A founder and managing director of the Elephant Trading Company, a wholesale business based in Johannesburg, Claude Leon also helped develop several well-known South African companies, including Edgars, OK Bazaars and the mining house Anglo Transvaal (later Anglovaal).

He served for many years on the Council of the University of the Witwatersrand, which in 1971 awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Law.

The current chairman is William Frankel OBE, one of the founder's grandsons. (see Contact Details)

Since 1973 the Foundation has funded numerous university projects; and from 1993 to 2003, a rural water and sanitation programme in the Sabie-Sand catchment area (see www.award.org.za)

More recently the Foundation has funded:·

• School-based Education projects including an EQUIP project in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape schools
• The Rural Education Project implemented by the Schools Development unit of the University of Cape Town at 38 rural schools in the Western Cape
• Nazareth House, an HIV/AIDS hospice in Khayelitsha, Cape Town
• City Year, a youth leadership project
• Sport, including the building of three school playing fields in Stellenbosch, and support of Dreamfields including the building of a playing field in the Western Cape

In 2009, the Foundation provided the funding for a new Chair in Constitutional Governance at the University of Cape Town; the first incumbent is Professor Pierre de Vos.

In addition, the Foundation supports a number of human rights related projects.

Through the Chairman’s annual discretionary fund the Foundation supports a range of small projects and initiatives.

The university Postdoctoral Fellowship award programme is now in its thirteenth year, and has as its goal the building of research capacity at South African universities. The Trustees are seeking to upgrade research in the faculties of Science, Engineering and Medical Sciences by making awards to both South African and foreign postdoctoral scientists, who should increase the volume and quality of research output, transfer technical skills, and generally enhance the research culture. It is envisaged that fellows will not be involved in undergraduate teaching, but will contribute to postgraduate research training. The Foundation currently accounts for more than 10 % of all Postdoctoral Fellowships in South Africa on an annual basis. The Foundation offered 50 new awards for 2010. For information re applications for 2011 see Guidelines.