In July 2024, Mike Genova, founder of Leisure Concepts Inc., spent a week at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle recuperating from major stomach surgery. During his recovery, he wasn’t allowed to drink any fluids. Lying thirsty in his hospital bed, he thought about the millions of people who experience extreme dehydration and thirst every day from lack of access to clean water.

“Here I am just experiencing a tidbit of what people around the world experience on a daily basis,” he recalls thinking. “I’m going to do what I can to change that.”

At the time, he was already in the process of setting up his charitable organization. After Genova was discharged from the hospital, feeling a renewed sense of urgency, he formally established The Genova Foundation with a defined mission to improve the lives of others through food, shelter, education, and clean water, he says.

Since launching the organization in February 2025, Genova and his wife, Sandi Genova, have awarded or pledged $1.2 million in grants to nonprofits with initiatives prioritizing health care, youth, and economic development.

In the Inland Northwest, those awards include a $750,000 grant to Cancer Can’t to propel the organization’s cancer patient lodging project in Spokane's West Central neighborhood. Additionally, $100,000 a year over three years has been awarded to Maddie’s Place, a neonatal transitional facility at 1004 E. Eighth, on Spokane's South Hill. Funds also have been given to youth-based organizations, including The Kellen Cares Foundation and Youth for Christ/Spokane Area. 

For Genova, 67, his namesake foundation is the product of a decades-long desire to give back after more than 30 years in business. 

“We’ve been blessed with success,” he says. “We’re at a stage in our lives where we want to make sure to give back to society and hopefully make society a better place while we’re here.”   

The Genova Foundation is funded through profits from Leisure Concepts. The foundation occupies an office at the company’s headquarters, at 5342 N. Florida, in Spokane's Hillyard neighborhood. Currently, the philanthropic organization is operated by the Genovas and a board of directors that helps evaluate grant applications. The board researches and vets organizations and initiatives to fund, he says, adding that grant applications are accepted on the nonprofit's website on an ongoing basis.

“It’s small, it’s young, and it’s just getting its legs underneath it,” he says of the foundation.

Founded in 1995, Leisure Concepts manufactures aftermarket products and accessories for the pool and spa industry. The company operates in a 100,000-square-foot facility with 50 full-time workers who are from about 15 different countries, he says. Genova declines to disclose the company’s annual revenue, however, he asserts that “business is great.” 

“We’re the kingpin in our industry, and we’re proud of it,” Genova contends. “Most of our competitors are foreign-manufactured. … We’re proud to say that we make our stuff in Spokane, Washington.”

The organizations backed by The Genova Foundation typically share a focus on long-term impact, stability, and dignity for people navigating difficult circumstances.

Among the foundation's most significant commitments to date is Spokane-based nonprofit, Cancer Can't, which is building a 20-unit facility, dubbed The Genova House, located at 1404 W. Mallon. The building will offer dedicated lodging for adult cancer patients who need to travel to the Spokane area for treatment. Genova explains the Cancer Can't project personally resonated with him following his treatment in Seattle, where he temporarily stayed near medical facilities. While grateful he can comfortably afford the cost of his care, he says he's aware that many others aren't as fortunate. 

“I believe in the people, and I believe in the cause, so it’s our privilege,” Genova says.

The foundation’s gift to Cancer Can't helped the nonprofit reach its fundraising goal to build the lodging center, says Genova, noting that the decision to have the building carry his surname was largely driven by leadership at Cancer Can't. Despite reservations, he explains that he consented in the hope that it would generate valuable exposure for the foundation.

“They wanted to call it The Genova House, and I’m OK with it; it feels good,” Genova says. “It looks a little center-focused if you will, but I came to terms with it, and I guess part of it is it helps point to the Genova Foundation.”

Beyond a focus on health care initiatives, the foundation is exploring future work tied to homelessness, sustainable community development, and access to clean water.

Genova has always harbored a desire to give to charity, says Sandi Genova, his wife of 15 years. The couple met at a trade show for the spa and pool industry and instantly hit it off, she says.

“When Mike and I first met, we spent three hours just sitting and talking about his desire to do philanthropic work,” she says. “So this has been in his heart for quite some time, and it was one of the things that attracted me; just a giving spirit who wanted to change the world and make it a better place.”