Heron Oaks Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Cincinnati, OH EIN: 38-3482525

Heron Oaks Foundation is a private foundation based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its 2025 IRS filing is marked as the organization’s final return and says it liquidated its assets and made final distributions to public charities; the foundation appears to have wound down and stopped grantmaking.

Heron Oaks Foundation at a glance

Revenue (2025)
$81
-100.0% vs 2024
Qualifying distributions (2025)
$8,970
-98.5% vs 2024
Expenses (2025)
$19,950
-96.7% vs 2024
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 Heron Oaks Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation’s final filing states that it does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. The filing also says the foundation is terminating, so this policy should not be treated as a current application process.

Contact

Mailing address: PO Box 630858, Cincinnati, OH 45263-0858
Phone: (513) 534-5310

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Heron Oaks Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

35 grants across all recorded years

30<$50K2$50–100K3$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 30 grants of 35 (86%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Listed 2024 grantees are based in Washington, Michigan, and Illinois. The available information does not establish a broader geographic focus.

Grant Distribution by State

10states
+2 more states

Cities

BostonSeattleDetroitRedmondCambridgeRiversideNew OrleansArlingtonBowEmpireFlintKentMountlake TerraceNew OleansNew YorkNorthbrookPhiladelphiaSpring LakeTukwilaWest Olive

Is Heron Oaks Foundation open to new grantees?

71%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 12 of 17 grantees (71%) 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 $45K; repeat grants $13K. How we count

Medians: $23K first-time, $3K repeat.

  • 29% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 2069% from 2021 to 2024. 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 (2020–2024). 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

$0$200K$400K$600K$800K6 grants2020 6 grants2021 6 grants2022 6 grants2023 17 grants2024 0 grants2025

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $16K (2020) to $607K (2024). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $607K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Massachusetts English Learner Community Cambridge, MAGeneral Operating Support$118,848
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund Boston, MAProject/Program Support$116,248
Seattle Foundation Tukwila, WAProject/Program Support$116,248
Ottawa County Parks Foundation Inc West Olive, MIProject/Program Support$66,248
Keep Growing Detroit Detroit, MIProject/Program Support$55,200
Planting Seeds International Northbrook, ILAnnual Fund$40,000
Flint River Watershed Coalition Flint, MIGeneral Operating Support$26,248
Seattle Junior Hockey Assn Mountlake Terrace, WAProject/Program Support$20,000
People Center Inc Spring Lake, MIProject/Program Support$10,000
West Washington Female Hockey Assn Seattle, WAProject/Program Support$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025—$81$19,950——$8,970—$695
2024$22,066$284,551$613,663$607,24017$608,100$278,851$21,077
2023$351,274$4,648$32,469$26,0006$26,825$6,018$25,047
2022$379,051$18,566$38,194$32,0006$32,688$12,835$25,797
2021$398,828$14,296$34,558$28,0006$28,688$8,601$28,688
2020$419,653$215,372$26,502$16,0006—$210,048$21,122

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Heron Oaks Foundation reported a distributable amount of $695 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 listed grantees include organizations working in community philanthropy and equity, parks and open spaces, urban food growing, holistic education, mobile veterinary care, and therapeutic riding. These are descriptions of the grantees’ work, not stated focus areas of the foundation.

For example, Seattle Foundation describes its work as advancing racial and economic equity through strategic philanthropy and civic leadership. Keep Growing Detroit says it promotes a food-sovereign city where residents grow most of the fruits and vegetables Detroiters consume. Ottawa County Parks Foundation says it raises funds to improve, expand, and promote parks and open spaces in Ottawa County.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation gave $607,240 across 17 grants. In 2023, it gave $26,000 across 6 grants. The 2025 filing reports no grants and states that final distributions were made to public charities.

Among the listed 2024 recipients, Seattle Foundation received $116,248, Ottawa County Parks Foundation Inc received $66,248, Keep Growing Detroit received $55,200, and Planting Seeds International received $40,000. Washington Health Outreach received $1,700, and Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center received $1,500.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Benjamin H Maynard as treasurer, Elizabeth M Lund as secretary, Kiersten DeKorne and John P Maynard as co-presidents, and Sten E Karlstrom as a member.

Heron Oaks Foundation is led by John P. Maynard, Co-President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • John P. Maynard

    Co-President

    Co-Trustee → Co-President, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kiersten Dekorne

    Co-President

    Co-Trustee → Co-President, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Benjamin H. Maynard

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Elizabeth M. Lund

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sten E. Karlstrom

    Member

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

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 Heron Oaks Foundation

What does Heron Oaks Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its listed grantees include organizations working in community philanthropy and equity, parks and open spaces, urban food growing, holistic education, mobile veterinary care, and therapeutic riding. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Heron Oaks Foundation?

The foundation’s final filing states that it does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

Where does Heron Oaks Foundation make grants?

Listed 2024 grantees are based in Washington, Michigan, and Illinois. The available information does not establish a broader geographic focus.

How much is Heron Oaks Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Heron Oaks Foundation reported a distributable amount of $695 on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Heron Oaks Foundation's EIN?

Heron Oaks Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3482525. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Heron Oaks Foundation 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

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 8, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 26, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 29, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 18, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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

Figures come from Heron Oaks 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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