Groundwork Ohio logo

Groundwork Ohio

Public charity · Grantmaker Columbus, OH EIN: 85-2807114 Website

To champion high-quality early learning and healthy development strategies from the prenatal period to age five, that lay a strong foundation for Ohio kids, families, and communities.

Groundwork Ohio at a glance

In short: Groundwork Ohio gave $13K across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Ohio. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.

Annual giving (2025)
$13,000
+333.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
2
Average grant
$6,500
Median grant
$6,500
Total assets
$5,304,780
+0.3% vs 2024
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.

Who Groundwork Ohio funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 2 recipients in 2025

Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition: $12KNortheast Ohio Black HealthCoalition$12KThe Breathing Association: $1KThe Breathing Association$1K

The largest 2025 recipient was Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition ($12K). Together the top 2 received $13K.

Grant Size Distribution

4 grants across all recorded years

3<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 3 grants of 4 (75%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

1state

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.

States

Cities

ClevelandColumbus

How Groundwork Ohio gives

  • Giving fell 71% from 2022 to 2025. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$20K$40K$60K0 grants2021 1 grant2022 1 grant2023 Total only2024 2 grants2025

From 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3K (2024) to $50K (2023). In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $13K.

Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition Cleveland, OHTo assist the organization in providing a listening session(s) in communities where there are high disparities in asthma rates among the black community.$12,000
The Breathing Association Columbus, OHTo assist the organization in providing a listening session(s) in communities where there are high disparities in asthma rates among the black community.$1,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsNet Investment Income
2025$5,304,780$2,364,953$2,466,039$13,0002$199,688
2024$5,288,554$174,996$1,513,912$3,000Total only$19,255
2023$5,919,250$2,397,228$2,099,640$50,0001$195,993
2022$6,517,187$2,372,539$2,167,870$45,0001$351
2021$1,885,559$807,603$701,486———

"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.

About Groundwork Ohio

Based on IRS filings

Groundwork Ohio is a public charity focused on Education, based in Columbus, OH. IRS filing data is available from 2021 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $5.3M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 2 grants totaling $13K. Net investment income was $200K.

Focus Areas

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Groundwork Ohio is led by Lisa A. Gray, Board Chair since 2025 (on filings since 2021); none of the 10 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Lisa A. Gray

    Board Chair

    Secretary → Vice Chair, 2024

    Vice Chair → Board Chair, 2025

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Robyn Lightcap

    Immediate Past Chair

    Board Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2025

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • David Melin

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Eric Kearney

    Member

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Rebekah Dorman

    Secretary

    Member → Secretary, 2024

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Cheryl Rose

    Vice Chair

    Member → Vice Chair, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Laura Dicola

    Member

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • John C. Jones

    Member

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Randy Leite PhD

    Member

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Rick Carfagna

    Member

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (4)
  • Former: Ron Rees (2024) — Member
  • Former: Lynanne Gutierrez (2022–2023) — COO & Policy
  • Former: Shannon Jones (2022–2023) — CEO & President
  • Former: Dave Melin (2021–2022) — Treasurer

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 Groundwork Ohio

How much does Groundwork Ohio give each year?

Groundwork Ohio gave $13K across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it reported $3K in grants paid.

How large is Groundwork Ohio?

Groundwork Ohio reported $5.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.4M.

What is Groundwork Ohio?

Groundwork Ohio is a public charity focused on Education, based in Columbus, OH. It holds $5.3M in total assets as of 2025.

Where does Groundwork Ohio operate?

Groundwork Ohio has awarded grants in Ohio.

What is Groundwork Ohio's EIN?

Groundwork Ohio's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-2807114. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.

Data update history

(4)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 30, 2024)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 29, 2025)
  4. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from Groundwork Ohio'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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