Leon Levine Foundation Career-Connected Learning Grants

Sponsor: Leon Levine Foundation
Internal Deadline: 02/05/2026
Institutional Submission Limit: 2
Sponsor Deadline: 02/27/2026
Program Website

The Leon Levine Foundation is currently inviting Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) for its Carolina Career-Connected Learning Challenge, a multi-million-dollar RFP designed to expand career-connected learning opportunities for students in grades 7–14 across North and South Carolina. The challenge will invest up to $2.5 million in nonprofit organizations that are strengthening the connection between education and the workforce, with a focus on improving outcomes for low-income and first-generation students.

 

Through unrestricted, one-year grants ranging from $150,000 to $250,000, the Foundation will support proven programs that help students transition from middle and high school into postsecondary education and, ultimately, into careers that provide long-term economic stability. Select organizations demonstrating strong impact may be eligible for larger grants and/or additional follow-on funding.

 

Core Objectives

1. Put More High Schoolers on Pathways to Livable Wage Jobs


2. Improve Outcomes for Low-Income Students


3. Strengthen Transitions (Grades 9-14)


4. Encourage Employer Co-Design

 

Core Career-Connected Components:

• Work-based learning (internships, apprenticeships, paid placements)


• Industry-recognized credentials for HS students


• Dual enrollment or strong HS–postsecondary pathways


• Employer engagement or co-designed curriculum


• Career exploration programming


• AI-driven or tech-enabled guidance


• First-gen family engagement


• Job placement support

 

Grant Size: Unrestricted 1-year grants up to $500,000, though we anticipate that most funded concepts will be awarded between $125,000 and $250,000. Follow-on Funding: Opportunities for additional support may be available for partners demonstrating outsized impact.

Geography: While organizations can be based anywhere, the project must serve students in North or South Carolina.

Focus: Programs must currently serve students in Grades 7-14 or first-generation college students, with a primary focus on low-income populations.

 

What will not be funded:

• Programs that only address academic outcomes, with limited ties to CCL


• Tuition/scholarships


• Direct lobbying efforts


• Religious activities


• Fundraising events or galas


• Capital campaigns for building renovations or acquisitions


• Costs of sustaining an existing program, with limited plans to scale


• Programs for adult learners (18+) only

Submission Process

All submissions must be coordinated with the office of Corporate & Foundation Relations. Please contact Jennifer McCormack, Assistant Vice President, Corporate & Foundation Relations at mccormjn@mailbox.sc.edu or 803-777-5076 to apply. Opportunities to build partnerships that complement prior funding from the Leon Levine Foundation may also exist.

For questions regarding this opportunity, please contact Jennifer McCormack in Corporate & Foundation Relations at mccormjn@mailbox.sc.edu.