← Back to US Funders Directory

Shapell Guerin Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$10.7M
Grant Range
$5K - $100.0M

Shapell Guerin Family Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $4.1-10.7 million (varies significantly year to year)
  • Total Assets: $71.7 million (2024)
  • Grant Range: Grants range from smaller awards to major multi-million dollar commitments
  • Geographic Focus: Los Angeles and West Hollywood, California
  • Application Process: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited applications
  • EIN: 95-6047847

Contact Details

Address: 8383 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 724, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Note: The foundation does not have a public website and does not accept unsolicited grant applications.

Overview

Established in 1961, the Shapell Guerin Family Foundation is a private family foundation based in Beverly Hills, California, with total assets of $71.7 million (as of 2024). The foundation is presided over by Vera Guerin, daughter of Nathan Shapell, a Holocaust survivor who co-founded Shapell Industries, a successful home building and commercial real estate company. The foundation's philanthropic work reflects the family's legacy, with a strong emphasis on healthcare (particularly pediatric and congenital heart programs), Holocaust education and Jewish studies, and support for the arts. In recent years, the foundation has made headlines for transformational gifts, including a $100 million donation to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2021—the largest lifetime gift in the hospital's 122-year history. The foundation operates through trustee discretion, making grants only to preselected charitable organizations that align with the family's philanthropic vision and long-standing relationships within the Los Angeles community.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Shapell Guerin Family Foundation does not operate formal grant programs with published guidelines. Instead, the foundation makes strategic grants to preselected organizations, with notable focus areas including:

Healthcare & Medical Research: The foundation's most significant area of investment, particularly in pediatric care and congenital heart disease programs. Major gifts have ranged from $5 million to $100 million.

Holocaust Education & Jewish Studies: Support for academic research, teaching, and memorial institutions dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and Jewish history.

Arts & Culture: Support for theater and cultural institutions, reflecting Vera Guerin's work as a musical theater producer.

Priority Areas

Based on the foundation's grant history, priority areas include:

  • Pediatric Healthcare: Comprehensive children's health programs, including inpatient facilities, outpatient care, and specialized pediatric research
  • Congenital Heart Disease: Programs focused on minimally invasive treatments and optimal care for patients from birth through adulthood
  • Pulmonary Medicine: Research and clinical programs in pulmonary disease
  • Pediatric Neurosurgery: Academic chairs and specialized programs
  • Holocaust Education: Academic research, archival preservation, and public education programs
  • Jewish Studies: University-level scholarship and teaching on Jewish history
  • Theater & Performing Arts: Support aligned with the family's involvement in musical theater production

Geographic Focus

The foundation primarily funds initiatives in Los Angeles and West Hollywood, California, with a particular emphasis on institutions with which the family has established long-term relationships.

What They Don't Fund

As a private family foundation that does not accept unsolicited applications, the foundation does not fund organizations outside their preselected network. The foundation's 990 filings indicate they "only make contributions to preselected charitable organizations."

Governance and Leadership

Key Personnel

Vera Guerin - President, Director, and CEO (unpaid position)

  • Billionaire philanthropist and musical theater producer
  • Heiress to the Shapell Industries construction fortune
  • Daughter of Nathan and Lily Shapell, both Holocaust survivors
  • Immediate past chair of the Cedars-Sinai Health System Board of Directors
  • Named to the Los Angeles Business Journal's LA500 for Arts & Philanthropy (2024)

Paul Guerin - Vera's husband and longtime Cedars-Sinai supporter

Dana Guerin - Director of the Shapell Guerin Family Foundation, daughter of Vera and Paul

Lisa Guerin - Member of the next generation of Guerin philanthropists, daughter of Vera and Paul

Michael Guerin - Member of the next generation of Guerin philanthropists, son of Vera and Paul

D. Gregory Scott - Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer, Director, and Secretary (compensated at $58,332 annually as of recent filings)

Jeffrey L. Glassman - Director

Leadership Philosophy

In discussing the foundation's $100 million gift to establish Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's, Vera Guerin stated: "We are immensely proud of the progress and accomplishments made by Guerin Children's over the past two years. Our vision was to provide exceptional clinical care and foster groundbreaking research in pediatric medicine."

Dana Guerin added: "Seeing the impact on the lives of children and their families reaffirms our commitment to this mission."

The foundation's approach emphasizes multi-generational family involvement, with Vera and Paul Guerin working alongside their three adult children to continue the family's philanthropic legacy.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. According to the foundation's official statements, they "only make contributions to preselected charitable organizations and do not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, making grants through trustee discretion to organizations with which the family has established relationships.

Getting on Their Radar

Given the highly personal nature of the Shapell Guerin Family Foundation's grantmaking, there is no standard path to securing funding. The foundation's grants reflect:

  1. Long-term relationships: The foundation's major gifts have gone to institutions where the Guerin family has been involved for many years. For example, Vera Guerin served as immediate past chair of the Cedars-Sinai Health System Board of Directors before making the $100 million gift.

  2. Family connections and board service: Vera Guerin's deep involvement with Cedars-Sinai through board service preceded major gifts. Family members appear to identify causes through personal engagement rather than external solicitation.

  3. Alignment with family legacy: The foundation's support for Holocaust education and Jewish studies reflects the family's heritage (Nathan and Lily Shapell were Holocaust survivors), while the focus on children's healthcare may stem from personal family values.

Organizations seeking funding from this foundation would need to cultivate long-term relationships with family members through board service, volunteer engagement, or other forms of personal connection rather than through formal grant applications.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications. Grant decisions are made at the discretion of the family trustees based on their strategic philanthropic interests.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not have an application or reapplication process.

Major Grant Examples

Recent Transformational Gifts

Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's (2021): $100 million

  • Largest lifetime gift in Cedars-Sinai's 122-year history at the time
  • Established a comprehensive children's health care center
  • Named Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's after the family
  • Facility opened in 2022 with 26 inpatient beds
  • Supports multidisciplinary pediatric care from newborns through adulthood
  • Includes advanced research programs

Previous Major Healthcare Gifts to Cedars-Sinai

Vera and Paul Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program (2013): $10 million

  • Established within the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute
  • Focuses on minimally invasive treatment for congenital heart disease
  • Serves patients from birth through adulthood

Academic Chairs in Medicine (2013): $10 million

  • Endowed the Vera and Paul Guerin Family Distinguished Chair in Pulmonary Medicine
  • Endowed the Vera and Paul Guerin Family Chair in Pediatric Neurosurgery

Pulmonary Research (2008): $5 million

  • Established the Vera and Paul Guerin Family Pulmonary Disease Research Fund
  • Supported research at the Women's Guild Lung Institute at Cedars-Sinai

Education & Holocaust Remembrance

Shapell-Guerin Chair in Jewish Studies at USC: Amount undisclosed

  • Endowed chair at the University of Southern California
  • Currently held by Professor Wolf Gruner (since 2008)
  • Supports academic research and teaching on Jewish history and the Holocaust
  • Professor Gruner directs USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Amount and timing undisclosed

  • Foundation holds membership in the museum's Founders Society
  • Reflects sustained financial support for public programs, exhibitions, and archival preservation
  • The Shapell family (through the related David and Fela Shapell Family Foundation) led efforts to build the museum's collections, conservation, and research center

Financial Overview

Recent Financial Data (2024)

  • Total Assets: $71.7 million
  • Total Revenue: $2.19 million
  • Total Expenses: $11.1 million
  • Charitable Disbursements: $10.67 million (95.8% of expenses)

Grant Activity

  • 2024: $10.67 million in charitable disbursements
  • 2023: $4.12 million in grants (4 awards)
  • 2022: 3 awards
  • 2021: 5 awards

The foundation consistently allocates 90-97% of its annual expenses to charitable disbursements, demonstrating a strong commitment to active grantmaking. Annual giving varies significantly based on major multi-year commitments.

Key Takeaways for Grant Seekers

  • This is an invitation-only foundation - The Shapell Guerin Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications and only funds preselected organizations.

  • Relationship-based grantmaking - Major grants reflect deep, long-term relationships between the Guerin family and recipient institutions, often involving board service or other personal engagement by family members.

  • Healthcare focus with transformational potential - The foundation has demonstrated willingness to make exceptionally large gifts (up to $100 million) for healthcare initiatives, particularly those serving children and advancing pediatric medicine.

  • Multi-generational family involvement - Grants reflect the values and interests of multiple family members across generations, from Vera and Paul Guerin to their children Dana, Lisa, and Michael.

  • Holocaust legacy informs giving - Support for Holocaust education and Jewish studies honors the family's heritage as children of Holocaust survivors Nathan and Lily Shapell.

  • Los Angeles focus - The foundation primarily supports institutions in the Los Angeles area, reflecting the family's deep roots in the region and their father Nathan Shapell's legacy as a major Los Angeles home builder.

  • No public application process means cultivating personal relationships is essential - Organizations cannot simply apply for funding; any potential for support would require building genuine relationships with family members over time.

References

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Join the Launch ListLearn More
← Back to US Funders Directory