The sun is rising on the next phase of impact at The Leon Levine Foundation.
This is our time for Legacy with Urgency.
Leon Levine always wanted to empower underserved and Jewish Carolinians who helped him and his business, Family Dollar Stores, become successful. Because of his generosity, The Leon Levine Foundation is now one of the largest in the country. We are now in a position to lead boldly and accelerate the pace of change. It took 50 years to build a legacy. We have 50 more to drive permanent change.
The Announcement
The Leon Levine Foundation Expands to $2 Billion, Launches Bold Next Chapter of Strategic Giving
CHARLOTTE, NC– The Leon Levine Foundation (TLLF), one of the Southeast’s leading philanthropic institutions, today announced a major milestone: its assets are now $2 billion, nearly tripling in size since 2023.
This extraordinary growth is a direct result of the profound generosity of Leon Levine, the Family Dollar Stores founder, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who made significant financial commitments to his foundation before his passing. TLLF is now the second-largest private foundation in North Carolina, among the top 10 in the Southeast, and in the top 75 in the country, according to the most recent filings available.
“The sun is rising on a new era for The Leon Levine Foundation: one marked by legacy with urgency,” Tom Lawrence, TLLF president and CEO, said. “To meet this moment, we have expanded our board and built the preeminent team. Leon Levine charged us with the opportunity and responsibility to lead boldly, act with urgency, and drive transformational change.”
Over the past two years, TLLF has significantly increased its grantmaking across the Carolinas. With more than 400 grantee partners in North and South Carolina, TLLF awarded a record $101 million in grants in FY25*. This brings the total to $590 million awarded since the Foundation’s creation in 1980.
Those numbers will increase exponentially in the coming years. TLLF is now launching an ambitious new chapter of strategic grantmaking designed to empower underserved Carolinians to be self-sufficient and strengthen the Jewish community. Grants will be strategically tied to the Foundation’s four mission areas: healthcare, human services, education, and Jewish values, with a goal of finding bold, innovative ideas from new and existing partners to solve challenges on a greater scale.
The Foundation is also transitioning its investment portfolio to a model where every dollar works twice: once through financial return and again through measurable social impact.
“Leon Levine was committed to giving back to the Family Dollar customers who gave so much to him,” Michael Tarwater, TLLF board chair, said. “We honor his life and legacy by focusing our philanthropy in the place he proudly called home, and we are now poised to make a significant impact across North and South Carolina for generations to come.”
With this momentum comes a bold strategic commitment: The Leon Levine Foundation will intentionally spend down all its assets, ultimately sunsetting its operations within the next 50 years. This decision reflects Mr. Levine’s core belief that urgency in giving can drive lasting impact, and that true permanence lies not in the Foundation’s continued existence, but in the enduring change it catalyzes in people, institutions, and communities across the Carolinas.
“The goal is self-sufficiency for our neighbors, not self-preservation for us,” Lawrence said. “We’re here to accelerate progress, fund innovation, and elevate partners already doing incredible work. The impact of that work will outlast any one institution. That’s how Leon Levine’s legacy lives on.”
*Some grants are multi-year awards and will be paid over time. The Leon Levine Foundation paid $58M in FY25.
A Letter from Our President
Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Sun Also Rises, grapples with themes of loss and existential crisis; yet, through resilience and adaptation, its characters come to understand that meaning and fulfillment can still be found through connection and purpose.
Much like these characters in The Sun Also Rises, who search for meaning and purpose in an unfamiliar world, the preparation for The Leon Levine Foundation’s next phase of impact causes it to embark on a journey of transformation, ensuring that Leon Levine’s legacy extends far beyond its defined lifespan. While Hemingway’s novel explores a generation grappling with impermanence and lost ideals, the Foundation faces its own form of impermanence: not as an end, but as a catalyst for enduring change.
Prior to his passing, Leon Levine decided that the Foundation will operate for a limited lifespan, sunsetting within 50 years after his April 5, 2023, death. Mr. Levine believed this intentional spenddown will allow the Foundation to maintain focus, efficiency, and maximize impactful grantmaking. The increased distribution approach will enable, if not force, larger, long-term grants and collaborative partnerships. The Board will determine the most effective execution strategy, ensuring strong leadership, track record-based decision making, and grant partner sustainability. This thoughtful grantmaking and strategic distribution will preserve Mr. Levine’s philanthropic legacy.
TLLF’s goal is unique, and it will pursue a specific path. The Foundation’s goal for spending assets beyond required minimum distributions should be to perpetuate the systems it builds or strengthens in pursuit of its mission. While one-off, outsized funding opportunities may arise, strategic grants should prioritize self-sufficiency for underserved Carolinians and strengthening the Jewish community.
We do not know precisely what the next 50 years will hold for TLLF. What we do know is that this sunset strategy will create dramatic positive impact for underserved and Jewish Carolinians, and the initiatives it funds will continue to shape and strengthen communities for generations to come. When that happens, the sun will continually shine on Leon Levine’s legacy of giving for which he worked so hard and so generously gave to all of us to shepherd. We celebrate this legacy and all it means for the Carolinas. It is our fervent belief that the Foundation’s sunset is not a fading into obscurity, but rather a deliberate act of creation, a sunrise, building lasting legacies that, like the echoes of Hemingway’s novel, endure long after their moment has passed.
– Tom Lawrence, President and CEO
Your Questions, Answered
Q: I’m a grantee. Are you keeping the financial commitments you’ve already made to your existing partners?
A: Yes. We are keeping our commitments.
Q: Will your mission remain the same?
A: Yes. Our work will always honor Leon Levine’s legacy by empowering underserved Carolinians to be self-sufficient and strengthening our Jewish community.
Q: Are you prioritizing specific geographic areas?
A: Our footprint extends across North and South Carolina. That will not change.
Q: You said your grantmaking strategy is becoming more strategic. What does that mean?
A: Our grantee partners are doing incredible work, and we view this as an opportunity to deepen their impact as we look to solve challenges on a greater scale. Our primary focus for new funding opportunities is on bold, transformative ideas aligned with our mission areas: healthcare, human services, education, and Jewish values. A more defined set of strategies within our mission areas will emerge over the next few months.
Q: Can you provide examples of recent projects you’ve funded that are directionally aligned with your emerging strategies?
A: We’ve issued several strategic grants to scale proven ideas that align with mission area priorities. In our healthcare mission area, we issued two grants focused on expanding youth mental health care in previously underserved or rural counties. In our human services mission area, we supported a project that builds on work to create and test a meaningful alternative to the child welfare system. And in the Jewish values space, we seeded a demographic study and leadership cohort across the two states to better understand the needs and trends of our growing Jewish population.
Q: Is TLLF still offering traditional grants?
A: Yes. The Foundation awards general operating support, project/program support, and capital campaign support. Endowments are rarely funded under our current strategy. As strategies evolve, the mix of what gets funded will shift.
Q: How do we apply for grants?
A: The Foundation accepts Letters of Inquiry on a rolling basis. More information about our application process and criteria can be found in the grantmaking section of our website. You can read more about eligibility requirements here.
Q: Do you have plans to stop accepting or approving grant applications?
A: No. Our grant application process is not changing at this time.
Q: How do we stay informed about updates to the strategy over time?
A: Regular updates will be shared via our website, social media, webinars, and town halls. Program teams will also communicate opportunities to engage. If you would like to receive updates from us, please email sunrise@levinefdn.org.
Interested in Becoming a Grantee?
We’re excited to support organizations making a positive impact in the Carolinas. If your organization meets our eligibility criteria and aligns with our values, we welcome you to learn more about the application process.
Click the button below to explore guidelines, deadlines, and helpful resources designed to make your application experience smooth and clear.
For more information, please contact: sunrise@levinefdn.org