By the Hand Foundation
By The Hand Foundation is a private foundation based in Rocky River, Ohio. The organization advances compassion through action by empowering vulnerable populations and protecting animal welfare through strategic philanthropic investments.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$936K
-29.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$53K
-35.7% YoY
Grant Count
8
-11.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$7K
-27.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission Statement: By The Hand Foundation advances compassion through action—empowering vulnerable populations and protecting animal welfare by promoting education, addressing food insecurity and other basic needs, and fostering self-reliance. Guided by our values of compassion, effectiveness, and personal growth, we invest in initiatives that create measurable impact and lasting, positive change.
Primary Focus Areas:
- Education
- Food insecurity and basic needs
- Animal welfare
- Self-reliance initiatives
Grantmaking
The foundation supports charities aligned with its mission through direct grants. The foundation has developed FastScratch for Charity, an innovative fundraising tool that matches donors' donations based on the percentage scratched off—ranging from 25% to 200% matching.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation operates from Rocky River, Ohio and has supported nonprofits in multiple states, including organizations in Chicago and other regions.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of the most recent reporting period, By The Hand Foundation and its Trustees have donated $3,325,149.56 to charities and to support the foundation's mission since January 1, 2019.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $935,553 | $1,323,106 | $1,244,920 |
| Revenue | $397,492 | $155,933 | $-6,354 |
| Expenses | $317,564 | $309,029 | $210,895 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $53,172 | $82,418 | $53,756 |
| Net Investment Income | $123,419 | $114,911 | $11,047 |
| Distributable Amount | $47,817 | $66,023 | $72,909 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 8 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
88 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Bob Bensman (1951–2025) founded By The Hand Foundation in 1995. Bensman was an entrepreneur who previously owned Ver-A-Fast Corporation for 39 years and developed the FastScratch for Charity program.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATHLEEN SOPRANO | TRUSTEE | 5 | — |
| ROBERT BENSMAN | TRUSTEE | 5 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has supported notable nonprofits including By The Hand Club for Kids in Chicago, which received significant philanthropic support from the foundation and other donors.
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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