Thomas And Dorothy Leavey Foundation

The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation with deep roots in Catholic philanthropy and the legacy of Farmers Insurance co-founder Thomas Leavey. With $342 million in assets and approximately $14–17 million in annual distributions, it is one of the largest Southern California foundations — yet it operates with minimal public profile and no public grant portal, reflecting a deliberate relationship-based grantmaking philosophy.

Two distinct funding tracks:

1. Farmers Insurance Scholarship Program: This is the foundation's largest structural program by transaction volume, providing merit-and-need based scholarships to children of Farmers Insurance employees and agents nationwide. With approximately 40,000 eligible employees and agents, the program is employer-linked and not open to the general public. Recipients are chosen by an independent selection committee. Individual scholarship awards tend to be modest (explaining the $3,000 median grant), while the aggregate program expenditure is significant.

2. Discretionary Institutional Grants: The foundation makes larger strategic gifts — up to $4 million per grant — to organizations aligned with the founders' vision: Catholic educational institutions, healthcare, cultural organizations, and civic causes in Southern California. These grants are awarded through private deliberation with no public RFP or application cycle.

How grantees gain access:

Given the absence of a public website or application portal, the Leavey Foundation is a quintessential relationship-driven foundation. Successful grantees are almost always: - Organizations with prior institutional relationships to Thomas and Dorothy Leavey - Catholic educational institutions (Jesuit universities are particularly well represented: Santa Clara University, Georgetown, Loyola Marymount, USC) - Organizations recommended by existing grantees, board members, or trusted intermediaries in the Los Angeles Catholic philanthropic network

Geographic constraint: 990 filings explicitly note grants are "usually made in Southern California." Non-Southern California organizations seeking major institutional grants face a structural disadvantage unless they have a clear historical connection to the Leavey family (as Georgetown University does).

Application approach: The foundation accepts letter-form applications. A concise, mission-aligned letter of inquiry sent by mail to the Los Angeles address, followed by a phone inquiry to (310) 551-9936, is the appropriate first step.

Annual Grantmaking Volume: The Leavey Foundation has been remarkably consistent in its total distributions, averaging approximately $15.6 million per year from 2020–2023: - 2023: $14,923,126 - 2022: $15,068,310 - 2021: $17,472,308 - 2020: $14,873,780

Grant Size Distribution (215 grants in 990-PF dataset): - Minimum grant: $3,000 - Median grant: $3,000 - Average grant: $83,281 - Maximum grant: $4,000,000

The extreme gap between median ($3,000) and average ($83,281) reveals a bimodal portfolio: - Tier 1 — Scholarship Awards: A very large number of small grants ($3,000 range) to individual scholarship recipients (Farmers Insurance children). These dominate by count. - Tier 2 — Institutional Grants: A small number of large grants ($100,000 to $4,000,000) to universities, hospitals, and Catholic institutions. These dominate by dollar value.

Asset Volatility: The foundation's assets fluctuated significantly during 2020–2023 due to investment performance. The 2021 spike to $371M (from $353M in 2020) reflects strong equity markets; the 2022 decline to $292M reflects market correction. Assets recovered to $318M (book value) by end of 2023, with a current $342M book value.

Officer Compensation: Notably minimal — $7,200–$9,600 per year in officer compensation across all years, suggesting the foundation operates with extremely lean administrative overhead (likely relying on outside legal/investment advisors).

Investment Income: Net investment income ranged from $12M (2023) to $60.7M (2021, an exceptional year with capital gains). This income funds distributions.

No earned income from public donors: The foundation has no meaningful contributions from outside (grscontrgifts = $0 across all years) — it operates entirely on the endowment built by the Leavey family.

The Leavey Foundation occupies a distinctive position among Southern California private foundations — large by assets, low-profile by design, and embedded in Catholic philanthropic networks. The following peer comparison highlights its positioning:

Key observations:

1. Leavey is unusually private for its size. At $342M in assets, most foundations of this scale maintain a public grants portal. Leavey's letter-only approach with no public website makes it one of the more opaque large foundations in California.

2. The Parsons Foundation is the most accessible peer for SoCal nonprofits — open LOI process, clear focus on Los Angeles County, and public grant guidelines. Organizations unable to access Leavey through relationships should prioritize Parsons.

3. Catholic institutional alignment matters: The Shanahan Family Foundation ($439M) is the closest structural peer — Catholic-aligned, relationship-driven, primarily private. Together these two foundations represent the largest purely private Catholic philanthropic pools in California.

4. Scholarship volume differentiates Leavey: No peer foundation has a comparable employer-linked scholarship program (40,000 eligible Farmers Insurance families). This component makes Leavey's grant count uniquely high relative to its institutional impact.

Financial Recovery (2022–2023): After a challenging 2022 (assets fell to $292M due to market correction), the foundation's portfolio recovered in 2023. Book value assets reached $317.9M by end of 2023, and current reported assets are $342M — suggesting continued recovery into 2024/2025.

Consistent Distributions: Despite asset volatility, the foundation has maintained its distribution commitment at approximately $15M/year — signaling that the board is committed to sustaining grantmaking capacity regardless of short-term market conditions. This is a mark of a mature foundation with a long-term endowment orientation.

No Major Structural Changes Identified: Based on 990-PF filings through 2023, there are no public announcements of major program changes, new grant priorities, or board restructuring. The foundation appears to be operating in a stable, consistent mode with established grantee relationships.

Investment Strategy Note: The 2021 year was exceptional — $60.7M net investment income versus a typical $12–16M range — indicating the foundation benefited substantially from private equity or alternative investment realizations that year, then distributed $17.5M (the highest in the 4-year window). 2023 distributions settled back to $14.9M, reflecting a normalization.

Scholarship Program Continuity: The Farmers Insurance scholarship program appears unchanged in structure over multiple years. With ~40,000 eligible families, this is a large-scale employee benefit program that the foundation administers independently of its discretionary grantmaking.

No public RFP or announcements located: The foundation has no identifiable public web presence, press releases, or grant announcements, consistent with its private operating philosophy.

1. Understand the two-tier structure — target the right track. The Leavey Foundation operates two distinct funding streams: the Farmers Insurance scholarship program (employee/agent families only; not applicable to nonprofits) and discretionary institutional grants. If you represent a nonprofit or institution, your target is the discretionary grants track. Do not confuse the two.

2. Catholic institutional alignment is essential for major grants. The Leavey legacy is deeply rooted in Catholic philanthropy. The largest grants go to Jesuit and Catholic universities (Santa Clara, Georgetown, Loyola Marymount) and Catholic healthcare systems in Southern California. If your institution is Catholic or Jesuit, lead with that affiliation. If you are a secular organization, identify the strongest possible connection to the founders' values: education, community welfare, health.

3. You must be in Southern California (or have a historic Leavey connection). 990-PF filings explicitly note grants are "usually made in Southern California." Non-SoCal organizations should only approach the Leavey Foundation if they have a documented historic relationship with Thomas or Dorothy Leavey (as Georgetown does). Los Angeles County is the sweet spot; the farther you are from LA, the harder the case.

4. There is no public portal — use the letter approach. Application instructions specify "letter form." Write a concise (2-3 page), mission-aligned letter of inquiry addressed to the foundation. The letter should: - Connect your mission to the Leavey legacy (Catholic values, education, community) - Describe the specific project or operating need - Request a specific dollar amount within realistic range ($25,000–$500,000 for first-time organizations; established grantees may seek more) - Include your organization's EIN and a one-page budget summary

Mail to: Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation, Los Angeles, CA (call first to confirm current mailing address: (310) 551-9936).

5. Call before writing — relationship trumps paperwork. With no public website or application portal, a warm introduction or prior phone conversation significantly increases the chance your letter is reviewed. Call (310) 551-9936 to briefly introduce your organization and ask whether your mission area is currently a foundation priority. If you are connected to anyone on the foundation's board or at major Leavey-affiliated institutions (Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount), request an introduction.

6. Budget expectations: calibrate to your organization's history with the foundation. First-time organizations are unlikely to receive major grants. The realistic entry range for new relationships is $25,000–$100,000 in the first cycle. The maximum grant in the portfolio is $4 million, but that reflects long-standing institutional partnerships. Do not approach with a major capital campaign ask as the first contact.

7. Use peer foundations as pipeline starters. The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation is the most accessible peer with a public LOI process, a Los Angeles County focus, and similar interests (education, health, civic). Successfully receiving a Parsons grant can serve as social proof when approaching Leavey. Similarly, building relationships at the Annenberg Foundation and the Milken Family Foundation can open doors in the same philanthropic networks that intersect with Leavey's board.