Lavin Family Foundation
The Lavin Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. Created more than fifty years ago by the family that founded Alberto Culver Company, it supports work in health care, education, and programs designed to better family life.
Lavin Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Lavin Family Foundation gave $3.7M across 41 grants in 2024 (avg $89K), mostly in Illinois. 37% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $3,654,400
- -24.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 41
- -10.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $89,132
- -15.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $50,260,566
- +7.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 37% first-time grantees (15 of 41, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (67% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Lavin Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation says there is no special form; a letter requesting a donation is acceptable. It states that there are no restrictions or limitations on awards.
- Review Cycle
- No submission deadlines.
- Deadline
- No submission deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Carol L Bernick
Mailing address: 155 N Wacker Dr Suite 1680, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 477-7603
Website: https://lavinfamilyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Lavin Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Enchanted Backpack ($850K). Together the top 10 received $3.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
301 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 229 grants of 301 (76%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 67% of grant dollars went to recipients in Illinois, 21% to Louisiana, 7% to New York, and 1% each to Virginia and Hawaii.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 41 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Lavin Family Foundation open to new grantees?
37%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 15 of 41 grantees (37%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $21K; repeat grants $129K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 39% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 29% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 153% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $2.8M (2021) to $8.9M (2020). In 2024 it made 41 grants totaling $3.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Enchanted Backpack Chicago, IL | Q1 Funding | $850,000 |
| Tulane University New Orleans, LA | General Fund Education | $750,000 |
| Northwestern Memorial Foundation Chicago, IL | Pledge payment 1 of 7 (nm physician & employee wellness fund) | $700,000 |
| Anti-Defamation League New York, NY | General Operations Civil Rights/Social Action | $250,000 |
| Jewish United Fund Chicago, IL | General Fund | $250,000 |
| Cast Water Safety Foundation Chicago, IL | General Operations | $205,200 |
| Oak Park & River Forest High School Imagine Foundation Oak Park, IL | General Fund Education | $100,000 |
| Chicago Hope Academy Chicago, IL | Education | $70,000 |
| Brother Rice High School Chicago, IL | General Fund Education | $50,000 |
| Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance Chicago, IL | General Fund Health | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Lavin Family Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $50,260,566 | $7,869,636 | $4,275,307 | $3,654,400 | 41 | $3,674,618 | $5,910,468 | $2,399,231 |
| 2023 | $46,666,237 | $6,809,890 | $5,405,637 | $4,826,000 | 46 | $4,826,000 | $5,630,810 | $2,387,487 |
| 2022 | $45,261,984 | $2,013,896 | $5,286,946 | $4,704,600 | 69 | $4,704,600 | $2,802,124 | $2,582,866 |
| 2021 | $48,851,536 | $7,346,394 | $4,626,821 | $2,827,300 | 41 | $4,036,019 | $8,960,837 | $2,934,224 |
| 2020 | $46,161,403 | $5,782,251 | $9,620,856 | $8,907,187 | 104 | — | $3,600,089 | $2,736,330 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Lavin Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation says it supports efforts to help mothers and children build stronger families; provide health care, including rehabilitative services, for people in need; expand educational opportunities; and help women advance in the workplace, with an emphasis on working mothers. It also describes supporting nonprofits, schools, universities, medical institutions, synagogues, and churches.
Its 2024 grants included education, health, civil rights and social action, military and veterans, and food-related purposes. Examples of the kinds of organizations it supports include Chicago Hope Academy, which describes itself as a college- and life-preparatory high school, and the Anti-Defamation League, which describes its mission as opposing antisemitism and other forms of hate. Jewish United Fund says it provides resources for food, health care, education, and emergency assistance, among other needs.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 41 grants totaling $3,654,400 in 2024, compared with 46 grants totaling $4,826,000 in 2023 and 69 grants totaling $4,704,600 in 2022. For 2024, grants ranged from $200 to $850,000, with a median of $10,000.
Among its largest 2024 grants were $850,000 to Enchanted Backpack for “Q1 funding”; $750,000 to Tulane University for general fund education; and $700,000 to Northwestern Memorial Foundation for a pledge payment to the NM Physician & Employee Wellness Fund. Other major grants included $250,000 each to the Anti-Defamation League for general operations and Jewish United Fund for its general fund, and $205,200 to CAST Water Safety Foundation for general operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Carol Bernick as president; Elizabeth Huber as vice president and secretary; Karen S. Lavin and Craig L. Bernick as vice presidents; Peter A. Bernick as treasurer; and Preston Lavin as director.
Lavin Family Foundation is led by Carol Bernick, President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Carol Bernick
President
President & Treasurer → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Preston Lavin
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Huber
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Craig L. Bernick
Vice President
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karen S. Lavin
Vice President
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter A. Bernick
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Lavin Family Foundation
How much does Lavin Family Foundation give each year?
Lavin Family Foundation gave $3.7M across 41 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $4.8M across 46 grants.
What is Lavin Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Lavin Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $89,132, across 41 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Lavin Family Foundation that year got $21K on average.
Where does Lavin Family Foundation give grants?
Lavin Family Foundation gives mostly in Illinois: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Louisiana (21%) and New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (21 grants), Santa Monica, CA (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Lavin Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 78% of Lavin Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (32 of 41) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Lavin Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Lavin Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Enchanted Backpack ($850,000), Tulane University ($750,000) and Northwestern Memorial Foundation ($700,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Lavin Family Foundation?
Lavin Family Foundation reported $50.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Lavin Family Foundation fund?
The foundation says it supports efforts to help mothers and children build stronger families; provide health care, including rehabilitative services, for people in need; expand educational opportunities; and help women advance in the workplace, with an emphasis on working mothers. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Lavin Family Foundation?
The foundation says there is no special form; a letter requesting a donation is acceptable. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Lavin Family Foundation's EIN?
Lavin Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-6106074. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 11, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Lavin Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Lavin Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/lavin-family-foundation-morg_23b06c9c12734ee4833ab86a423e8457
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_366106074_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Lavin Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/lavin-family-foundation-morg_23b06c9c12734ee4833ab86a423e8457},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Lavin Family Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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