Howe Family Foundation
The Howe Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2024, it reported 33 grants totaling $4,248,900, with the largest share of grant dollars going to recipients in Ohio.
Howe Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Howe Family Foundation gave $4.2M across 33 grants in 2024 (avg $129K), mostly in Ohio. 27% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $4,248,900
- +2517.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 33
- -5.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $128,755
- +2676.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $10,682,632
- +3.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (9 of 33, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (95% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Howe Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 8280 Montgomery Rd 102, Cincinnati, OH 45236
Phone: (513) 369-0042
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Howe Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Miami University ($2.0M). Together the top 10 received $4.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
176 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 169 grants of 176 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio and 5% to recipients in Florida. Michigan, Illinois, and Massachusetts each accounted for a reported 0% share.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 33 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Howe Family Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 33 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $644; repeat grants $177K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $2K repeat.
- 61% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 8415% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 791% of 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
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $50K (2021) to $4.2M (2024). In 2024 it made 33 grants totaling $4.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Miami University Oxford, OH | General | $2,000,000 |
| Ashland County Community Foundation Ashland, OH | General | $1,000,500 |
| The Christ Hospital Cincinnati, OH | General | $1,000,000 |
| Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation Boca Grande, FL | General | $105,000 |
| Friends of Boca Grande Boca Grande, FL | General | $100,000 |
| United Way Cincinnati, OH | General | $10,000 |
| Artswave Cincinnati, OH | General | $5,000 |
| Gasparilla Island Conservation & Improvement Association Boca Grande, FL | General | $5,000 |
| Birmingham United Methodist Church Birmingham, OH | General | $4,000 |
| McLaren Northern Michigan Foundation Petoskey, MI | General | $2,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $10,682,632 | $4,716,180 | $4,331,575 | $4,248,900 | 33 | $4,249,100 | $5,135,356 | $537,018 |
| 2023 | $10,298,027 | $2,780,928 | $258,873 | $162,300 | 35 | $162,500 | $1,065,937 | $489,143 |
| 2022 | $7,775,972 | $423,595 | $231,394 | $169,800 | 41 | $170,000 | $413,935 | $477,858 |
| 2021 | $7,583,771 | $493,771 | $152,469 | $49,900 | 35 | $50,100 | $383,217 | $506,015 |
| 2020 | $7,242,469 | $524,141 | $151,926 | $76,200 | 32 | — | $436,962 | $401,309 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Howe Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $537K for 2024 — 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations working in community philanthropy, health, education, arts, and military history. These descriptions reflect the grantees’ own missions, not a stated mission of the foundation. For example, Ashland County Community Foundation says it makes charitable grants, encourages philanthropy, and works to enhance quality of life in Ashland County. The Christ Hospital says its mission is to improve community health through exceptional outcomes and patient experiences.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 33 grants totaling $4,248,900. Individual grants ranged from $200 to $2,000,000, with a median grant of $1,000. Its largest reported grants were $2,000,000 to Miami University, $1,000,500 to Ashland County Community Foundation, and $1,000,000 to The Christ Hospital. Other reported recipients included Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation ($105,000), Friends of Boca Grande ($100,000), United Way ($10,000), and ArtsWave ($5,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Karen C. Howe as president, Mary H. Davis as secretary, R. Edwin Howe as treasurer, and Roger L. Howe and Joyce L. Howe as trustees.
Howe Family Foundation is led by Karen C. Howe, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Karen C. Howe
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Joyce L. Howe
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Roger L. Howe
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Mary H. Davis
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
R. Edwin Howe
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Howe Family Foundation
How much does Howe Family Foundation give each year?
Howe Family Foundation gave $4.2M across 33 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $162K across 35 grants.
What is Howe Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Howe Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $1,000, and its average grant was $128,755, across 33 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Howe Family Foundation that year got $644 on average.
Where does Howe Family Foundation give grants?
Howe Family Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Florida (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cincinnati, OH (13 grants), Boca Grande, FL (7 grants) and Petoskey, MI (2 grants).
Does Howe Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Howe Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (33 of 33) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Howe Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Howe Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Miami University ($2,000,000), Ashland County Community Foundation ($1,000,500) and The Christ Hospital ($1,000,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 94% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Howe Family Foundation?
Howe Family Foundation reported $10.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $4.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $537K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Howe Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grantees include organizations working in community philanthropy, health, education, arts, and military history. These descriptions reflect the grantees’ own missions, not a stated mission of the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Howe Family Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Howe Family Foundation's EIN?
Howe Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1339302. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Howe Family 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Howe Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/howe-family-foundation-morg_af670cbc36fa4264a8a193015e17089f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311339302_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Howe Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/howe-family-foundation-morg_af670cbc36fa4264a8a193015e17089f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Howe Family 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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