The Lavin Family Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The foundation's stated interests are health care, education, family life and women's advancement in the workplace, so a request should clearly sit within one of those areas.
- Half of its 155 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less, and about 8 in 10 fall between $2,500 and $250,000, so a request in that band is a sensible size, though its largest grant was $1,000,000 and the band is not a ceiling.
- The foundation is relationship-based, and 90% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had funded before, so a warm introduction or a link to earlier giving is worth building.
- A letter requesting a donation is acceptable and no special form is required, and the filing gives no deadlines, so there is no set date to work towards.
- The filings show grants mainly in Illinois, Louisiana and California, but no geographic focus is stated, so organisations elsewhere should not assume they are excluded.
Overview
The Lavin Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Chicago, IL.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Lavin Family Foundation funds groups working in health care, education and programmes designed to better family life. Its stated priorities include helping mothers and children build stronger families; supporting health care for those in need, including rehabilitative services; providing educational opportunities; and helping women advance in the workplace, particularly working mothers. It describes its mission as strengthening communities through forward-thinking, collaborative initiatives, with measurable impact across nonprofits, schools, universities, medical institutions, synagogues and churches. Its approach is focused and relationship-based: it resists spreading its effort too thin, builds knowledge in targeted fields and trusted relationships, and values small early gifts to people developing strong ideas as a way to jumpstart work.
Themes
- Health care
- Education
- Family life
- Women's workplace advancement
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Illinois, Louisiana and California.
How to apply
A letter requesting a donation is acceptable; no special form is required.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 90% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 155 grants to organisations were $10,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The foundation values small gifts given early to people of passion who are developing a strong idea.
- It favours a strategic, focused approach that builds knowledge in targeted fields and trusted relationships.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 23% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 90% of grant dollars went to organisations The Lavin Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 16% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 41 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $10,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Enchanted Backpack · Q1 funding$850,0002024 tax year
- Tulane University · General fund education$750,0002024 tax year
- Northwestern Memorial Foundation · Pledge payment 1 of 7 (nm physician & employee wellness fund)$700,0002024 tax year
- Jewish United Fund · General fund$250,0002024 tax year
- Anti-Defamation League · General operations civil rights/social action$250,0002024 tax year
- Cast Water Safety Foundation · General operations$205,2002024 tax year
- Oak Park and River Forest High School Imagine Foundation · General fund education$100,0002024 tax year
- Chicago Hope Academy · Education$70,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Preston Lavin — Director
- Peter A Bernick — Treasurer
- Craig L Bernick — Vice President
- Karen S Lavin — Vice President
- Elizabeth Huber — Vice President And Secretary
- Carol Bernick — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $5,286,946 | $4,704,600 | $48,852,822 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $5,405,637 | $4,826,000 | $51,637,902 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $4,275,307 | $3,654,400 | $55,577,685 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to The Lavin Family Foundation?
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Applying to The Lavin Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required