SOURCE OF WEALTH: Goldman Sachs
FUNDING AREAS: Prenatal care and early childhood development
OVERVIEW: Richard and Lezlie Atlas conduct their philanthropy through the Atlas Family Foundation. The foundation primarily gives in Southern California, supporting early childhood education, parenting education, and early child development. The foundation has a strong web presence but tends to seek out its partner organizations. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded $1.1 million in grants in 2017.
BACKGROUND: Richard S. Atlas graduated from UCLA and Harvard Business School. He retired in 1994 as a general partner at Goldman Sachs. In 1996, he was selected as a founding member of the California Endowment, which works to improve the quality of and access to healthcare for underserved populations.
ATLAS FAMILY FOUNDATION: Lezlie Atlas, a child development specialist with a degree from the USC School of Education, plays a strong role in the family’s giving. Atlas, meanwhile, was a founding member of the California Endowment, which works to improve the quality of and access to healthcare for underserved populations. The Atlas Family Foundation invests in “human capital supporting community-based programs that place individuals on a trajectory to good health and success by serving the needs of young children and their families in Southern California.” The foundation supports “direct services, intervention and education programs for children prenatal to three and their families, and public policy/advocacy that create systemic change improving their lives.” Organizations seeking funding from the Atlases must first be invited to submit an LOI.
Grantees include CASA of Los Angeles, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Mar Vista Family Services, and Maternal Mental Health Now.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the Atlas family’s steady work in the early child development space to continue.
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