The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation (RFLF), one of the oldest African American and Asian private foundations in the world, is pleased to announce a milestone $5 million grant to the Barack Obama Foundation (https://www.obama.org) to support their mission to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders.
The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation’s grant will go toward supporting the Obama Foundation’s general operations and impact work, including support for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, and other national and global
programs like the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, which addresses persistent opportunity gaps boys and young men of color face in society and the workforce, and the Girls Opportunity Alliance, an international initiative that seeks to empower adolescent girls around the world through education, enabling them to achieve their full potential and transform their families, communities, and countries.“It is an honor to contribute to President Obama’s ongoing work to educate and empower young people to become leaders in their communities and around the world,” said Loida Lewis
, Chair of The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation and widow to the late entrepreneur Reginald Lewis.“I know President Obama attended a speech Mr. Lewis gave at Harvard Law School while the President was there studying for his law degree. Both Mr. Lewis and the President show how education helps exceptional people break barriers and accomplish wonderful things, and I know, if he was still here, Mr. Lewis would be proud to help President Obama carry his work and legacy forward.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the generous support from The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation. It’s through vital partnerships like this that we are able to build sustainable programming at the Obama Foundation centered around supporting boys and young men of color and girls all over the world through education,” said Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett.
In partnership with the Obama Foundation, a room at the future Obama Presidential Center will be named in memory of Mr. Lewis, with the hope of continuing to preserve his ongoing legacy and inspire others for years to come. Mr. Lewis, a pioneering financier, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, has been selected by President Obama as an honoree alongside other influential figures “on whose shoulders we stand” and whose significant contributions to society advanced justice and equality in America.
The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation and the Obama Foundation are excited to continue working together in the pursuit of education, cultural enrichment, and positive change.