Cornelius Family Foundation Inc

ZIONSVILLE, IN EIN: 35-2030709

Cornelius Family Foundation Inc is a private family foundation based in Zionsville, Indiana. Established in 1997, the foundation was founded by James M. Cornelius, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.9M

+27.0% YoY

Annual Giving

$704K

-11.6% YoY

Grant Count

18

+63.6% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$39K

-46.0% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's giving priorities focus primarily on:

  • Higher education
  • Roman Catholic churches and organizations
  • Human services and nonprofit human services
  • Poverty alleviation
  • Christian nonprofits
  • Philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking

Grantmaking

The foundation actively distributes grants across its focus areas, with particular emphasis on education and human services organizations.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily funds organizations in:

  • Indiana
  • New York
  • Missouri

Grant Distribution by State

12states
+4 more states

Cities

Beech GroveBirminghamBoca RatonChicagoCincinnatiEvansvilleFerdinandFrederickHarlanIndianapolisIrondaleLafayetteLahainaNew YorkNoblesvilleOaklandSaint LouisSan FranciscoSan PedroSt Meinard

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets: $1,527,847

Annual Giving: $796,000 (2023)

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$843K$2M$3M$3M201920202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$1,940,291$1,527,847$1,400,053
Revenue$1,121,180$947,241$1,918,941
Expenses$708,736$819,447$3,063,809
Qualifying Distributions$708,007$800,519$3,000,326
Net Investment Income$120,451$946,006$1,917,509
Distributable Amount$101,473$72,227$122,542

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$749K$1M$2M$3M17 grants201911 grants202019 grants202116 grants202211 grants202318 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

FRANCISCAN FOUNDATION FO…$160KST ALPHOUSUS LIGUORI CAT…$150KETERNAL WORD TELEVISION …$100KTHE WORD AMONG US$100KAMERICAN RED CROSS$50KMARIA LANAKILA CATHOLIC …$50KARCHDIOCESE OF INDIANAPO…$25KBISHOP SIMON BRUTE COLLE…$10KALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND …$10KSAINT MEINRAD SEMINARY &…$10K

Grant Size Distribution

75 grants across all recorded years

48<$50K4$50–100K10$100–250K6$250–500K4$500K–1M3$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

James M. Cornelius - Founder, Chairman, and Registered Agent

James M. Cornelius is the recently retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb. He previously had a 28-year career with Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, retiring from the Board of Directors and as Chief Financial Officer in 1995. He earned a BA in accounting (Magna Cum Laude) and an MBA from Michigan State University and served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Finance Corps. He has received honorary Doctorate degrees from Michigan State University, the University of Indianapolis, and Marian University, and has received numerous civic and philanthropic awards. He is a long-time resident of Zionsville, Indiana.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
JAMES M CORNELIUSPRESIDENT2
KATHLEEN M CORNELIUSVP/SECRETARY2
ANDREW JAMES CORNELIUSDIRECTOR
LINDSAY ANNE HARMONDIRECTOR9

Contact Information

Mailing Address: PO Box 5037 Zionsville, IN 46077-5037

Telephone: 317-826-7240

Related Funders

Similar funders by location and focus area

Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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