Downing Foundation
Downing Foundation is a private foundation based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its 2025 grants went to organizations for religious, religious and educational, and charitable activities, including churches, schools, a university, a radio organization, and a pregnancy center.
Downing Foundation at a glance
In short: Downing Foundation gave $242K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), mostly in Ohio. 65% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $242,000
- +11.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- +6.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,235
- +5.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,449,357
- -5.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 65% first-time grantees (11 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (68% 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 Downing Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing says to provide an organization and grant description, tax-exempt status, and mission statement. Only organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) are eligible. The filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Downing Foundation
Mailing address: 7 Grandin Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45208
Phone: (513) 321-2230
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Downing Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Holy Spirit Center ($43K). Together the top 10 received $204K.
Grant Size Distribution
73 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 72 grants of 73 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 68% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 20% to Kentucky, 10% to California, and 2% to Minnesota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Downing Foundation open to new grantees?
65%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 17 grantees (65%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $16K repeat.
- 29% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 103% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $194K (2023) to $242K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $242K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Holy Spirit Center Norwood, OH | Religious activities | $43,000 |
| John Paul the Great University Escondido, CA | Religious/educational activities | $25,000 |
| St Cecilia Church Cincinnati, OH | Religious activities | $24,000 |
| Old St Mary Church Cincinnati, OH | Religious activities | $20,000 |
| St Philomena Apostolate Cincinnati, OH | Religious activities | $20,000 |
| Sacred Heart Radio Norwood, OH | Religious activities | $20,000 |
| St Patricks School Maysville, KY | Religious and educational activities | $18,000 |
| Archbishop Moeller High School Cincinnati, OH | Religious/educational activities | $14,000 |
| St Anthony Church Taylor Mill, KY | Religious activities | $10,000 |
| St James Church Maysville, KY | Religious activities | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Downing Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,449,357 | $103,485 | $316,409 | $242,000 | 17 | $242,000 | $43,360 | $233,970 |
| 2024 | $3,662,281 | $120,162 | $280,852 | $217,000 | 16 | $217,000 | $56,310 | $201,192 |
| 2023 | $3,815,847 | $95,199 | $252,434 | $194,000 | 16 | $194,000 | $36,765 | $192,670 |
| 2022 | $4,019,311 | $76,209 | $288,268 | $224,000 | 12 | $224,000 | $16,359 | $204,300 |
| 2021 | $4,226,938 | $-130,345 | $250,158 | $197,500 | 12 | — | $21,213 | $177,086 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Downing Foundation reported a distributable amount of $234K 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 included religious and educational activities and charitable activities. Among its grantees, John Paul the Great Catholic University describes its mission as educating people at the intersection of business, technology, and communication media, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Sacred Heart Radio says its mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Roman Catholic tradition. Pregnancy Center Plus describes its services as counseling for women in crisis pregnancies, educational materials, parenting education, and material assistance. These are the grantees’ stated missions and services.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $242,000 through 17 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $43,000, with a median grant of $10,000.
The largest grants included $43,000 to Holy Spirit Center, $25,000 to John Paul the Great University, $24,000 to St Cecilia Church, and $20,000 each to Old St Mary Church, St Philomena Apostolate, and Sacred Heart Radio. Other listed grants included $18,000 to St Patricks School, $14,000 to Archbishop Moeller High School, and $10,000 each to St Anthony Church, St James Church, St Joseph Carpenter, and Pregnancy Center Plus.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists W Charles Blum as chairman and Christine L Blum and Tracy A Blum as directors.
Downing Foundation is led by W Charles Blum, Chairman since 2025 (on filings since 2021); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
W Charles Blum
Chairman
Chair & Secretary → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2021
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christine L Blum
Director
Trustee → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Tracy A Blum
Director
Trustee → Director, 2025
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Downing Foundation
How much does Downing Foundation give each year?
Downing Foundation gave $242K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $217K across 16 grants.
What is Downing Foundation's typical grant size?
Downing Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $14,235, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Downing Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does Downing Foundation give grants?
Downing Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Kentucky (20%) and California (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cincinnati, OH (8 grants), Norwood, OH (2 grants) and Maysville, KY (2 grants).
Does Downing Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Downing Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Religious activities" (13 grants).
Who are Downing Foundation's largest grantees?
Downing Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Holy Spirit Center ($43,000), John Paul the Great University ($25,000) and St Cecilia Church ($24,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Downing Foundation?
Downing Foundation reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $242K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $234K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Downing Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included religious and educational activities and charitable activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Downing Foundation?
The 2024 filing says to provide an organization and grant description, tax-exempt status, and mission statement. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Downing Foundation's EIN?
Downing Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1416687. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Downing Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/downing-foundation-morg_32fddc376d39487ab2d81b9503e3f8e0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311416687_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Downing Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/downing-foundation-morg_32fddc376d39487ab2d81b9503e3f8e0},
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 Downing Foundation'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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