Resonance Foundation

The Resonance Foundation is a private family foundation established in New York and granted tax-exempt status in April 2021. It is governed exclusively by trustees Michael and Larisa Leventon, both of whom serve without compensation. The foundation's NTEE classification (T90, Philanthropy and Grantmaking) and its designation as 'preselected only' make unambiguously clear that this is not a foundation that publishes RFPs, maintains a grants portal, or accepts unsolicited proposals. No application guidelines, no program officer contacts, and no LOI process exist in any public-facing materials.

The foundation's giving structure reveals a sophisticated charitable strategy that relies heavily on Fidelity Charitable as an intermediary. Of the $860,000 in tracked direct disbursements across its grantee list, $825,000 — 96% — went to Fidelity Charitable for general support across three separate transactions. Fidelity Charitable is the nation's largest donor-advised fund sponsor, and this pass-through model allows the Leventon trustees to recommend grants to a wide array of end recipients without those grants appearing on the foundation's own 990-PF. The direct grants the foundation makes outside Fidelity Charitable are uniformly small ($5,000-$10,000) and go exclusively to well-established, nationally recognized organizations: International Rescue Committee, World Central Kitchen, International Medical Corps, Global Giving, New York Hall of Science, and Grace Church School.

For first-time applicants, the honest assessment is sobering: there is no traditional application pathway here. Administrative correspondence routes through Chelsea Baron Andersen Tax LLC at 1177 Avenue of the Americas, an accounting firm. The contact listed in IRS records is '% Alison Andersen,' a tax compliance contact, not a program officer. The foundation's mailing address is in Midtown Manhattan, but it has no staff beyond its two trustees.

The realistic path to funding is a personal relationship with Michael or Larisa Leventon, preferably cultivated through an introduction via organizations in their existing grantee network. Organizations that cannot connect their work to international humanitarian relief, STEM education, or K-12 education — the thematic pillars visible in the direct grantee list — face an uphill path regardless of relationship quality. Anyone pursuing this funder should approach with a long horizon: family foundations at this scale typically operate on personal trust timelines that unfold over multiple years, not grant cycles.

From FY2021 through FY2025, the Resonance Foundation's grantmaking has shown steady incremental growth followed by a dramatic surge. In FY2021, grants paid totaled $265,000 (total giving $283,035) against a $4.8M asset base. FY2022 saw $295,000 in grants paid ($303,251 total giving) with assets at $4.6M — a lean year with near-zero contributions received. FY2023 continued incremental growth at $300,000 in grants paid ($308,116 total giving), supported by $2.1M in new contributions that brought assets to $6.3M. Then in FY2025, ProPublica data shows charitable disbursements spiking to approximately $800,000 — a 167% increase over FY2023 levels — fueled by an asset base that tripled to $19.1M following $11.5M in new contributions and $7.7M from investment asset disposals.

The bifurcated structure of direct grantmaking is striking. Three grants to Fidelity Charitable totaling $825,000 represent 96% of all tracked dollars, at an implied average of $275,000 per Fidelity transaction. Direct grants outside this channel cluster tightly at $5,000 per organization (IRC, World Central Kitchen, International Medical Corps, Global Giving, New York Hall of Science), with one outlier at $10,000 for Grace Church School. Excluding the Fidelity Charitable channel, direct grant median is $5,000 and average is $6,667 across six organizations.

By program area, the foundation publishes no programmatic categorizations. Based on observable direct grantees, implicit priorities are: international humanitarian relief and disaster response (IRC, World Central Kitchen, International Medical Corps), international online giving aggregators (Global Giving), STEM and science literacy (New York Hall of Science), and K-12 independent school education (Grace Church School). Geographic spread in direct grants covers New York (3 grants), Ohio (3), Washington D.C. (2), and California (1).

With a 5% minimum distribution requirement, the $19.1M asset base obligates approximately $956,000 in annual disbursements — suggesting FY2026 giving will approach or exceed $1M for the first time. The foundation carries zero officer compensation and minimal overhead, meaning virtually every disbursement dollar reaches charitable purposes.

The five peer foundations in the database represent a narrow but revealing comparison set — all are private foundations in the Philanthropy and Grantmaking category with assets clustering in the $19.1M-$19.14M range, the same tier as Resonance. None maintain public websites or published grant programs, suggesting this peer cohort represents a cohort of small private family foundations operating without formal grant programs.

Resonance Foundation distinguishes itself within this cohort through the depth of its documented financial transparency — multiple years of 990-PF data are accessible via ProPublica — and through a traceable direct grantee list revealing clear thematic priorities. Its FY2025 asset growth to $19.1M puts it at parity with larger peers in the group. The documented use of Fidelity Charitable as a grantmaking intermediary is a sophisticated strategy unique to Resonance among this peer cohort. Overall, this peer set confirms that foundations of this size and type typically operate as private family vehicles with no formal application infrastructure.

No significant public announcements, press releases, or leadership changes for the Leventon-led Resonance Foundation (EIN 85-6739934) were found during web research conducted in June 2026. The foundation maintains no active communications channel, press function, or grantee newsletter.

The most consequential recent development is financial. ProPublica's latest data (FY2025) shows assets tripling to $19,131,668 from $6,344,287 in FY2023 — a $12.8M increase representing the single largest growth event in the foundation's four-year history. This was driven by $11,534,616 in new contributions received, the largest single-year contribution inflow since the foundation's founding infusion in FY2020 ($4,719,667). Charitable disbursements in FY2025 reached approximately $800,000, up from $300,000 in FY2023.

The website listed in IRS records (resonancefoundation.org) hosts content from a separate, distinct organization that focuses on inner development, co-creative communities, and regenerative innovation. That entity posted blog content as recently as June 18, 2026. This confusion in web records means any researcher searching for the Leventon foundation online will encounter misleading results.

Trustee composition has remained stable throughout the foundation's history — Michael and Larisa Leventon are the sole named trustees across all filings from FY2020 through FY2025, with zero compensation. No successor trustees or advisory board members are publicly listed.

Because the Resonance Foundation is designated 'preselected only' with no published application process, the following advice is strategic rather than procedural — oriented toward building the relationships that precede any grant decision.

Verify organizational fit before any outreach. The foundation's visible grantees are exclusively large, nationally recognized nonprofits. International Rescue Committee, World Central Kitchen, and International Medical Corps all operate nine-figure budgets. New York Hall of Science is a major public science museum. Grace Church School is an established Manhattan independent school. Emerging organizations, local nonprofits, advocacy groups, and startups do not appear in the grantee record. If your organization lacks national recognition or a track record of seven-figure annual budgets, calibrate expectations accordingly.

Pursue the Fidelity Charitable angle. The foundation routes 96% of tracked giving through Fidelity Charitable — meaning the Leventons maintain a donor-advised fund that is functionally larger than the foundation itself. Building a relationship with the trustees that leads to a DAF recommendation is as valuable as a direct foundation grant, and may be more achievable since DAF giving is unconstrained by the private foundation's compliance requirements.

Time relationship-building to the giving calendar. Private foundations must distribute by December 31. Conversations with trustees are most productive in Q3 (July through September) before year-end decisions solidify. Avoid reaching out in November or December when decisions are already made.

Use New York networks. Both trustees are based in New York. The foundation's accounting care is handled by Chelsea Baron Andersen Tax LLC in Midtown. Relevant connection points include New York City nonprofit boards, philanthropic networks, and events tied to the foundation's thematic priorities — international humanitarian response, STEM education, independent school philanthropy.

Never contact the accounting firm for grant inquiries. The '% Alison Andersen' contact routes to a tax compliance function. Unsolicited grant requests sent through that address will not advance.

Prepare a crisp one-page organizational brief — not a full proposal — covering mission alignment with humanitarian relief or education, years in operation, annual budget, and one or two proof points of measurable impact. Keep it under 400 words. Family foundation trustees at this level do not want to read grant applications; they want to understand in 90 seconds whether your work resonates with their values.