Lever for Change

Lever for Change is a grantmaking organization affiliated with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Since inception in 2019, the organization manages and promotes grantmaking competitions with minimum awards of $10 million each. Lever for Change works with donors to execute competitions and maintains a database to match donors with potential grantees. The group also assists grant recipients with public relations and communications.

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Multi-Issue Advocacy
Website: www.leverforchange.org
Founded:

2019

CEO:

Cecelia A. Conrad

Location: Chicago, IL View on map
Tax ID: 83-3044655
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $13,824,636 Revenue: $12,203,215 Expenses: $8,972,138

Contents

    History

    Lever for Change was formed in 2019 as an affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 1 Lever for Change was formed in response to the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change grant that makes a single $100 million grant to an innovative recipient. 2 Lever for Change both manages competitions for grant money and matches donors with vetted grant recipients in an online searchable database. 3 Lever for Change states its core values to be openness, transparency, equity, and inclusion. 4

    Programs

    Lever for Change sponsors customized competitions for grant donors to source and evaluate grant proposals with minimum awards of $10 million per competition. 5 Lever for Change has run competitions in a number of fields including fighting global warming. 5 Lever for Change sponsored the Stronger Democracy Award that provided grant money to left-leaning groups including Accelerate Change, the Ballot Freedom Project, and City Bureau. 6 Additionally, Lever for Change works with the MacArthur Foundation in the Bold Solutions Network to provide a quicker approach to match donors with potential grantees. 7

    Lever for Change also provides support to grant applicants to evaluate proposals and match applicants with available funding opportunities and grant competitions. 5 In addition to awarding award money, Lever for Change seeks to help nonprofits raise their public profile to be eligible to receive future funding. 5 Lever for Change states vetting and sharing donors with recipients has increased awards and timing of grants. 8

    Finances

    Lever for Change has total assets of $27,075,499. 9 According to the organization’s tax returns from 2019, Lever for Change recorded $26,602,235 in revenue and $19,784,629 in expenses. 9 Top investors in Lever for Change include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Reid Hoffman, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. 10

    Leadership

    Cecelia A. Conrad has been CEO of Lever for Change since inception in 2019. 11 Conrad has also been a managing director of the MacArthur Foundation since 2013. 12 In addition to leading Lever for Change, Conrad oversees the MacArthur Fellows program and 100&Change grant competition for a single grant of $100 million. 12 Previously, Conrad worked in many roles at Pomona College in Claremont, California. 12 Conrad held the positions of Stedman Sumner chair of economics, associate dean of the college, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, and acting president. 12 Conrad was also on the faculty at Barnard College and Duke University. 12  Conrad has a B.A. from Wellesley College and Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University. 12

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $13,824,636 $12,203,215 $8,972,138 View
    2023 $8,882,516 $2,343,100 $8,458,871 View
    2022 $14,618,045 $4,638,803 $7,679,368 View
    2021 $17,371,828 $11,059,988 $7,772,907 View
    2020 $14,835,227 $1,611,182 $7,719,402 View

    Prior year filings: 2019

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $56,275,000
    • Number of Grants: 15
    • Number of Funders: 8

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $8,000,0002021 The Chicago Community TrustGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $5,000,0002021 MacKenzie ScottMackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett made an unrestricted grant of $5 million to Lever for Change. This grant is part of the $2,739,000,000 in gifts to 286 high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked, and social sector infrastructure organizations that support them.
    $4,000,0002024 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationIn support of general operations.
    $3,600,0002024 MacKenzie ScottMacKenzie Scott made an unrestricted grant of $3.6 million to Lever for Change. Lever for Change connects donors with problem solvers to find and fund bold, effective solutions to accelerate social change.
    $3,600,0002024 The Chicago Community TrustGeneral support for programs, operations and other charitable purposes
    $2,500,0002020 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $1,750,0002023 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $1,125,0002021 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $500,0002024 Gates FoundationPUBLIC AWARENESS AND ANALYSIS
    $500,0002022 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $400,0002024 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncMEDICAL / PUBLIC SERVICES
    $250,0002024 Arrow ImpactGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $50,0002024 Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc.PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $680,000
    • Number of Grants: 25
    • Number of Recipients: 17

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $100,0002020 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.The grant award provided support to Mercy Corps, a 501(c)3 organization, jointly selected by Lever for Change and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc. ALL GRANT FUNDS WERE PAID TO MERCY CORPS, BY ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS, INC., FOR FURTHERANCE OF MERCY CORPS' MISSION.
    $35,0002023 NATIONAL DOMESTIC WORKERS ALLIANCE INCin support of the Care in Common Public Education Campaign
    $25,0002024 Clinton Health Access Initiative IncIn support of the partnering to Increase Awareness on Disability Inclusive Health
    $25,0002024 Gallaudet UniversityIn support of the Ensuring Deaf Children's Early Access to Sign Language
    $25,0002024 IGNITEIn support of Powering Up Voter Mobilization and Amplifying Gen Z Voices
    $25,0002024 Multiple EUROPE (INCLUDING ICELAND & GREENLAND) RecipientsGENERAL HEALTHCARE SUPPORT
    $25,0002024 Multiple EUROPE (INCLUDING ICELAND & GREENLAND) RecipientsYOUTH RESILIENCY FUND
    $25,0002024 Power for AllRENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPORT of a Localized Program for Training, Internships, and Green Jobs in the Decentralized Renewable Energy (DRE) Sector
    $25,0002024 Talent Beyond Boundaries IncIn support of the Refugee Access to Labor Pathways & Economic Inclusion
    $25,0002023 Clinton Health Access Initiative Incin support of the Partnering to Increase Awareness on Disability Inclusive Health at the 2023 World Health Summit
    $25,0002023 Landesa | Rural Development Institutein support of Women's Communal Land Rights research
    $25,0002023 Power for Allin support of the Integrated Energy Models: From Pioneers to Mainstream
    $25,0002022 Bard Collegein support of The Worldwide Teach-in on Climate and Justice.
    $25,0002022 IGNITEin support of creating systems, structures, and a culture of support for all IGNITE staff and participants who are caregivers.
    $25,0002022 National Marine Mammal Foundation Incin support of a project to build veterinary capacity to fill vital knowledge gaps for endangered Indus River dolphins (Platanista minor) rescued from irrigation canals in Pakistan.
    $25,0002022 New Mexico Community Capitalin support of a project to co-create storytelling campaigns with Indigenous creatives and film/media experts in order to reframe entrepreneurship in communities.
    $25,0002022 OneSky for all childrenin support of a project to design, pilot, and test a mobile business management application to support home-based childcare providers who have graduated from OneSky's program aimed at improving provision of ECD services for vulnerable children in Vietnam.
    $25,0002022 Power for Allin support of a project to drive awareness and support of the Distributed Renewable Energy sector's potential as a jobs engine by creating an advocacy campaign focused on empowering youth.
    $25,0002021 Bard Collegeto support the 2022 Worldwide Teach-In on Climate and Justice
    $25,0002021 Calcef Innovationsto support the New Energy Nexus Online Startup School
    $25,0002021 HIMALAYAN CATARACT PROJECT INCto support an alliance strategy to address needless cataract blindness in aligned operating countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
    $25,0002021 Talent Beyond Boundaries Incin support of 150 students and professional refugees in Lebanon access to career fairs and workshops
    $25,0002021 The Task Force for Global Health, Inc.in support of accelerating progress toward the elimination of leprosy
    $10,0002022 IGNITEin support of general operations.
    $10,0002022 JUST COMMUNITY INCin support of general operations.

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “About Us.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/faqs/.
    2. [1] “100&Change.” MacArthur Foundation. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.macfound.org/programs/100change/;
    3. [1] “Lever for Change.” MacArthur Foundation. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.macfound.org/programs/lever-change/.
    4. “Our Mission.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/our-mission/.
    5. “Funders.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/what-we-do/funders/.
    6. Stronger Democracy Award. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.strongerdemocracyaward.org/winners.
    7. [1] “Funders.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/what-we-do/funders/.
    8. “Applicants.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/what-we-do/applicants/.
    9. Lever for Change, Return of a Nonprofit Corporation (Form 990), 2019.
    10. “Partners.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/investors-partners/.
    11. [1] “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.
    12. “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.