Max Factor Family Foundation Awards Grant to Chai Lifeline for Los Angeles Implementation of i-Shine

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 17, 2015)—The Max Factor Family Foundation (MFFF), a private family foundation, today announced that it has awarded a $50,000 grant to Chai Lifeline—a Jewish international organization that provides emotional, social and financial resources to seriously ill children, their families and communities—for the local implementation of its i-Shine initiative.

i-Shine is an after-school program that offers support, mentorship, Jewish experiences, and friendship to school-age children whose lives have been disrupted by the illness or death of a parent or sibling. The newly established i-Shine Los Angeles is modeled after successful versions launched previously on the East Coast. The grant to i-Shine builds upon a three-year, $200,000 Cutting Edge Grant recently awarded to the program by the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation).

Established more than 70 years ago by six descendants of legendary makeup mogul Max Factor, Sr., the MFFF has worked with The Foundation since 2008. For each of the past seven years, The Foundation has served in an advisory capacity to MFFF, providing a deep and eclectic range of consultative philanthropic services.

MFFF trustee Jenny Factor explained that henceforth the MFFF will award one of its grants annually to a Foundation Cutting Edge Grant recipient. “We view this new connection with The Foundation’s Cutting Edge Grants as an opportunity to make a more meaningful impact and influence innovative change in the L.A. metropolitan region through collaborative funding. We like to ask ourselves, does an organization build bridges to others, including nonprofits and communities? And, does it prospectively ripple outward beyond the initial impact? i-Shine meets these criteria.”

Factor continued: “The conversation among our family foundation members was quite vocal and exciting. All of the Cutting Edge Grant recipients’ programs resonated with us. However, i-Shine was particularly moving to our family. At our meeting, several members spoke about how providing support to the healthy children of a family in crises can mitigate the long-term effects of trauma, rippling out into that individual’s current and future lives, and even one day to their own families and children. In short, i-Shine’s mission resonated powerfully with own life experiences.”

Marvin I. Schotland, president and chief executive officer of The Foundation, stated: “We are honored by the Max Factor Family Foundation’s demonstration of confidence, choosing to leverage our Cutting Edge Grant to i-Shine through additional collaborative funding of its own, as well as its stated commitment to similarly fund an additional program each year. Working together offers the potential of a ‘multiplier effect’—making our Foundation’s grant even more meaningful while increasing the prospect for success of the initiative.

“We also are enormously proud of the deep, longstanding ties between the Factor family and our Foundation and our advisory role in their charitable endeavors. Reciprocally, multiple generations of Factor family members have held—and continue to occupy—leadership roles at The Foundation and have been instrumental in its sustained growth over many decades,” Schotland concluded.

The Foundation’s funding of i-Shine was among $1.85 million in awards to nine local organizations in the most recent cycle of Cutting Edge Grants. Cutting Edge Grants award up to $250,000 over multiple years to creative thinkers, social entrepreneurs, and innovative organizations to develop and implement transformative programs of high visibility and impact in the Los Angeles Jewish community. Established by The Foundation in 2006, the program has awarded more than $13 million to 72 worthy initiatives.

About The Foundation

Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) manages charitable assets of more than $1 billion (as of 12/31/14) entrusted to it by over 1200 families. The Foundation partners with donors to shape meaningful philanthropic strategies, magnify the impact of giving, and build enduring charitable legacies. Over the past 25 years, The Foundation has distributed $1 billion in grants to thousands of nonprofits across a diverse spectrum. www.jewishfoundationla.org

About the Max Factor Family Foundation

The Max Factor Family Foundation supports organizations that inspire hope and offer relief to local communities in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Its grantmaking focuses on programs and services, research and scholarships in the areas of healthcare, education, and on environmental improvement with the potential to positively impact youth, seniors and other vulnerable populations.