The Wealth & Giving Forum was founded by Leonard Kaplan of Greensboro, NC to promote greater and more effective charitable giving among people of means. Leonard believes that people of affluence have the opportunity to meet society's most pressing needs if they get together with their peers from time to time to talk about philanthropy and ways of leveraging their efforts.

Leonard's role as Founder and Chairman grew naturally from his decades-long commitment to a wide range of charitable endeavors. In 1982, Leonard and his wife, Tobee, established the Kaplan Family Foundation that became the Toleo Foundation in 1996. Through the Toleo Foundation, Leonard pursued his deep commitment to education, community institutions, and Jewish causes. Of particular note are his indispensable contribution to the building of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Moses Cone Hospital, the new building for the Women's Resource Center in Greensboro, N.C., the new building for the Greensboro Jewish Federation, and a new home for Hillel at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.