Max Factor Family Foundation Awards Grant to the Law Center for audit of LA County Gun Laws

Thursday, April 20, 2017

LOS ANGELES —The Max Factor Family Foundation (MFFF), a private family foundation, today announced that it has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (Law Center) for an audit of Los Angeles County’s existing gun laws. Audit findings will be used to inform and advocate smart and effective countywide gun law reform.

The Law Center provides legal assistance in support of gun violence prevention. For more than two decades, it has worked with jurisdictions across the country to audit their gun safety laws. Under California state laws, local city governments have significant authority to make and enforce local gun regulations. This creates an opportunity for Los Angeles city and county policymakers to enact critical and targeted gun safety legislation tailored to local needs.

The audit is intended to identify gaps and loopholes that compromise gun safety in Los Angeles and highlight opportunities for effective reform. It will augment the Law Center’s larger Healing Communities Initiative, which seeks to reduce the flow of illegal weapons into at-risk communities.

David Factor, a MFFF trustee, commented: “Each year, our family foundation selects a single focus area for a large grant award that we hope will have a deep impact in our community and a ripple effect far beyond the specific project we support. With a recent increase in gun violence incidents, we felt compelled to focus on its prevention. The Law Center plays an especially important role in this subject area – providing critical, objective data to local communities so they can focus on the most effective policies that are right for them.”

“We are truly honored that the Max Factor Family Foundation has chosen to support our lifesaving work,” said Robyn Thomas, executive director of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. “This generous grant will enable our attorneys to conduct a comprehensive audit of firearms laws and regulations in LA County and their efficacy. With the support of the Max Factor Family Foundation, the Law Center plans to build a gun violence prevention model that can be readily applied to communities across America,” Thomas continued.

Established more than 70 years ago by six descendants of legendary makeup mogul Max Factor, Sr., the MFFF has worked since 2008 with the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, which provides the resources, expertise, and connections to private family foundations to help them craft thoughtful giving strategies tailored to their needs. In this advisory role, the Jewish Community Foundation has helped the MFFF develop a significant grant award focused on an annual focus area of their choice, which in 2017 is addressing gun violence prevention. Working with the family to develop a thoughtful plan to effectively address this issue, the Jewish Community Foundation developed a grant applicant pool for the Max Factor Family Foundation’s consideration, and managed the grant proposal process.

The Jewish Community Foundation’s President and Chief Executive Officer Marvin I. Schotland said: “The Max Factor Family Foundation’s steadfast commitment to community safety is highly admirable. Its support for the Law Center’s program will affect change right in our own backyard. In our time working with the Factor family, we have seen their generosity influence many crucial areas of need like California water conservation through CalTech, the care of grieving children at Chai Lifeline, and strengthening Jewish identity in downtown Los Angeles through the Pico Union Project. We remain enormously honored by the deep and longstanding ties between the Factor family and the Jewish Community Foundation and our advisory role in their many charitable endeavors.”

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.

About The Jewish Community Foundation

Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles manages charitable assets of approximately $1.1 billion (unaudited; 12/31/16) entrusted to it by over 1,300 families and ranks among the 10 largest Los Angeles foundations. It partners with donors to shape meaningful philanthropic strategies, magnify the impact of giving, and build enduring charitable legacies. In 2016, the Jewish Community Foundation and its donors distributed over $81 million in grants to more than a thousand nonprofit organizations with programs that span the range of philanthropic giving. Over the past 25 years, it has distributed more than $1 billion in grants to thousands of nonprofits across a diverse spectrum. www.jewishfoundationla.org