Foundations that fund organizations in Cincinnati, Ohio
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Cincinnati nonprofits
2,146 private foundations gave $973M to Cincinnati organizations in their latest filings; 29 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
8,622 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Cincinnati around $2.0M. 33 of these funders are based in Ohio; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 2,146
- Accept applications
- 29
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Cincinnati
- $973M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 8,622
- Typical median grant
- $2.0M
- Based in OH
- 33%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Cincinnati organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joanie Jeanne and Howard Bernard Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 1 | $93M | $93M | Preselected only | General operating |
| John J & Mary R Schiff Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 30 | $42M | $463K | Preselected only | General support |
| Musk Foundation | Austin, TX | 2 | $35M | $18M | Preselected only | Support of public charities |
| Farmer Family Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 99 | $31M | $10K | Yes | Exempt purpose of organization |
| Tosa Foundation C/O Tashia Morgridge | Portola Valley, CA | 1 | $29M | $29M | Preselected only | See statement 15 |
| Cranaleith Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 4 | $26M | $6.4M | Preselected only | Donor advised fund |
| The Quetzal Trust | Washington, DC | 1 | $23M | $23M | Preselected only | Charitable contribution-no restrictions |
| The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH | 26 | $22M | $75K | Yes | Operating Support; Jewish Hospital Pastoral Education Program; 2023 - 2025 Operating Support |
| The Zoom Foundation | Greenwich, CT | 1 | $18M | $18M | Preselected only | To fundcharitableprograms |
| Kaena Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | $14M | $14M | Preselected only | General operations |
| The Carl H and Edyth B Lindner Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 7 | $13M | $1.0M | Preselected only | General fund; Lindner research & education center; Music for all campaign |
| Marina Kellen French Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $13M | $13M | Preselected only | General fund |
| Sandy Beach Foundation | Boston, MA | 1 | $11M | $11M | Preselected only | Operating support |
| Guilder Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | $11M | $11M | Preselected only | General operations |
| The Hardison Family Foundation | Cape Coral, FL | 1 | $11M | $11M | Preselected only | Donor advised fund |
| Perry Family Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 2 | $10M | $5.0M | Preselected only | General operating; Endowment |
| Carol Ann and Ralph V Haile Jr Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 130 | $9.7M | $30K | Preselected only | General operating support; Capital grant 4 of 5; Capital grant 5 of 5 |
| Greenacres Foundation Inc | Cincinnati, OH | 28 | $9.3M | $33K | Preselected only | Organization's Charitable Purpose |
| E3 Foundation | Austin, TX | 1 | $9.2M | $9.2M | Yes | Grant is to contribute entity funds into a donor advised fu… |
| Hedberg Foundation Inc C/O Carla Westcott | Lake Forest, IL | 3 | $8.3M | $3.0M | Preselected only | Unrestricted charitable gift |
| Danoff Family Private Charitable Foundation | Albany, NY | 1 | $8.0M | $8.0M | Preselected only | General |
| Wechsler Family Foundation | New York, NY | 3 | $7.7M | $1.9M | Preselected only | General support |
| The Donna and Marvin Schwartz Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $7.3M | $7.3M | Preselected only | Charitable contribution to public charity |
| The James J and Joan a Gardner Family Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 61 | $7.2M | $25K | Yes | Exempt purpose of organization |
| Western & Southern Financial Fund Inc | Cincinnati, OH | 1 | $7.1M | $7.1M | Yes | See attached |
| Maurice & Carol Feinberg Family Foundation | Boston, MA | 2 | $6.9M | $3.5M | Preselected only | General support |
| Hcs Foundation C/O - L Thomas Hiltz | Westlake, OH | 65 | $6.6M | $30K | Yes | General operations; First installment as a match to the butler foundation's 3:1…; Support to create a digital platform to serve as an educati… |
| Azcat Foundation | Greenwich, CT | 1 | $6.6M | $6.6M | Preselected only | Allocates funds to qualified charities |
| Bright Horizon Foundation C/O Vicky Dionne Kb Financial | Princeton, NJ | 1 | $6.3M | $6.3M | Preselected only | Facilitate, support and increase charitable activities |
| Polynate Foundation | Newtonville, MA | 1 | $6.1M | $6.1M | Preselected only | Community good |
| Millstone Fund | Cincinnati, OH | 78 | $6.0M | $38K | Yes | Project/program; Capital; General |
| The Ma-Ran Foundation C/O Rfa Management Co LLC | Atlanta, GA | 1 | $6.0M | $6.0M | Preselected only | Donor advised fund |
| Three Arts Scholarship Fund Inc | Cincinnati, OH | 1 | $5.9M | $5.9M | Preselected only | Scholarship |
| Lilly Endowment Inc | Indianapolis, IN | 6 | $5.9M | $563K | Yes | Employee matching gift(s); Religion & cultural inst initiative; Thriving congregations initiative |
| Three Thirty Three Foundation Inc | Stowe, VT | 1 | $5.5M | $5.5M | Preselected only | Charitable |
| The Green Fern Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 1 | $5.3M | $5.3M | Preselected only | General operations |
| P M Allen Family Foundation | Hanover, NH | 1 | $5.2M | $5.2M | Preselected only | General operations |
| Manning Family Foundation | Charlottesville, VA | 1 | $4.8M | $4.8M | Yes | General |
| Charles H Dater Foundation Inc | Cincinnati, OH | 117 | $4.6M | $30K | Yes | Building Resiliency In Youth; Career And Life Skills Mentorship Program; Year 2 Of Capacity-Building Initiative For The Crew Pathway… |
| The Wonderful Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $4.6M | $2.3M | Preselected only | General purpose |
| The Sakonnet Foundation C/O Castle Rock Advisors | Boston, MA | 1 | $4.5M | $4.5M | Preselected only | General fund |
| L & L Nippert Charitable Foundation Inc Attn Carter F Randolph Phd | Blue Ash, OH | 64 | $4.5M | $50K | Yes | Organization's charitable purpose |
| Weiss Asset Management Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | 1 | $4.5M | $4.5M | Preselected only | General |
| Huntington Charitable Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 19 | $4.4M | $100K | Preselected only | General funding |
| Fidelity Foundation | Boston, MA | 132 | $4.4M | $200 | Yes | Fidelity matching gifts to education; Executive match program; Campaign / fundraising plan |
| F E & a R Barstow Charitable Tr | Sherborn, MA | 2 | $4.3M | $2.1M | Preselected only | Unrestricted grant of remaining common stock assets; Unrestricted cash grants for eventual distribution to other… |
| The Meadowlark Foundation C/O Shade Tree Seagroatt | Saratoga Springs, NY | 1 | $4.3M | $4.3M | Preselected only | General Charitable Purposes |
| The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 6 | $4.2M | $654K | Preselected only | Validation of a peripheral blood biomarker signature for an…; Artificial intelligence prediction of meaningful outcomes i…; Comparison of standard-of-care vs. a patient-centric noncon… |
| Ac & Jc Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 2 | $3.9M | $2.0M | Preselected only | To provide support for general operating grants made via th… |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $3.7M | $1.9M | Yes | Matching gift; To support conservation, photography, and a scholarly catal… |
| The Frances R Luther Charitable Trust | Cincinnati, OH | 41 | $3.7M | $50K | Yes | Project/program support; General operating; Program/project support |
| Tr UW Jacob Schmidlapp #1 | Cincinnati, OH | 64 | $3.4M | $25K | Yes | Project/program support; General operating support; General operating |
| Cri Foundation Inc C/O Perelson Weiner | New York, NY | 2 | $3.3M | $1.7M | Preselected only | Charitable |
| 199 Philanthropic Fund | New York, NY | 1 | $3.0M | $3.0M | Preselected only | Aid the donee organization in carrying out its exempt funct… |
| The Eileen Patricia Sullivan Roche Foundation | Boston, MA | 3 | $2.9M | $600K | Preselected only | General use |
| Serena Foundation Inc C/O Dinse Pc | Burlington, VT | 1 | $2.8M | $2.8M | Preselected only | Charitable (unrestricted) |
| Ge Aerospace Foundation | Norwalk, CT | 173 | $2.8M | $1,000 | Yes | Matching gift |
| Ahlers Clifford Fbo UC | Eagan, MN | 1 | $2.8M | $2.8M | Preselected only | General operating |
| Marion Jerome Foundation Inc | Decorah, IA | 1 | $2.8M | $2.8M | Preselected only | Donor advised fund |
| The Yung Family Foundation | Crestview Hills, KY | 4 | $2.7M | $587K | Yes | In support of the mental health initiative through continue…; To support the mental and behavorial health program for chi…; In support of the comprehensive oncology program, working t… |
| Gabriel and Yaara Plotkin Family Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $2.6M | $2.6M | Preselected only | G&y plotkin fam daf |
| Unnewehr Family Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 83 | $2.6M | $20K | Yes | Given to the charity's general fund to be used as they see… |
| Margaret a Roberts Charitable Foundation C/O Kirk Hoopingarner | Chicago, IL | 1 | $2.6M | $2.6M | Preselected only | To fund a donor advised fund for distribution to qualified… |
| Loon Point Foundation | Stamford, CT | 1 | $2.5M | $2.5M | Preselected only | Allocates funds to qualified charities |
| White Cake Family Foundation | Dallas, TX | 1 | $2.5M | $2.5M | Preselected only | General support |
| Skyler Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 23 | $2.5M | $50K | Yes | Contribution towards the general operating expenses of the… |
| The Roberts Charitable Foundation | Garden City, NY | 1 | $2.5M | $2.5M | Preselected only | General |
| Chestnut Fund | Boston, MA | 1 | $2.5M | $2.5M | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Adam R Scripps Foundation | Fort Mitchell, KY | 24 | $2.4M | $71K | Preselected only | General Operations; Building Connections Campaign; Book Campaign |
| The Elmer and Eunice Warnken Foundation Inc | Mason, OH | 1 | $2.4M | $2.4M | Preselected only | General support |
| Sharon S Davis Foundation Inc C/O Samuel J August Cpa | New York, NY | 1 | $2.3M | $2.3M | Preselected only | General support |
| Starrt Foundation | Portland, OR | 3 | $2.3M | $46K | Preselected only | Used for public charities that are for one or more of the e… |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 4 | $2.3M | $494K | Yes | Maternal, newborn, child nutrition and health; Postsecondary education; Research and learning opportunities |
| The Hollyhock Foundation Inc C/O Robert a Karr | New York, NY | 2 | $2.3M | $1.2M | Preselected only | Curriculum project; Reading science doctoral program |
| The Cayton-Goldrich Family Foundation | Culver City, CA | 1 | $2.3M | $2.3M | Preselected only | Advances the american tradition of philanthropy by offering… |
| Joanie C Bernard Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 9 | $2.3M | $100K | Preselected only | Project/program support; General operating support; Project/program funds |
| The Oliver Family Foundation C/O Richard D Oliver | Cincinnati, OH | 46 | $2.3M | $20K | Yes | General operating |
| George F and Marianne N Hartnett Foundation | Palm City, FL | 1 | $2.3M | $2.3M | Preselected only | Donor advised fund |
| Sutphin Family Foundation Ica | Pittsburgh, PA | 74 | $2.2M | $25K | Yes | General support; Mentoring program; 2022 grant distribution |
| The Maas Family Foundation | Harrison, OH | 2 | $2.2M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Program funding; General support |
| Edelweiss Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 100 | $2.2M | $10K | Yes | Given to the charity's general fund to be used as they see… |
| The Wrede Foundation C/O N Doolittle | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | $2.1M | $2.1M | Preselected only | The distribution to the daf is a qualfying distribution con… |
| Louise Taft Semple Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 51 | $2.0M | $25K | Yes | General |
| Rosenthal Family Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 18 | $2.0M | $75K | Yes | Unrestricted contribution |
| The Tijori Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted |
| Cooper-Newell Foundation | Seattle, WA | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | Cooper-newell donor advised fund |
| The Willow Tree Fund | Boston, MA | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | General purpose/ unrestricted |
| The Litman Foundation | Dallas, TX | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Yes | General support |
| Turner Farm Foundation Inc C/O Robert G Edmiston Trustee | Cincinnati, OH | 2 | $1.9M | $963K | Preselected only | Unrestricted charitable contribution |
| Local Initiative for Excellence Foundation | Blue Ash, OH | 3 | $1.9M | $305K | Yes | Medical research |
| Sander Foundation | Stowe, VT | 1 | $1.8M | $1.8M | Yes | Donor advised fund program |
| Greenwald Family Foundation Inc | Cambridge, MA | 1 | $1.8M | $1.8M | Preselected only | General |
| Ssb Charitable Corporation | Fort Worth, TX | 1 | $1.8M | $1.8M | Preselected only | General purpose |
| Bigglesworth Family Foundation Inc | Sonoma, CA | 1 | $1.8M | $1.8M | Preselected only | General Support |
| Ronald and Florence Koetters Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 5 | $1.7M | $101K | Preselected only | Every child in need initiative; General operating support; Projectsearch gift agreement |
| Trust Estate of George B Riley | Terrace Park, OH | 39 | $1.7M | $40K | Preselected only | Children's Services; Food Services; Jobs Assistance |
| Hayes Family Foundation | Jupiter, FL | 7 | $1.7M | $300K | Preselected only | Charitable giving |
| FIRST Financial Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 32 | $1.7M | $10K | Yes | Annual campaign (including ee match); Support development of minority and small business in the c…; Funding for workforce development and education programs |
| Anne G and Robert W Dorsey Family Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 2 | $1.7M | $836K | Preselected only | Support for local public library; Fund various charitable organizations |
| Janet Burros Memorial Foundation C/O Ricky Sandler | New York, NY | 2 | $1.7M | $834K | Preselected only | General support |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Cincinnati, Ohio?
Joanie Jeanne and Howard Bernard Foundation, John J & Mary R Schiff Foundation, Musk Foundation, Farmer Family Foundation, Tosa Foundation C/O Tashia Morgridge and 95 others reported grants to Cincinnati organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Cincinnati. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.