Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation is a private charitable foundation based in Los Angeles, California. It was established in 1952 by Thomas E. Leavey, a co-founder of Farmers Insurance Group, and his wife, Dorothy E. Risley Leavey. The foundation's work has focused on supporting education, health care, civic institutions, cultural organizations, religious projects, and programs connected with American freedom and private enterprise. The foundation is known for making many gifts anonymously or with limited public attribution. As a result, its publicly documented grantmaking represents only part of its philanthropic activity. Institutions identified as recipients include Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount University, Georgetown University, the University of Southern California, St. John's Health Center, California Hospital Medical Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Music Center, the United Negro College Fund, and the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. A notable religious and civic contribution was a grant to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles toward construction of a new cathedral intended to replace the Cathedral of St. Vibiana. The foundation's philanthropy has also been commemorated through named buildings, academic positions, libraries, residence facilities, research centers, health-care facilities, and educational awards. These naming relationships provide visible evidence of its long-term institutional giving, even though many other grants have not been publicly identified. Named facilities and programs associated with the foundation include the Leavey Center at Georgetown University; the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Chair in the Foundations of American Freedom in Georgetown's Department of Government; the Leavey School of Business and Leavey Activities Center at Santa Clara University; and the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. Other affiliated namesakes include facilities at Loyola Marymount University, the University of Southern California's Leavey Library, the Dorothy E. Leavey Family Resource Center operated by the Assistance League in Hollywood, the Dorothy and Thomas Leavey Cancer Center at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, and the Dorothy and Thomas Leavey Commons at Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles. The foundation also supports recognition of excellence in private-enterprise education through the Leavey Awards, administered by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Kathleen McCarthy Leavey, the daughter of Thomas and Dorothy Leavey, serves as chair, linking the foundation's current governance with the founding family. It is not a commercial consumer brand or a publicly traded organization; its public identity is principally associated with sustained philanthropic support and the institutions that bear the Leavey name.

The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation was created in 1952 by Thomas E. Leavey and Dorothy E. Risley Leavey. Thomas Leavey was a co-founder of Farmers Insurance Group, and the foundation's origins therefore lie in the philanthropic activity of a family associated with the development of a major American insurance business. From its Los Angeles base, the foundation developed a broad grantmaking profile rather than a narrowly specialized program. Its publicly associated beneficiaries span universities, hospitals, cultural institutions, civic organizations, religious bodies, and educational initiatives. A defining feature of the foundation's history is the limited public visibility of much of its giving. Many donations have remained anonymous, meaning that named facilities and published recipient acknowledgments offer an incomplete account of the foundation's overall activity. The institutions that have publicly connected themselves with the foundation nevertheless show a consistent emphasis on durable institutional capacity. Rather than focusing only on short-term projects, its giving has helped support buildings, academic programs, libraries, research centers, health facilities, student services, and awards. Higher education has been a particularly visible area of activity. At Georgetown University, the foundation is associated with the Leavey Center, a student and campus-services complex that includes recreational and meeting areas, hospitality and conference facilities, retail, and dining functions. It also endowed the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Chair in the Foundations of American Freedom in the university's Department of Government. At Santa Clara University, the foundation's name is attached to the Leavey School of Business and the Leavey Activities Center, an athletic and academic facility. At Loyola Marymount University, it is associated with the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles, a research institution working on public opinion, election-related polling, leadership, and community studies, as well as other campus facilities and residence halls. The University of Southern California's Leavey Library is another prominent academic namesake. The foundation's health-care philanthropy is represented by support for organizations including St. John's Health Center, California Hospital Medical Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and Northridge Hospital Medical Center. The Dorothy and Thomas Leavey Cancer Center at Northridge Hospital is among the facilities that publicly preserve the family's name. The foundation has also supported cultural and civic organizations, including the Los Angeles County Music Center, and community-serving work such as the Dorothy E. Leavey Family Resource Center operated by the Assistance League in Hollywood. Religious and civic giving forms another part of the historical record. The foundation provided support to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for construction of a new cathedral intended to replace the Cathedral of St. Vibiana. It also supported the United Negro College Fund and the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Through the latter organization, the Leavey Awards recognize achievement in private-enterprise education, extending the foundation's interests into the teaching and public understanding of business and enterprise. In its later history, governance remained connected to the founding family. Kathleen McCarthy Leavey, the daughter of Thomas and Dorothy Leavey, is identified as chair. The foundation continues to be understood primarily through its grantmaking and the network of institutions, programs, and facilities that carry the Leavey name. Public sources do not provide a complete chronology of its grants, a public website, or a detailed account of its internal administration, so its documented history is necessarily centered on its founders, publicly acknowledged beneficiaries, and named philanthropic legacies.

• 1952

  Foundation established

  [1]Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas E. Leavey and Dorothy E. Risley Leavey established the charitable foundation in Los Angeles.

• Expansion of institutional philanthropy

  [1]Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Over the course of its operating history, the foundation supported universities, hospitals, cultural institutions, civic organizations, religious projects, and educational programs across the United States, with particular visibility in California.

• Family-linked governance

  [1]Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Kathleen McCarthy Leavey, daughter of the founders, became chair of the foundation.

A family-founded philanthropic institution whose identity is associated with long-term, largely private charitable giving to education, health care, civic life, culture, religion, and programs promoting freedom and private enterprise.

• Higher-education institutional support

  United States

  The foundation has supported universities and campus facilities including Georgetown University, Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount University, and the University of Southern California. Publicly associated projects include academic programs, student facilities, a library, research activities, and residence halls.

  Outcome. The grants produced a network of named educational facilities, endowed academic activity, and university programs carrying the Leavey name.

  Source
• Health-care and hospital philanthropy

  California · United States

  The foundation provided support to health-care institutions including St. John's Health Center, California Hospital Medical Center, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

  Outcome. The foundation's name is preserved in the Dorothy and Thomas Leavey Cancer Center at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

  Source
• Los Angeles cathedral support

  Los Angeles, California

  The foundation supported the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the construction of a new cathedral intended to replace the Cathedral of St. Vibiana.

  Outcome. The contribution became one of the foundation's publicly documented religious and civic gifts.

  Source
• Private-enterprise education awards

  United States

  The foundation supports the Leavey Awards, which recognize excellence in private-enterprise education and are administered by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.

  Outcome. The awards extend the foundation's philanthropic presence into recognition and advancement of private-enterprise education.

  Source

1. 1Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundationen.wikipedia.org