Butler County United Way
Butler County United Way is a public charity based in Hamilton, Ohio. It connects and mobilizes resources to address human-service needs and improve lives, using fundraising, grantmaking, and collaboration with community partners.
Butler County United Way at a glance
In short: Butler County United Way gave $700K across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $22K), mostly in Ohio. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $700,260
- -3.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 32
- -11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $21,883
- +8.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $16,926
- Total assets
- $3,607,374
- +5.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (3 of 32, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Butler County United Way
- How to Apply
-
The organization uses a Request for Proposal process. The process begins in April, submissions are due in mid-June, and funding decisions are made in mid-August. Awarded programs have a funding cycle from October through September of the following year. The application page lists instructions, a new-program funding application, a logic model, a budget, compliance materials, and a submission checklist. Funding is program-focused. The organization also describes additional funding opportunities for programs provided in Middletown, Trenton, Monroe, and Madison Township.
- Review Cycle
- Mid-June.
- Deadline
- Mid-June.
- Contact
Mailing address: 323 North Third Street, Hamilton, OH 45011
Phone: (513) 863-0800
Website: https://bc-unitedway.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Butler County United Way funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Shared Harvest ($55K). Together the top 10 received $398K.
Grant Size Distribution
160 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 152 grants of 160 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization offers funding to eligible nonprofits and government units located in or serving the Butler County area. Its website also identifies additional funding opportunities for programs provided in Middletown, Trenton, Monroe, and Madison Township. Its 2025 filing reports that all grant dollars went to Ohio recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Butler County United Way open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 32 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $9K first-time, $19K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $638K (2022) to $1.1M (2020). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $700K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Harvest Fairfield, OH | Hunger Relief Progra | $55,488 |
| Catholic Charities of SW Ohio Hamilton, OH | Mental Health | $52,555 |
| Butler County Education Service Center Hamilton, OH | Every Child Succeeds | $46,403 |
| Community Building Institute Middletown Inc Middletown, OH | Cradle to Career | $39,200 |
| Butler County CASA Hamilton, OH | Voice for Abused | $36,638 |
| Serve City Hamilton, OH | Move Forward Housing | $36,072 |
| Envision Partnerships Hamilton, OH | Project Success | $35,336 |
| YWCA Hamilton, OH | Dove House Shelter | $34,196 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters Hamilton, OH | One-to-One Mentoring | $31,669 |
| Women Helping Women Cincinnati, OH | Crisis Services | $30,600 |
Ready to take the next step with Butler County United Way?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The organization was formed in 1920.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,607,374 | $1,466,178 | $1,526,935 | $700,260 | 32 | — |
| 2024 | $3,407,463 | $1,668,042 | $1,507,574 | $724,706 | 36 | $61,012 |
| 2023 | $2,702,374 | $1,669,215 | $1,627,456 | $662,899 | 31 | $17,485 |
| 2022 | $2,626,901 | $2,530,162 | $1,607,001 | $637,684 | 28 | $18,327 |
| 2021 | $1,723,973 | $1,655,419 | $1,537,889 | $784,049 | 33 | $10,652 |
| 2020 | $1,713,325 | $2,135,302 | $2,001,159 | $1,142,934 | 37 | $11,988 |
| 2019 | $1,641,887 | $1,940,389 | $1,835,169 | $758,244 | 29 | $57,401 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to connect resources to important community needs, using community input to prioritize issues and determine solutions. Its website identifies four impact areas: Youth Opportunity, Healthy Community, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency. It also names early childhood education and households near the federal poverty level (the ALICE population) as strategic priorities.
Funding is program-focused rather than agency-wide and is intended to support measurable impact. The organization offers local 501(c)(3) nonprofits and government units located in or serving the Butler County area the opportunity to apply.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of grantee work. Community Building Institute describes its mission as engaging residents, organizations, and institutions to mobilize resources and improve communities. Serve City says it meets the needs of poor, low-income, homeless, and other needy people in Butler County. Women Helping Women describes its mission as preventing gender-based violence and empowering survivors. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not Butler County United Way’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Butler County United Way reported 32 grants totaling $700,260. Grant amounts ranged from $6,200 to $55,488, with a median of $16,926. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio.
Among the largest 2025 awards were $55,488 to Shared Harvest for a hunger-relief program; $52,555 to Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio for mental health; $46,403 to Butler County Education Service for Every Child Succeeds; $39,200 to Community Building Institute for Cradle to Career; and $36,638 to Butler County CASA for Voice for Abused. Other notable awards included $36,072 to Serve City for Move Forward Housing, $34,196 to YWCA for Dove House Shelter, and $31,669 to Big Brothers Big Sisters for One-to-One Mentoring.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Pamela Cottle as President/CE; Kevin McKinney as Treasurer; Mariann Penska as Secretary; Andrew Schnell as Chairperson; Marcia Andrew as Vice Chairpe; and Larry Mulligan as Past Chair. It also lists Michael Jordan, Susan Bremer, Brian Chamberlain, and Michael Holbrook as members.
Butler County United Way is led by Pamela Cottle, President since 2024 (on filings since 2023); 1 of 15 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Pamela Cottle
President
Interim President & CEO → President, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$80K (2024) → $93K (2025)
Andrew Schnell
Chairperson
Member → Vice Chairperson, 2023
Vice Chairperson → Chairperson, 2025
On filings since 2022
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin McKinney
Treasurer
Member → Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Larry Mulligan
Past Chair
Vice Chairperson → Chairperson, 2023
Chairperson → Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Bremer
Member
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kim McKinney
Member
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Quinton Moss
Member
On filings since 2021
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marcia Andrew
Vice Chairperson
Member → Vice Chairperson, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Holbrook
Member
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sharon Klein
Member
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wally Zancan
Member
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mariann Penska
Secretary
Member → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2024
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Chamberlain
Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Jackson
Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Jordan
Member
New on the 2025 filing
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (22)
- Former: Jeff Eberlein (2019–2024) — Member
- Former: Nabila Ahmad (2019–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Peter Abner (2019–2024) — Member
- Former: Molli Stephens (2024) — Member
- Former: Ron Rohlfing (2020–2023) — Member
- Former: Krystal Tipton (2021–2023) — President & CEO
- Former: Jamie Agular (2023) — Member
- Former: Catherine Evans (2019–2022) — Member
- Former: Walter Zancan Jr. (2019–2022) — Member
- Former: John Whelpton (2020–2022) — Member
- Former: Rick Pate (2020–2022) — Member
- Former: Lauren Nelson (2021–2022) — Member
- Former: Jamie Jordan (2022) — Member
- Former: Amy Macechko (2019–2021) — Member
- Former: Lee Geiger (2019–2021) — Member
- Former: Margaret Baker (2019–2021) — President & CEO
- Former: Shawn Hamilton (2019–2021) — Member
- Former: Carol Hauser (2019) — Member
- Former: Heather Wells (2019) — Member
- Former: John Clemmons (2019) — Member
- Former: Michael Bain (2019) — Treasurer
- Former: Mike Holbrook (2019) — Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $93K, to Pamela Cottle (President/Ce).
Frequently asked questions about Butler County United Way
How much does Butler County United Way give each year?
Butler County United Way gave $700K across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $725K across 36 grants.
What is Butler County United Way's typical grant size?
Butler County United Way's median grant in 2025 was $16,926, and its average grant was $21,883, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Butler County United Way that year got $11K on average.
Where does Butler County United Way give grants?
Butler County United Way gives mostly in Ohio: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Hamilton, OH (14 grants), Cincinnati, OH (7 grants), Middletown, OH (5 grants) and Fairfield, OH (3 grants).
Does Butler County United Way give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 32 grants with a stated purpose on Butler County United Way's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Butler County United Way's largest grantees?
Butler County United Way's largest 2025 grantees include Shared Harvest ($55,488), Catholic Charities of SW Ohio ($52,555) and Butler County Education Service Center ($46,403), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Butler County United Way?
Butler County United Way reported $3.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.5M.
What does Butler County United Way fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to connect resources to important community needs, using community input to prioritize issues and determine solutions. Its website identifies four impact areas: Youth Opportunity, Healthy Community, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Butler County United Way?
The organization uses a Request for Proposal process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Butler County United Way's EIN?
Butler County United Way's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-0734490. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 25, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 22, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Other open foundation grants in Ohio
Ohio Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Butler County United Way's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Duke Energy Foundation
Charlotte, NC
The Duke Energy Foundation funds workforce and local economic development, disaster resilience, conservation, clean water, and economic opportunity in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Its 2024 grants had a median of $25,000; applications for grants of $20,000 or less are accepted year-round, after applicants discuss proposals with a state representative.
Assets
$1.9M
Grants
41
Total Given
$25.6M
Hamilton Community Foundation
Hamilton, OH
The Hamilton Community Foundation funds arts, education, housing, social services, health, youth, community development, and other efforts that improve quality of life, primarily in Hamilton and Butler County communities. Its 2024 grants had a median of $16,000, though amounts varied widely; the listed opportunities include awards up to $5,000 and $5,000–$50,000. It accepts applications through listed grant programs, with applicants directed to apply online.
Assets
$167.5M
Grants
142
Total Given
$7.8M
United Way of Warren County Ohio
Lebanon, OH
United Way of Warren County Ohio funds local nonprofit programs addressing community resiliency, financial security, health, and youth opportunities, including education, workforce development, and school readiness. Its 2025 grants ranged from $5,600 to $65,000, with a median of $9,250, for programs serving Warren County residents. It accepts applications for Mini Impact Grants from qualified nonprofits whose programs affect county residents.
Assets
$1.1M
Grants
12
Total Given
$228K
United Way of Greater Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
United Way of Greater Cincinnati funds community programs focused on educational success, financial empowerment and housing security, including workforce development and emergency food and shelter. Its 2025 grants ranged from $6,000 to $1.55 million, with a median of $65,000, primarily serving nine Cincinnati-area counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. It is not currently accepting general funding requests; nonprofits can join its notification list for future funding cycles.
Assets
$86.6M
Grants
224
Total Given
$33.1M
McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Endowment Fund
Oxford, OH
The McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Endowment Fund supports hospital needs and community health programs, including mental and behavioral health, prevention, access to care, and food security. Its 2025 grants had a median of $9,000 (ranging from $5,200 to $276,233), and its community program serves eligible nonprofits in Butler and Preble counties, Ohio, and Franklin and Union counties, Indiana. It invites applications from eligible organizations through its Community Grant Program.
Assets
$23.2M
Grants
20
Total Given
$482K
The Northern Cincinnai Foundation
West Chester, OH
The Northern Cincinnati Foundation supports charitable causes including human services, youth, education, community development, arts, health, faith-based organizations, and animal welfare, with most grant dollars going to Northern Cincinnati communities. Its 2024 grants had a median of $10,000, though awards ranged from $5,100 to over $1 million. It lists applications for specific grant and scholarship programs and requires written requests for donor-fund grants; whether it accepts unsolicited requests generally is not stated.
Assets
$33.8M
Grants
47
Total Given
$2.0M
More similar funders
More Funders in Ohio
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Butler County United Way funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/butler-county-united-way-morg_62e1e23ffa254c649d2612cb6d72ebf7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_310734490_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Butler County United Way funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/butler-county-united-way-morg_62e1e23ffa254c649d2612cb6d72ebf7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
} The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Butler County United Way's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Butler County United Way down — hundreds of funders to go?