Our Mission
To provide financial assistance to Southern California organizations that help disadvantaged and disabled young adults feel seen, heard and understood as they transition to adulthood.
We envision a better tomorrow for today’s youth.
To provide financial assistance to Southern California organizations that help disadvantaged and disabled young adults feel seen, heard and understood as they transition to adulthood.
The transition from youth to adulthood is challenging for all young adults – and for those with fewer advantages and limited resources, it can be particularly difficult. That’s why our grants are geared towards programs and projects that support young people ages 13-26 who need extra support in order to meet their medical, educational or other needs…. and to achieve their dreams.
We’re here to ease the transition to emerging adulthood by supporting access to mental health support, medical treatment, fertility protection during chemotherapy, funds for higher education, camp experiences and much more. In order to provide what struggling youths need to flourish, we need to partner with organizations like yours.
Leonard “Lenny” G. Leff lived in Marina Del Rey, California and worked as a Certified Public Accountant. He believed in our youth and frequently helped them. Lenny invested wisely in a few pharmaceutical companies and founded the L.L. Foundation for Youth in April 2018 with the desire to use the Foundation as a way to help young adults.
Sadly, various illnesses prevented Lenny from playing an active role in the Foundation and he passed away in June 2018, entrusting the success of his organization to Melvin J. Kreger and Renate Kreger-Hochleitner. Melvin served as CFO & Secretary until his death in 2020. Renate served as President and continues to proudly hold that position today.
Greetings,
If you have found us through a search, then we have something in common. We are all “searching;” looking for something beyond ourselves and seeking to understand our place in the world as individuals and as organizations. This is never more true than during our youth, but these questions continue throughout life. In February 2020, my role in life changed and I became the CEO of the L.L. Foundation for Youth. Our Founder and donor Leonard “Lenny” left us with a simple wish: to help youth and young adults. He also left us with a question to answer: How can we best help?
At L.L. Foundation for Youth we believe that the period from the teens through the mid – 20s is a critical time. It is a time of challenges and opportunities; a time filled with questions on identity and self, feeling “in-between” and a “sense of broad possibilities “ for the future. “No matter what life throws at you, no matter how sad you feel, always remember that in every struggle you encounter you learn a lesson that makes you move forward, makes you stronger and wiser in the future.” We call this time in life emerging adulthood. We want for our emerging adults to have the resources they need to reach their unique potential. These resources are different for different people and can vary from scholarships, internships in the arts or entertainment, mental health supports, access to services for transgender youth and their families, innovative medical treatments for adolescent cancer to programs for foster care youth. We can’t do this alone. We need partners: Nonprofit leaders and organizations that are fully committed to using compassion and expertise to help young adults navigate this time in life and thrive.
I invite you to explore the site, take our questionnaire for eligibility for grants and ask: Is L.L. Foundation for Youth the right partner for me and my organization? Can we work together to help adolescents and youth on their journey to adulthood?
Renate Kreger-Hochleitner, CEO
L.L. Foundation for Youth’s Board of Directors is comprised of leaders who champion positive youth development across Southern California.
