Lori Levine Sklut and Eric R. Sklut. With $27.4 million in assets and annual disbursements consistently in the $1.2M–$1.6M range, it is a meaningful regional funder — but one that operates almost entirely through invitation and pre-existing personal relationships. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. This is the single most important fact any prospective applicant must internalize before investing time in outreach.

The Skluts' giving philosophy is rooted in Jewish philanthropic tradition: a belief that education dismantles intolerance and bias, that community infrastructure sustains the vulnerable, and that generational giving is a family obligation. These values manifest in five stated pillars — Jewish philanthropy, education, human services, healthcare, and children's services — but the grantee record reveals a much tighter portfolio in practice.

In reality, the foundation operates more like an engaged anchor investor than a responsive grantmaker. The top three grantees — Jewish Federation ($1.84M cumulative), Loaves & Fishes ($950K), and Atrium Health Foundation ($640K) — represent 64% of all tracked giving. All major grantees have received two to four consecutive grant cycles, confirming that the Skluts invest deeply in a small number of institutions they know well rather than distributing across the broader nonprofit landscape.

Geographic concentration is equally striking. Of 42 tracked grantees, 39 are North Carolina-based — virtually all in the Charlotte metro area. Three Florida-based organizations account for the remainder, likely tied to the family's personal connections. No other states are represented.

For first-time applicants, the relationship-building timeline is typically long — often months or years before a first grant is awarded. The pathway runs through Charlotte's Jewish communal network: board service at the Jewish Federation or Levine JCC, peer referrals from established grantees like Queens University or Elon University, or direct introductions facilitated by Colony Family Offices (Eric Ridenour, 704-285-7300). The foundation's named legacy gifts — the Sklut Hillel Center at Elon (2012–2013), the Sklut Professorship at Queens (2017), and the Levine-Sklut Fellow at UNC Chapel Hill (2007) — illustrate the depth of institutional partnership the Skluts ultimately seek, and signal that the most enduring relationships involve naming and endowment opportunities rather than annual operating support alone.

The Levine-Sklut Family Foundation has maintained stable annual grantmaking over more than a decade, disbursing between $991,027 (FY2015) and $1,632,992 (FY2022) per year. The most recent complete data shows FY2023 grants paid of $1,496,572 and FY2024 charitable disbursements of $1,438,200 — a payout ratio of approximately 6% against $27.4M in assets, modestly above the IRS-mandated 5% minimum for private foundations.

Grant size distribution: The database-reported median grant is $120,000, with an average of $127,326 across 42 tracked grants. Individual awards range from $10,000 (United Way) to approximately $460,000 per cycle for the Jewish Federation. The typical first-year grant for a new relationship falls in the $10,000–$50,000 range, based on smaller single-cycle grantees like Hopeway Foundation ($25,000) and Make-A-Wish ($15,000).

By program area (estimated from cumulative grantee totals): - Jewish philanthropy: ~$2.42M cumulative (45% of tracked giving) — Jewish Federation $1.84M, Levine JCC $303K, Jewish Family Services $180K, Levine-Sklut Judaic Library $100K - Human services: ~$1.28M (24%) — Loaves & Fishes $950K, Goodwill Industries $100K, Roof Above $100K, Crisis Assistance Ministry $80K, Urban Ministry Center $50K - Education: ~$954K (18%) — Queens University $425K, Elon University $280K, UNC Arts & Science $166K, UNC Endowments $83K - Healthcare: ~$665K (12%) — Atrium Health Foundation $640K, Hopeway Foundation $25K - Children's services: ~$15K (less than 1%) — Make-A-Wish Foundation

Geographic concentration: 92.9% of tracked grants flow to North Carolina; 7.1% go to Florida. All identifiable major grantees are Charlotte-area institutions.

Giving trend: Annual disbursements grew 51% from $991K (FY2015) to $1.5M (FY2023). Total assets grew 83% from $14.9M (FY2012) to $27.4M (FY2024). The asset base is expanding faster than grantmaking — FY2023 alone added approximately $3M in assets, driven by $2.16M in net investment income plus $1.25M in new contributions. This conservative payout posture suggests meaningful latent capacity that could expand future distributions if the foundation chooses to accelerate.

The concentration of giving is striking: the top three grantees (Jewish Federation, Loaves & Fishes, Atrium Health) collectively account for $3.43M of $5.35M in total tracked giving — 64% of all disbursements flowing to just three organizations.

The asset-matched peer group for the Levine-Sklut Family Foundation includes several similarly sized private family foundations in the $27.4–27.5M range. The table below compares key characteristics:

Among these asset-matched peers, the Levine-Sklut Family Foundation is the most publicly articulate funder by a significant margin. It maintains a detailed website with named priority areas, has created enduring institutional legacies (the Sklut Hillel Center at Elon, the Sklut Professorship at Queens University, the Levine-Sklut Fellow at UNC Chapel Hill), and reports a consistent ~$1.5M annual payout — details unavailable for any of the peer foundations listed. The Charboneau and Houser foundations have no public-facing web presence at all, while Meldrum and HRBT maintain websites but disclose far less about their giving priorities or grantee history.

In the broader Charlotte regional landscape, the Levine-Sklut Foundation occupies a meaningful mid-tier niche: well below institutional community foundations like Foundation For The Carolinas ($2B+ in assets) but substantially larger and more strategically focused than most small family foundations in the $1M–$5M range. Its consistent grantmaking pace, expanding asset base, and deep institutional relationships make it a reliable long-term partner for a select cohort of Charlotte nonprofits.

No press releases, news articles, or public announcements from the Levine-Sklut Family Foundation were identified in web research for 2025 or 2026. The foundation does not appear to maintain social media accounts, issue communications about individual grants, or publish press materials. The most recent public data point is the FY2024 Form 990, filed November 3, 2025, reporting $27,440,499 in total assets and $1,438,200 in charitable disbursements to approximately 10–12 organizations — a slight reduction from the $1,496,572 paid in FY2023.

The foundation's most significant publicly documented milestones precede this period: - 2007: Establishment of the Levine-Sklut Fellow in Jewish Studies at UNC Chapel Hill — a named academic fellowship representing a sustained endowment commitment. - 2012–2013: Dedication of the Sklut Hillel Center at Elon University — the foundation's first major named facility gift. - 2014–2015: Funding of the Mindy Ellen Levine Behavioral Health Center through Hopeway Foundation — the foundation's most visible mental health investment to date. - 2017: Endowment of the Sklut Professorship in Jewish Studies at Queens University of Charlotte — the third named academic gift in a decade.

Leadership has been stable since founding. Lori Levine Sklut and Eric R. Sklut serve as the sole directors at zero compensation. Administrative operations are managed through Colony Family Offices under Eric Ridenour. No board expansions, leadership transitions, or succession planning disclosures have been publicly announced, consistent with the tightly family-controlled nature of this foundation.

Because the Levine-Sklut Family Foundation operates exclusively by invitation, traditional grant-writing strategy is largely inapplicable. The following tips address the specific relationship-based pathway this foundation requires.

Prioritize the introduction, not the proposal. The foundation has never publicly disclosed a grant portal, an LOI template, or a review calendar. The only pathway in is through a personal connection. Map your board and staff relationships to current Levine-Sklut grantees — specifically the Jewish Federation, Loaves & Fishes, Atrium Health Foundation, Queens University, Elon University, Levine JCC, and Crisis Assistance Ministry. A board member at one of these organizations willing to make a direct introduction to Lori Levine Sklut or Eric Sklut is your highest-value relationship asset.

Align explicitly with the five pillars. In any preliminary conversation, name the foundation's five priority areas (Jewish philanthropy, education, human services, healthcare, children's services) and articulate which one — or which combination — your organization addresses. Generalist pitches are less effective than tightly framed alignment with a specific priority. Organizations with Jewish institutional identity or Charlotte-specific community outcomes should lead with that connection.

Healthcare applicants: lead with cancer or psychiatric illness. The foundation's published mission statement explicitly names these two disease categories. The $640K cumulative relationship with Atrium Health Foundation and the named Mindy Ellen Levine Behavioral Health Center at Hopeway confirm these are active giving areas. Healthcare organizations with other clinical foci should connect their work to these priorities or reconsider fit.

Calibrate the ask to relationship stage. First-time grantees appear to receive modest entry-level gifts in the $10,000–$50,000 range. The foundation scales up over multiple cycles with organizations it trusts — Loaves & Fishes averaged $237,500 per cycle after four rounds. Avoid leading with a large ask in a first conversation; demonstrate impact delivery at a smaller scale first.

Contact Colony Family Offices as the formal gateway. Administrative contact runs through Eric Ridenour at Colony Family Offices, 4250 Congress St Suite 175, Charlotte, NC 28209, (704) 285-7300. The foundation website at levinesklutfamilyfoundation.org also has a contact form. Use either only after a warm introduction is already in place.

Common pitfalls to avoid: Do not cold-apply via the website contact form without a prior introduction. Do not propose programs operating outside North Carolina without an explicit personal connection to the Skluts. Do not request multi-year or endowment-level funding on a first approach — those relationships develop over multiple years of demonstrated impact.