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.

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. ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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. ⁸

Lever for Change also provides support to grant applicants to evaluate proposals and match applicants with available funding opportunities and grant competitions. ⁹ In addition to awarding award money, Lever for Change seeks to help nonprofits raise their public profile to be eligible to receive future funding. ¹⁰ Lever for Change states vetting and sharing donors with recipients has increased awards and timing of grants. ¹¹

Finances

Lever for Change has total assets of $27,075,499. ¹² According to the organization’s tax returns from 2019, Lever for Change recorded $26,602,235 in revenue and $19,784,629 in expenses. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴

Leadership

Cecelia A. Conrad has been CEO of Lever for Change since inception in 2019. ¹⁵ Conrad has also been a managing director of the MacArthur Foundation since 2013. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ Previously, Conrad worked in many roles at Pomona College in Claremont, California. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ Conrad was also on the faculty at Barnard College and Duke University. ²⁰  Conrad has a B.A. from Wellesley College and Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University. ²¹

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. “Funders.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/what-we-do/funders/.
7. Stronger Democracy Award. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.strongerdemocracyaward.org/winners.
8. ^[1] “Funders.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/what-we-do/funders/.
9. “Funders.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/what-we-do/funders/.
10. “Funders.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/what-we-do/funders/.
11. “Applicants.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/what-we-do/applicants/.
12. Lever for Change, Return of a Nonprofit Corporation (Form 990), 2019.
13. Lever for Change, Return of a Nonprofit Corporation (Form 990), 2019.
14. “Partners.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/investors-partners/.
15. ^[1] “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.
16. “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.
17. “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.
18. “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.
19. “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.
20. “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.
21. “Cecilia Conrad.” Lever for Change. Accessed July 22, 2022. https://www.leverforchange.org/about-us/people/cecilia-conrad/.