Imagine you’re back in high school. Your teacher asks you to write an essay about how you would make your community a better place if you were given $10,000.
Now, take away the part about writing an essay and you have the Levinson Family Lifetime Philanthropy Award.
Each year, faculty and staff of Noblesville High School select two seniors to serve as stewards of their own $10,000 philanthropic fund. As endowments, these funds are meant to be lifetime projects, with an option every year for the student to select charitable recipients who serve Hamilton County.
Fortunately, they’re not on their own. Administration of the funds is handled by the Hamilton County Community Foundation. HCCF also provides students with an education in their community’s needs and the overall practice of philanthropy.
The award is an outgrowth of a century-old legacy begun by global peace activist and Noblesville native, Salmon O. Levinson (1865 – 1941). In 2018, Solmon’s great-grandson Frank Levinson started the award’s current iteration, preserving his ancestor’s unique practice of giving Noblesville high schoolers the chance to experience philanthropic giving for themselves.
Frank says he hopes the gift not only teaches students about the discipline needed for long-term investment, but also provides them with a chance “to see how community engagement over long periods of time can drive change, enrichment and even unexpected blessings.”
Last year, student-recipients of the 2023 Levinson Award focused on three main impact-areas:
- Mental health
- Food security
- Support for human service agencies
Those categories broadly reflect the findings of HCCF’s 2024 Needs Assessment. For example, Hamilton County is below average for the number of mental health providers per capita relative to the state as a whole; the number of food pantries and SNAP retail locations are not keeping up with the needs of the nearly 21,000 Hamilton County residents who live without reliable access to food; and the county lacks affordable housing and transportation options for low-income households and those with disabilities.
Last year, past recipients of the Levinson Award were able to talk about these issues at their first ever alumni conference, held at the Central Indiana Community Foundation. By pooling their collective experience and giving histories, awardees were able to look at their impact and make recommendations for future grantees.
HCCF and the broader CICF Collaborative are proud of the way the Levinson Award allows young people a chance to better know and assist their Central Indiana community—both today and well into the future.
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