Philip And Janice Levin Foundation

The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation is a relationship-first family foundation that has operated for 62 years from its North Plainfield, NJ headquarters. Founded by Philip and Janice Levin and now led by their son Adam Levin as President, the foundation governs through a tight circle of family members and associates — all serving without compensation — including Vice Presidents Arielle Tepper Madover, Matthew K. Harding, and William Farber. This family governance structure means grantmaking decisions flow from personal conviction and long-standing relationships rather than staff-driven programmatic review cycles.

The foundation's stated mission is to "advance the transformative power of the arts, education, and mental health initiatives with focus on cultural enrichment and access to opportunity." In practice, its portfolio centers on flagship performing arts institutions (The Public Theater at $1M across two grants; Sarasota Ballet at $150K; Luzerne Music Center at $187K), prestigious universities (NYU School of Medicine and NYU Langone together at $900K; Rutgers University at $430K), public media (ThirteenWNET at $400K), and medical research centers (Child Mind Institute at $100K; NY Presbyterian at $85K; Barrow Neurological Foundation at $50K). Historical relationships include Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, Juilliard, Harvard, Stanford, and the Central Park Conservancy.

The central reality for any prospective applicant: the foundation primarily initiates its own grant relationships and does not maintain a public RFP process or published deadlines. Its own website states it "primarily works through long-term partnerships" and "occasionally considers proposals from new organizations" — a meaningful but narrow opening. New relationships are possible, but they require patience, mission alignment, and ideally a credible connection to the existing network.

For first-time applicants, organizational credibility is paramount. The foundation does not fund emerging groups, experimental pilots, or advocacy-only projects. It favors institutions with decades of operation, recognizable reputations, and demonstrated community impact. Multiple grantees in the 990 data appear in two or more grant cycles, confirming a preference for deepening existing relationships over building new ones.

New York City is the geographic sweet spot, accounting for more than half of all sampled grants by count. New Jersey organizations with statewide reach — like Rutgers — represent the second strongest fit. Florida (Sarasota Ballet, Barrow Neurological), Washington DC (Media Matters for America), and a handful of other states round out the portfolio, so geographic exclusivity is not absolute.

The most effective entry strategy combines mission alignment, institutional credibility, a physical letter addressed to Adam Levin at 975 US Highway 22 West, North Plainfield, NJ 07060, and — wherever possible — a warm introduction through a mutual contact already embedded in the foundation's grantee community.

The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation distributes approximately $2 million annually in grants, though historical data reveals significant year-to-year variability. Over the decade from 2010 to 2022 (the range covered by available 990 filings), annual grants paid ranged from a low of $466,500 in 2020 — likely reflecting pandemic-era caution — to a peak of $4.37 million in 2018. The two most recent data years, $2.07M in 2022 and $2.05M in 2021, suggest a normalized baseline around $2M, with the foundation exercising deliberate moderation after the 2018 peak.

The foundation's own typical grant size data shows a median of $72,500, an average of $128,109, and a documented range from $1,000 to $500,000. The actual distribution is sharply bifurcated: a small cohort of flagship institutional partners receives $400,000–$1,000,000 (The Public Theater at $1M across two grants; NYU School of Medicine and NYU Langone each at $450,000; ThirteenWNET at $400,000; Rutgers University at $430,000), while a longer tail of smaller recipients receives $5,000–$135,000 (American Red Cross $135K; Child Mind Institute $100K; Luzerne Music Center $187K; Sarasota Ballet $150K; Whitney Museum $150K; NY Presbyterian $85K). The smallest documented grants are $2,000–$5,000 to organizations like the Broadway League, Guild Hall, and Friends of the High Line.

By sector, arts and culture commands the largest share. The Public Theater alone represents roughly 24% of the $4.12M grantee sample. Adding ThirteenWNET, Sarasota Ballet, Luzerne Music Center, Whitney Museum, Ars Nova, and Guild Hall, the arts cluster accounts for well over 50% of documented distributions. Education — NYU and Rutgers — constitutes the second largest cluster. Healthcare and medical research (NYU Langone, NY Presbyterian, Barrow Neurological, Child Mind Institute, Gabrielle's Angel Foundation) accounts for approximately 20%. Civic/media (Media Matters for America at $200K), international (Tel Aviv-Yafo Foundation at $112,500), military/service (Children of the Fallen Patriots at $50K), and community services (American Red Cross at $135K, God's Love We Deliver at $10K) fill the remainder.

Geographically, New York accounts for 20 of 38 sampled grants (53% by count), followed by New Jersey (4), Florida (4), Washington DC (3), and smaller counts in Arizona, Georgia, and Iowa. Total assets have declined from $31M in 2010 to $17.7M in 2022, as distributions have periodically exceeded investment income. With net investment income of $1.31M against $2.22M in total giving in 2022, the foundation is drawing down its endowment at approximately $900,000 annually — a trend that may constrain very large multi-year commitments in coming years.

The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation is a mid-small private foundation by New Jersey philanthropic standards. The table below compares it to four peer foundations in the NJ/NY region with overlapping focus areas in arts, education, and health (figures approximate, based on publicly available 990 filings):

The Levin Foundation is the smallest of this peer group by assets, with an endowment roughly 10 times smaller than the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and nearly nine times smaller than Victoria Foundation. However, its giving-to-assets ratio is comparable to peers: at approximately 12% annually, it distributes at or above the IRS-mandated 5% minimum, reflecting active grantmaking rather than endowment accumulation.

The decisive differentiator is access. Victoria Foundation, Hyde and Watson, and Geraldine R. Dodge all maintain transparent open processes with published deadlines, evaluation criteria, and staff contacts. Levin operates as a relationship-driven, invitation-first funder with no open competitive cycle. For arts and education organizations already embedded in the NJ/NY philanthropic ecosystem, Levin's concentrated portfolio and multi-year relationship model can yield larger proportional impact than a wider-open peer — but only for organizations with the network to get in the door.

No press releases, major gift announcements, or new strategic initiative launches were identified in public records for 2025 or 2026. The foundation maintains a deliberately low public profile: its website is spare and does not list individual grants, there is no social media presence, and grantees rarely publicize Levin Foundation support by name in their own communications.

The most recent public filing is the IRS Form 990 for fiscal year 2022, submitted on February 14, 2025. That filing documents $2.07M in grants paid across approximately 25 grants, with $17.69M in total assets — a decline of roughly $862,000 from the prior year's $18.56M. Net investment income of $1.31M only partially offset the $2.22M in total giving.

Leadership composition has been stable across all available filing years (2019–2022): Adam Levin continues as President, with Arielle Tepper Madover, Matthew K. Harding, and William Farber as Vice Presidents. Paul Tavaglione serves as Treasurer and Stacy A. Garrity as Secretary. No officer changes are recorded in the public filing history, indicating strong governance continuity.

The most observable recent shift is in the foundation's own self-presentation: the website now articulates a six-pillar framework (Arts & Culture, Arts-Sciences Integration, Global Initiatives, Community Leadership, Contemporary Concerns, and Service Support) that meaningfully extends the three-pillar historical model (arts, education, health). The foundation also now describes its community as "nearly 300 grantees" — up from the 214 figure in IRS enrollment records — suggesting modest but active portfolio growth. Historical flagship relationships with Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, Juilliard, Harvard, Stanford, and the Central Park Conservancy are documented in the foundation's own past grantee records.

Unlike most foundations listed in grant directories, the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation is functionally invitation-first in its grantmaking. Succeeding here requires navigating that reality directly.

Submit by physical letter only. The foundation's official application instruction is "BY LETTER ONLY." There is no online portal and no publicly listed email address. All correspondence must be mailed to: Adam Levin, President, Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, 975 US Highway 22 West, North Plainfield, NJ 07060. Sending an email or attempting to use an online form will not result in consideration.

Prioritize relationship cultivation over proposal polish. Because the foundation initiates most of its own relationships, the quality of a letter matters less than the credibility of the relationship behind it. Before submitting anything, determine whether any board member, senior staff, or major donor at your organization has personal or professional ties to Adam Levin, Arielle Tepper Madover, Matthew K. Harding, or William Farber. A referral from a mutual contact at The Public Theater, Rutgers University, NYU, or ThirteenWNET dramatically increases the likelihood of substantive engagement.

Lead with institutional stature, not program innovation. The grantee list reads like a curated roster of established institutions. Your letter should open with your organization's founding year, scale, and reputation — not with a description of a new pilot program or unproven community need. Emphasize decades of operation, board composition, national recognition, and enduring impact.

Use the foundation's own mission language. Frame your work using phrases aligned with "the transformative power of the arts," "cultural enrichment," "access to opportunity," and "mental health initiatives." For healthcare or research-oriented applicants, the foundation's stated Arts-Sciences Integration pillar offers an explicit bridge — emphasize how your medical or research work enhances societal wellbeing through a cultural or educational lens.

Calibrate your initial ask. Target $25,000–$75,000 for a first grant — the lower tier of the foundation's typical distribution — to reduce the decision threshold and establish a relationship. Multi-year and major gifts follow from demonstrated alignment, not first-application boldness.

Avoid common mistakes. Do not propose experimental or startup-phase projects. Do not submit an advocacy-only request without programmatic grounding. Do not send a multi-year ask on first approach. Do not request funding for organizations outside the arts, education, healthcare, mental health, or community wellness sectors. Call (908) 755-2401 two to three weeks after mailing to confirm receipt — brief, professional follow-up is appropriate and expected.