Cedar Fair Charities Inc
Cedar Fair Charities Inc is a private foundation based in Sandusky, Ohio. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, primarily in Ohio, for purposes including assistance to people and assistance to a fire department.
Cedar Fair Charities Inc at a glance
In short: Cedar Fair Charities Inc gave $3.1M across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $282K), mostly in Ohio. 55% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,102,299
- -7.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $282,027
- -7.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $13,799
- Total assets
- $684,693
- +1.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 55% first-time grantees (6 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Cedar Fair Charities Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1 Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky, OH 44870-5259
Phone: (419) 609-5741
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Cedar Fair Charities Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Red Cross ($2.7M). Together the top 10 received $3.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
50 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 35 grants of 50 (70%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio. The filing also reports grants to recipients in Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC; each accounted for 1% or less of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Cedar Fair Charities Inc open to new grantees?
55%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 11 grantees (55%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $612K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $55K repeat.
- 45% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 66% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.5M (2021) to $3.3M (2024). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $3.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Red Cross Cleveland, OH | Assistance to people | $2,737,000 |
| A Kid Again Columbus, OH | Assistance to people | $225,000 |
| Eric County Community Foundation Sandusky, OH | Assistance to People | $55,000 |
| Council on Intl Educational Exchange South Portland, ME | Assistance to People | $30,000 |
| Breakthrough T1D Mid Atlantic Chapter Hagerstown, MD | Assistance to People | $15,000 |
| Eagles Autism Foundation Philadelphia, PA | Assistance to People | $13,799 |
| Sandusky Fire Department Sandusky, OH | Assistance to the Fire Department | $10,000 |
| Cancer Support Community Washington, DC | Assistance to People | $5,000 |
| Spina Bifida Association Alexandria, VA | Assistance to People | $5,000 |
| The Childrens Heart Foundation Northbrook, IL | Assistance to People | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Cedar Fair Charities Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $684,693 | $3,111,458 | $3,102,499 | $3,102,299 | 11 | $3,102,499 | $29,956 |
| 2024 | $675,734 | $3,609,762 | $3,349,028 | $3,348,758 | 11 | $3,349,028 | $26,783 |
| 2023 | $415,000 | $2,520,592 | $2,229,608 | $2,229,338 | 10 | $2,229,608 | $11,325 |
| 2022 | $124,016 | $1,921,885 | $1,868,567 | $1,868,335 | 10 | $1,868,567 | $3,964 |
| 2021 | $70,698 | $1,577,651 | $1,549,150 | $1,549,000 | 8 | $1,549,150 | $2,797 |
| 2020 | $42,197 | $1,929,870 | $2,029,010 | $2,028,555 | 19 | — | $4,685 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cedar Fair Charities Inc reported a distributable amount of $30K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations serving people affected by life-threatening conditions, cancer, and critical illness, as well as support for a fire department. These examples reflect the grantees’ stated work: A Kid Again says it provides hope, happiness, and healing to families raising children with life-threatening conditions; Cancer Support Community says it supports people impacted by cancer; and Give Kids the World says it fulfills wishes for children with critical illnesses and their families.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $3,102,299. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $2,737,000, with a median of $13,799. The largest grants were $2,737,000 to the American Red Cross in Cleveland, Ohio, for assistance to people; $225,000 to A Kid Again in Columbus, Ohio, for assistance to people; and $55,000 to Eric County Community Foundation in Sandusky, Ohio, for assistance to people. Other grants included $30,000 to Council on Intl Educational Exchange, $15,000 to Breakthrough T1D Mid Atlantic Chapter, and $13,799 to Eagles Autism Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard A Zimmerman as Director and President, Brian C Witherow as Director and VP, and Brian Nurse as Director and Secretary.
Cedar Fair Charities Inc is led by Richard A Zimmerman, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard A Zimmerman
Director & President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian C Witherow
Director & Vice President
Director & Treasurer → Director & Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian Nurse
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Tim Fisher (2020–2023) — Director & Vice President
- Former: Duffield E Milkie (2020–2021) — Director & Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Cedar Fair Charities Inc
How much does Cedar Fair Charities Inc give each year?
Cedar Fair Charities Inc gave $3.1M across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.3M across 11 grants.
What is Cedar Fair Charities Inc's typical grant size?
Cedar Fair Charities Inc's median grant in 2025 was $13,799, and its average grant was $282,027, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cedar Fair Charities Inc that year got $7K on average.
Where does Cedar Fair Charities Inc give grants?
Cedar Fair Charities Inc gives mostly in Ohio: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Sandusky, OH (2 grants).
Does Cedar Fair Charities Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Cedar Fair Charities Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Assistance to People" (10 grants).
Who are Cedar Fair Charities Inc's largest grantees?
Cedar Fair Charities Inc's largest 2025 grantees include American Red Cross ($2,737,000), A Kid Again ($225,000) and Eric County Community Foundation ($55,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 97% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cedar Fair Charities Inc?
Cedar Fair Charities Inc reported $685K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $3.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $30K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Cedar Fair Charities Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations serving people affected by life-threatening conditions, cancer, and critical illness, as well as support for a fire department. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cedar Fair Charities Inc?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cedar Fair Charities Inc's EIN?
Cedar Fair Charities Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 61-1751812. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Cedar Fair Charities Inc accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 2, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Cedar Fair Charities Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Cedar Fair Charities Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cedar-fair-charities-inc-morg_07511ab05fb84fc1bee74d865ea92599
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_611751812_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Cedar Fair Charities Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cedar-fair-charities-inc-morg_07511ab05fb84fc1bee74d865ea92599},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Cedar Fair Charities Inc'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.
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