The Lavin Family Foundation was created over fifty years ago, by the family that founded the Alberto Culver Company, to fund groups working in health care, education, and programs designed to better family life. Today the foundation, directed by the second and third family generations, has continued and deepened  its focus under the banner of "Innovative Philanthropy at Work" to create new, entrepreneurial initiatives that extend its passion and reach
beyond traditional funding channels.


Family values remain at the heart of the Lavin Family Foundation, just as they shaped the early, pivotal years of Alberto Culver and sustained its success over several decades. The same spirit guides our philanthropic mission, which is rooted in measurable impact across the many nonprofits, schools, universities, medical institutions, synagogues, and churches we support.

As a family, we believe deeply in the principle that with great opportunity comes great responsibility. Central to our mission is a commitment to strengthen communities with forward-thinking, collaborative initiatives.

There is continuity in our efforts and many of the causes the Foundation supports today are those that were important to our founders: helping mothers and children with the goal of building stronger families; supporting health care for those in need including rehabilitative services; providing educational opportunities that can open new worlds of possibilities; and helping women advance in the workplace
with an emphasis on working mothers.

But philanthropy is a dynamic process and as new challenges have impacted our family and our communities, we have adapted our Foundation’s priorities to reflect these growing and evolving needs.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, despite not focusing on food access our Foundation saw a need. A family friend had to layoff longtime employees at his family's neighborhood pizzeria, some who started working there under his parents. We asked if he had nonprofit connections and proposed if he partnered with them we could provide a grant for meals to be distributed to those in need. He did and within hours the plan formed. That simple idea grew into the Feed It Forward initiative. The Lavin Family Foundation granted $3.5 million to serve over 400,000 meals across Chicago, partnering with 50 nonprofits, hospitals, and countless local and family-run restaurants. Unplanned, unfunded, and one of the most meaningful things we've done. Then and now, we've stood by the belief: Sometimes you have to ask yourself, "If not now, when?" One example of innovative philanthropy at work. 

Overall, we strongly believe that the value of a gift lies not in its size, but in its potential. Even the most transformative ideas may need early backing. In fact and in practice, we have found that small gifts given early to people of passion, who are in the initial stages of creating and developing a strong idea, can reap great returns. We call this process “jumpstarting” and it is an important aspect of our giving.

However, the Foundation cannot be all things to all people and with a strategic, focused approach, we resist spreading ourselves too thin. By concentrating our efforts, we deepen our knowledge in given areas, build trusted relationships, and drive greater impact in the fields we target to benefit the communities we serve.

We see the ability to give…and to care…as a profound privilege…
and we are humbled to care so deeply for those we seek to help.

Whether it be…establishing a new board to fund maternal and infant health, launching a program to support under-resourced schools, creating a faculty grant award program to boost morale on campus after a hurricane, or launching a start-up charity to prevent drowning…the Lavin Family Foundation’s work reflects a belief in philanthropy that is thoughtful, agile, and deeply personal.  

Please take a look below to see our work in action…