Lavin Family Foundation
The Lavin Family Foundation (founded by the family that created Alberto Culver) is a Chicago-based family foundation supporting health care, education, and family-focused programs. The site describes grantmaking initiatives (e.g., Feed It Forward) and partners and uses the foundation’s domain for contact emails.
Source: Website · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
Established nonprofits working in health care, education, family- and children-focused services (often with a Chicago/Illinois connection) or organizations seeking general operating support or multi-year pledges.
Good Fit
- • Programs in education, health, women & children, food security, or community services.
- • An existing presence or partnership in the Chicago/Illinois region or a demonstrated connection to the foundation’s local priorities.
- • Capacity to manage larger multi-year pledges or multi-tiered grant relationships.
- • Clear case for general operating support or alignment with named initiatives on the foundation website.
Geography
Observed giving spans about 11 states, but roughly two-thirds of grant dollars went to Illinois in the latest year, indicating multi-state reach with a strong Illinois concentration.
Recipient Variety
The foundation funded many distinct independent recipients (41 in 2024; 60 in 2022) across education, health, food, arts and community services, showing a broad recipient set despite financial concentration among a few large grantees.
New Applicants
Direct evidence of new entrants exists (25 new recipients in 2024 and 17 in 2023), and a public website plus clear letter-based submission instructions make it plausible that unfamiliar applicants can access funding.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
