Wexner Foundation

The Wexner Foundation is a United States-based philanthropic organization focused on leadership development in Jewish communities in North America and in Israel's public and nonprofit sectors. Leslie Wexner, the founder of Limited Brands, established the foundation's precursor organizations in the early 1980s. Their purpose was not primarily grantmaking in the conventional sense, but the creation of structured educational and fellowship programs intended to strengthen the leadership capacity of Jewish communal professionals, volunteers, educators, religious leaders, and Israeli public officials. The foundation's principal programs emerged in stages. The Wexner Heritage Program, established in 1985 with Herbert A. Friedman, was designed for volunteer leaders and emphasized Jewish history, thought, tradition, and contemporary communal challenges. The Wexner Graduate Fellowship followed in 1988 and supported promising North American candidates pursuing advanced preparation for Jewish professional leadership, including Jewish education, rabbinical studies, cantorate, and related fields. After the William Davidson Foundation joined as a partner in 2006, the graduate program became the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program. That program concluded in 2023. The Wexner Israel Fellowship was created in 1989 in cooperation with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. It supported selected Israeli public officials and nonprofit leaders through leadership seminars and a mid-career Master in Public Administration program. The fellowship was intended to improve public management and reinforce the institutional capacity of Israel's public sector. The program subsequently ended, with the foundation's reference material identifying 2024 as its final year. In 2003, the Wexner-related foundations merged into a unified organization led philanthropically by Leslie and Abigail Wexner. The foundation later broadened its portfolio with programs including the Wexner Service Corps and Wexner Field Fellowship, both launched in 2013, and Wexner Senior Leaders, which operated from 2014 to 2023. More recent initiatives identified in the foundation's history include Wexner Davidson Fellowship, launched in 2024, and Wexner Resilient Leaders, launched in 2025. Programs have therefore evolved over time rather than remaining a fixed product portfolio. The foundation operates from New Albany, Ohio, with additional offices or activities associated with New York City and Jerusalem. Its work spans North American Jewish communal life and Israeli public leadership. In addition to its own fellowships and educational programs, it supports other Jewish charitable organizations. The foundation is best understood as a leadership-development philanthropy rather than a commercial brand, university, or government agency. The organization has also faced public scrutiny. Jeffrey Epstein served as a trustee from 1992 until 2007 and held a senior role in the Wexner family's financial office. The association received renewed attention after Epstein's criminal conduct became widely known. In 2018, Israeli media reported that the foundation had transferred approximately $2.3 million to Ehud Barak for research-related work during 2004–2006; the circumstances and legal characterization of those payments became the subject of calls for investigation. In October 2023, the foundation ended its relationship with Harvard University, citing dissatisfaction with the university's response to antisemitism and concerns affecting Jewish students and the Jewish community after the October 7 attacks in Israel. The foundation remains active in leadership development, although its program mix and institutional partnerships continue to change.

The Wexner Foundation developed from two leadership initiatives created by Leslie Wexner during the early 1980s. One addressed the development of Jewish volunteer leadership in North America, while the other focused on professional Jewish leadership and public leadership in Israel. The initiatives reflected a model of philanthropy centered on education, cohort formation, mentoring, and institutional service rather than only direct charitable grants. The first major core program was the Wexner Heritage Program, founded in 1985 by Leslie Wexner and Herbert A. Friedman, a former chief executive of the National United Jewish Appeal. It sought to educate Jewish communal volunteers in Jewish history, ideas, traditions, and current challenges. In 1988, the Wexner Graduate Fellowship was introduced for emerging North American Jewish professionals. It provided support to selected individuals pursuing training in areas such as Jewish education, Jewish leadership, rabbinical studies, and cantorate studies. The program was later renamed the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program after the William Davidson Foundation became a partner in 2006. It ended in 2023. The Wexner Israel Fellowship began in 1989 as a partnership with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. It selected a small annual cohort of Israeli public officials and nonprofit leaders for leadership instruction and a mid-career Master in Public Administration program. Its stated institutional objective was to improve public management and contribute to the strength of Israel's democratic and public-sector institutions. The program was later discontinued, with 2024 identified as its final year in the supplied reference material. During the 1990s, Abigail Wexner became more involved in shaping the family's philanthropic direction. In 2003, the relevant foundations merged, and the Wexner Foundation began operating as a unified organization under the leadership of Leslie and Abigail Wexner. It subsequently expanded beyond its original programs. Wexner Service Corps and Wexner Field Fellowship were launched in 2013. Wexner Senior Leaders operated from 2014 through 2023. The foundation's later program history identifies Wexner Davidson Fellowship in 2024 and Wexner Resilient Leaders in 2025, demonstrating a continuing shift toward targeted leadership, service, and resilience initiatives. The foundation is headquartered in New Albany, Ohio, and has additional offices or operations in New York City and Jerusalem. Its geographic focus is divided between Jewish communal leadership in North America and public, nonprofit, and civic leadership in Israel. Alongside its proprietary programs, it supports other Jewish charitable organizations. The foundation's history has included controversies involving people and institutional relationships connected with it. Jeffrey Epstein served as a trustee from 1992 to 2007 and also held a position in the Wexner family's financial office. The relationship became a major reputational issue after Epstein's criminal conduct and sexual-offense cases became public. In 2018, reports in Israel raised questions about payments totaling approximately $2.3 million that the foundation made to Ehud Barak for research-related work between 2004 and 2006. Reports differed over the context of the payments and whether Barak held public status at the time, and a call for an investigation was filed with Israel's attorney general. In October 2023, the foundation ended its relationship with Harvard University. The decision followed disputes over the university's response to antisemitism and Jewish concerns on campus after the October 7 attacks in Israel. Despite these controversies and program closures, the foundation continues to operate as a philanthropic leadership organization.

1. 2025Wexner Resilient Leaders identified as a new program

   The foundation's program history lists Wexner Resilient Leaders as beginning in 2025.

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2. 2024Wexner Davidson Fellowship identified as a new program

   The foundation's program history lists Wexner Davidson Fellowship as beginning in 2024.

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3. 2023Several programs concluded

   The Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program and Wexner Senior Leaders ended, while the foundation also severed its Harvard relationship.

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4. 2014Wexner Senior Leaders launched

   A senior-leadership program was introduced and operated through 2023.

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5. 2013Service Corps and Field Fellowship launched

   The foundation added programs focused on service and field-based professional leadership.

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6. 2006Davidson partnership added

   The William Davidson Foundation joined the graduate fellowship as a partner, leading to its revised program name.

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7. 2003Foundations merged

   The related Wexner philanthropic foundations were combined into one organization.

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8. 1989Wexner Israel Fellowship launched

   The foundation created a leadership and graduate-study program for Israeli public and nonprofit leaders in partnership with Harvard Kennedy School.

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9. 1988Wexner Graduate Fellowship founded

   The fellowship began supporting emerging professional Jewish leaders pursuing advanced study.

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10. 1985Wexner Heritage Program founded

    The foundation launched its volunteer-leadership program for North American Jewish communal leaders.

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11. 1983Wexner Foundation established

    Leslie Wexner established the philanthropic initiatives that became the Wexner Foundation.

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A leadership-development philanthropy serving Jewish communal organizations in North America and public, nonprofit, and civic leadership in Israel.

• Wexner Heritage ProgramVolunteer leadership education1985

  A cohort-based educational program for Jewish volunteer leaders in North America. Its curriculum addresses Jewish history, thought, traditions, communal responsibility, and contemporary challenges, with the aim of helping lay leaders contribute more effectively to Jewish organizations and community life.

• Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars ProgramGraduate fellowship1988

  A scholarship and leadership-development program for promising North American Jewish professionals and religious leaders pursuing advanced study in fields such as Jewish education, Jewish leadership, rabbinical studies, and cantorate studies. It operated with William Davidson Foundation participation from 2006 and ended in 2023.

• Wexner Israel FellowshipPublic-sector leadership fellowship1989

  A fellowship for selected Israeli public officials and nonprofit leaders, operated in partnership with Harvard Kennedy School. Participants received leadership training while pursuing a mid-career Master in Public Administration. The program was intended to improve public management and strengthen Israel's public institutions and concluded in 2024.

• Wexner Service CorpsService leadership2013

  A program added to the foundation's portfolio to develop Jewish leadership through service-oriented activity. The supplied reference material identifies its launch but does not provide enough detail to describe its current structure or scale.

• Wexner Field FellowshipProfessional fellowship2013

  A fellowship introduced to expand the foundation's support for Jewish communal professionals and field-based leaders. The supplied reference material confirms its launch in 2013 but does not specify current eligibility, funding, or program design.

• Wexner Senior LeadersSenior leadership program2014

  A program for established leaders that broadened the foundation's work beyond emerging professionals and volunteers. It operated from 2014 through 2023.

• Wexner Davidson FellowshipLeadership fellowship2024

  A program listed in the foundation's history as beginning in 2024. The supplied sources do not provide sufficient detail about its participants, curriculum, or award structure.

• Wexner Resilient LeadersResilience and leadership program2025

  A program listed as beginning in 2025 and reflecting the foundation's continuing interest in leadership capacity and resilience. Detailed public information was not supplied.

• 2023End relationship with Harvard UniversityStrategy

  The foundation expressed dissatisfaction with Harvard's response to antisemitism and Jewish concerns on campus following the October 7 attacks in Israel.

  What changed. The foundation severed its relationship with Harvard University.

  Aftermath. The decision ended a prominent institutional partnership associated with the Wexner Israel Fellowship.

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• 2023Conclude several legacy leadership programsStrategy

  The foundation revised its program portfolio as its leadership-development priorities changed.

  What changed. The Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program and Wexner Senior Leaders were ended; the supplied history also records the conclusion of the Wexner Israel Fellowship by 2024.

  Aftermath. Newer initiatives, including Wexner Davidson Fellowship and Wexner Resilient Leaders, were subsequently identified in the foundation's program history.

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• 2006Add William Davidson Foundation as graduate-program partnerStrategy

  The foundation sought to continue and broaden its graduate leadership fellowship with an external philanthropic partner.

  What changed. The William Davidson Foundation joined the program, which was renamed the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program.

  Aftermath. The renamed program continued until it ended in 2023.

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• 2019Jeffrey Epstein associationControversy

  Jeffrey Epstein served as a foundation trustee from 1992 to 2007 and held a senior position in the Wexner family's financial office. His connection to the foundation and the Wexner family became a major reputational issue after his criminal conduct and sexual-offense cases received widespread attention.

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• 2018Reported payments to Ehud BarakControversy

  Israeli reports stated that the foundation transferred approximately $2.3 million to Ehud Barak for research-related work between 2004 and 2006. Questions were raised about the nature and timing of the payments, and a request for an investigation was submitted to Israel's attorney general.

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• 2023Wexner Foundation ends relationship with Harvard University

  The foundation announced that it was ending its relationship with Harvard, citing concerns about the university's handling of antisemitism and Jewish issues following the October 7 attacks in Israel.

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1. Wexner Foundation
2. Wexner Foundation official website