Joanie C Bernard Foundation
The Joanie C Bernard Foundation is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and supports groups, organizations, and programs committed to creating a better world for cats. Its filing type is Form 990-PF (a private foundation).
Joanie C Bernard Foundation at a glance
In short: Joanie C Bernard Foundation gave $3.6M across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $144K), mostly in Ohio. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,607,500
- +23.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- +38.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $144,300
- -11.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $85,106,716
- +4.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (8 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (81% 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 Joanie C Bernard Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The website describes an online letter-of-inquiry process for funding consideration, while the foundation’s filing states that it funds only preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 630858, Cincinnati, OH 45263-0858
Phone: (513) 534-5310
Website: https://www.thejoaniebernardfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Joanie C Bernard Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was United Coalition for Animals ($735K). Together the top 10 received $2.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
59 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 21 grants of 59 (36%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website requires eligible organizations to be located within 100 miles of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2025, 81% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 13% to Kentucky, and 6% to Indiana. The filing also lists 0% for Maryland and Alabama.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Joanie C Bernard Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 25 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $54K; repeat grants $187K. How we count
Medians: $45K first-time, $100K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2023–2025). 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 2023 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.5M (2023) to $3.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $3.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| United Coalition for Animals Cincinnati, OH | Project/Program Support | $735,000 |
| Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay Neuter Clinic Inc Cincinnati, OH | General Operating Support | $500,000 |
| Cincinnati Animal Care Cincinnati, OH | General Operating Support | $500,000 |
| Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Cincinnati, OH | Project/Program Funds | $225,000 |
| Humane Society of Greater Dayton Dayton, OH | Project/Program Funds | $200,000 |
| Spay-Neuter Services Inc Indianapolis, IN | Project/Program Funds | $200,000 |
| Bluegrass Area Development District Lexington, KY | Project/Program Support | $160,000 |
| Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals (Sicsa) Dayton, OH | Project/Program Support | $150,000 |
| Northern Kentucky Area Developement Florence, KY | Project/Program Funds | $150,000 |
| Hamilton County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Cincinnati, OH | Project/Program Support | $100,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $85,106,716 | $10,142,012 | $6,080,661 | $3,607,500 | 25 | $5,254,071 | $9,461,113 | $4,926,969 |
| 2024 | $81,127,635 | $6,882,116 | $5,265,331 | $2,934,000 | 18 | $4,507,125 | $5,336,716 | $4,643,587 |
| 2023 | $79,797,612 | $95,627,029 | $4,682,681 | $2,507,500 | 16 | $4,276,813 | $1,842,061 | $3,237,453 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Joanie C Bernard Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.9M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to create a better world for cats by advancing feline research, funding humane shelters and cat organizations, and developing life-saving initiatives, including education on spay/neuter, fostering, adopting, and caring for community and pet cats. Its website also describes Give Them Ten as a foundation-funded movement promoting spay/neuter, fostering, adoption, and ways to help community cats.
Among its 2025 grantees, United Coalition for Animals describes its mission as ending euthanasia of cats and dogs in local shelters and keeping pets in their homes through affordable spay/neuter and wellness services. Ohio Alleycat Resource & SpayNeuter Clinic says it provides low-cost spay/neuter services, trap-neuter-return and other outreach, and a no-kill adoption center. Cincinnati Animal Care Humane Society says it provides individualized care, life-saving solutions, and temporary shelter for animals. These are the grantees’ own descriptions of their work.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 25 grants totaling $3,607,500. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $735,000, with a median of $100,000.
The largest 2025 grants included $735,000 to United Coalition for Animals for project/program support; $500,000 each to Ohio Alleycat Resource & SpayNeuter Clinic Inc. and Cincinnati Animal Care for general operating support; $225,000 to Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical for project/program funds; and $200,000 each to Humane Society of Greater Dayton and Spay-Neuter Services Inc. for project/program funds.
The foundation’s website invites eligible organizations, groups, and projects to submit an online letter of inquiry. It asks for a project or program summary of 150 words or less, the people or communities to be served, measurable expected outcomes, other support being sought and nonprofit partnerships, and any additional information relevant to the request. The foundation states that eligible organizations must have a sincere interest in feline welfare, be a 501(c)(3), submit a current IRS Form 990, have annual revenue above $200,000 or total assets of at least $500,000, be located within 100 miles of Cincinnati, and have a physical location and agree to an on-site visit. Its filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Fifth Third Bank NA as trustee and Mike Kennedy, Heidi Jark, Paula Wharton, and Deborah Cribbs as cotrustees.
Joanie C Bernard Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; 3 of 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Fifth Third Bank NA
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$384K (2023) → $679K (2025)
Mike Kennedy
Cotrustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$15K (2024) → $20K (2025)
Paula Wharton
Cotrustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$35K (2024) → $20K (2025)
Deborah Cribbs
Cotrustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heidi Jark
Cotrustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2023–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $679K, to Fifth Third Bank NA (Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Joanie C Bernard Foundation
How much does Joanie C Bernard Foundation give each year?
Joanie C Bernard Foundation gave $3.6M across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.9M across 18 grants.
What is Joanie C Bernard Foundation's typical grant size?
Joanie C Bernard Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $100,000, and its average grant was $144,300, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Joanie C Bernard Foundation that year got $54K on average.
Where does Joanie C Bernard Foundation give grants?
Joanie C Bernard Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Kentucky (13%) and Indiana (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cincinnati, OH (9 grants) and Dayton, OH (2 grants).
Does Joanie C Bernard Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 12% of Joanie C Bernard Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 25) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Project/Program Funds" (11 grants) and "Project/Program Support" (10 grants).
Who are Joanie C Bernard Foundation's largest grantees?
Joanie C Bernard Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include United Coalition for Animals ($735,000), Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay Neuter Clinic Inc ($500,000) and Cincinnati Animal Care ($500,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Joanie C Bernard Foundation?
Joanie C Bernard Foundation reported $85.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $5.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.9M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Joanie C Bernard Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to create a better world for cats by advancing feline research, funding humane shelters and cat organizations, and developing life-saving initiatives, including education on spay/neuter, fostering, adopting, and caring for community and pet cats. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Joanie C Bernard Foundation?
The website describes an online letter-of-inquiry process for funding consideration, while the foundation’s filing states that it funds only 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 Joanie C Bernard Foundation's EIN?
Joanie C Bernard Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-2451668. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2023–2025.
Does Joanie C Bernard 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2023–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Joanie C Bernard Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/joanie-c-bernard-foundation-morg_dbdd957300904a7aa73fc92e70afa451
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_882451668_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Joanie C Bernard Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/joanie-c-bernard-foundation-morg_dbdd957300904a7aa73fc92e70afa451},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Joanie C Bernard 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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