Leichtag Foundation

What Leichtag Foundation does

Leichtag Foundation is a private nonprofit foundation established in 1991 by Lee and Toni Leichtag and headquartered in Encinitas, California. It operates as a limited-life foundation, meaning it is executing a deliberate sunset strategy that will transition its programs, staff, and assets into three independent successor organizations: Coastal Roots Farm, Impact Cubed, and Jerusalem Philanthropy Initiatives. The foundation anchors its work on the 67.5-acre Leichtag Commons, a former Paul Ecke Ranch property that combines a working farm, coworking and event space (The Hive), fellowship programs, and grantee offices under a single campus.

The foundation's programmatic portfolio centers on four grantmaking priorities: North County Jewish Life, Self-Sufficiency, Jerusalem Renewal, and San Diego–Israel Connections. Its flagship operating program, Coastal Roots Farm, produces more than 80,000 pounds of food annually, of which over 70% is donated to address food insecurity in North San Diego County. Complementary programs include the Jewish Food Justice Fellowship and Leichtag Advisory Services, the latter of which deploys the foundation's expertise through initiatives such as the Security Capacity Initiative (launched in partnership with the Magnes Collection at UC Berkeley in 2021). The Hive coworking and event space generates modest commercial revenue while serving as a community engagement channel.

Financially, Leichtag is an endowment-funded grantmaking institution rather than a revenue-generating enterprise. Its operating model combines endowment returns, farm produce sales, coworking rents, and event income to fund programs. Leadership transitioned in March 2024, with Charlene Seidle appointed President and CEO and Jim Farley named Executive Chair, formalizing the foundation's path through its sunset period into the three successor entities. The foundation employs 11–50 staff and operates across two geographies: coastal North San Diego County in the United States and Jerusalem in Israel.

Name

Leichtag Foundation

Legal name

Leichtag Foundation

Website

https://leichtag.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leichtag Foundation is a private limited-life foundation in Encinitas, California, executing a managed sunset that will transition its Jewish community, food justice, and Israel grantmaking programs into three independent successor organizations: Coastal Roots Farm, Impact Cubed, and Jerusalem Philanthropy Initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation & Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Community development
• Jewish nonprofit foundation
• Social entrepreneurship support
• Food justice programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Encinitas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: The foundation operates as a private philanthropic organization funded by an endowment. It makes grants to support vibrant Jewish life, economic self-sufficiency, and social change in coastal North County San Diego and Jerusalem.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Leichtag Foundation is a private limited-life philanthropic foundation that makes grants and operates community programs to advance vibrant Jewish life, self-sufficiency, and social entrepreneurship in coastal North County San Diego and Jerusalem. It operates a 67.5-acre campus (Leichtag Commons) housing Coastal Roots Farm, The Hive coworking/community space, and various Jewish programming, and provides philanthropic consulting and capacity-building services through Leichtag Advisory Services.

Product overview

Leichtag Foundation is a limited-life philanthropy organization (est. 1991) that operates as a portfolio of programs and facilities rather than a unified software product. The foundation's offerings include: Leichtag Commons (a 67.5-acre multi-tenant campus), Coastal Roots Farm (a Jewish community farm and food security program), The Hive (Jewish collaborative coworking), Jerusalem Philanthropy Initiatives, Impact Cubed, the Jewish Food Justice Fellowship, and Leichtag Advisory Services. These programs collectively advance the foundation's mission of igniting vibrant Jewish life, advancing self-sufficiency, and stimulating social entrepreneurship in North San Diego County and Jerusalem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coastal Roots Farm: Jewish community farm that grows organic produce and operates food justice programs
• The Hive
• Jewish Food Justice Fellowship

Products and services

• Coastal Roots Farm A Jewish community farm at Leichtag Commons that grows over 80,000 pounds of food annually and donates more than 70% of its harvest to San Diegans facing food insecurity. Operates an on-site pay-what-you-can Farm Stand and food justice programs. Planned successor organization of the Leichtag Foundation.
• The Hive at Leichtag Commons A Jewish collaborative coworking space and community hub offering social and cultural experiences, event hosting, memberships, and networking opportunities for the Jewish community in North County San Diego. Includes HIVE membership applications and event/catering request services.
• Impact Cubed A philanthropic organization announced as one of the foundation's three planned successor organizations, assuming ownership of Leichtag Commons to continue community programming, coworking, and Jewish life initiatives.
• Jerusalem Philanthropy Initiatives (JPI) Strategic philanthropic initiative focused on renewal, service, and social activism in Jerusalem, Israel, working to develop leadership capacity and expand the Jerusalem Model. Designated as one of the foundation's three planned successor organizations.
• Leichtag Commons A 67.5-acre multi-tenant community campus in Encinitas, California serving as a platform for Jewish community life, urban farming, educational programs, and cultural events, including The Hive and Coastal Roots Farm.
• Leichtag Advisory Services Capacity building and philanthropic consulting services offered to nonprofit organizations and foundations, including advisory on strategy, operations, and philanthropy best practices.
• Strategic Focus & Grantmaking The foundation's grantmaking program with strategic focus areas including North County Jewish Life, Self-Sufficiency, Jerusalem Renewal, and San Diego–Israel Connections, awarding grants to vetted nonprofit partners.
• Jewish Food Justice Fellowship A professional development fellowship for alumni of Jewish Outdoor, Food, and Environmental Education (JOFEE) programs, focusing on food system advocacy and community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000+ pounds of food grown annually with 70%+ donated
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Impact CubedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Impact Cubed will assume ownership of Leichtag Commons as part of the foundation's planned transition to three independent successor organizations. It is a key vehicle for continuing the foundation's community impact work.
• Jerusalem Philanthropy InitiativescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 February 2023Jerusalem Philanthropy Initiatives (JPI) is one of the foundation's three planned successor organizations. JPI focuses on stimulating renewal, service, and social activism in Jerusalem. The foundation is transitioning to phased creation of three independent organizations.
• Coastal Roots FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoastal Roots Farm is one of three planned successor organizations of the Leichtag Foundation. It operates as a Jewish community farm growing produce and donating harvest to food-insecure residents.
• HazonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHazon, the world's largest Jewish environmental organization, joined the North County Jewish Hub at Leichtag Commons in 2014. Gabi Scher was appointed Associate Director of Hazon San Diego to develop JOFEE (Jewish Outdoor, Food, and Environmental Education) programs.
• Jewish Community Foundation of San DiegomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint announcements and collaborative community statements on antisemitism and other Jewish community issues. Co-funded the 'Making Ends Meet' self-sufficiency study.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Combined Jewish Philanthropies: One of the largest Jewish federations in the US, with comparable grantmaking into Jewish life, social services, and Israel programming; a much larger incumbent in the same overarching Jewish philanthropic category.
• Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles: Major Southern California Jewish foundation with overlapping grantmaking focus areas; comparable structure and donor-advised fund model, larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• UJA-Federation of New York: Largest Jewish federation in the US with grantmaking, Israel engagement, and social services programs that overlap Leichtag's portfolio categories; a broad incumbent rather than a direct geographic competitor.

Direct peers

• Hazon: National Jewish environmental and food organization; co-located at Leichtag Commons since 2014 and partner in JOFEE programming — directly comparable on the Jewish food/environmental education axis and the most operationally similar peer in the JOFEE space.
• Jewish Federation of San Diego County: Regional Jewish community anchor in the same San Diego North County geography, raising and deploying philanthropic capital across Jewish life, social services, and Israel engagement — directly comparable donor base and programmatic portfolio.
• Maimonides Fund: Private Jewish foundation with dual US–Israel grantmaking focus that mirrors Leichtag's San Diego–Jerusalem corridor strategy; comparable donor base, mission, and cross-border operating model.
• Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego: Direct geographic and mission peer — a San Diego Jewish community foundation that manages donor-advised funds and makes grants across the same Jewish community, self-sufficiency, and Israel-engagement focus areas as Leichtag, and is an active Leichtag co-funder and partner.
• Helen Diller Family Foundation: Large US Jewish family foundation with grantmaking across Jewish education, science, and Israel — comparable as a private Jewish foundation making strategic programmatic investments, though at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Harold Grinspoon Foundation: Jewish family foundation operating programs like PJ Library with deep community-rooted programmatic infrastructure comparable to Leichtag's JOFEE-style community engagement model, though at different scale.

Regional players

• The San Diego Foundation: The largest community foundation in San Diego County, operating across the same North County geography with a comparable grantmaking and self-sufficiency focus — comparable in scale and structure but secular and broader in mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LeichtagFdn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LeichtagFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/LeichtagFdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leichtag-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/leichtagfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Leichtag Foundation