Main Street Ventures
Main Street Ventures is a public charity based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that supports entrepreneurs and the Greater Cincinnati startup ecosystem. It provides equity-free funding to emerging and revenue-generating businesses, alongside support for organizations and events that strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Main Street Ventures at a glance
In short: Main Street Ventures gave $193K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Ohio. 88% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $192,750
- -79.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -68.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,338
- -34.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $1,948,638
- -6.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 88% first-time grantees (15 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (71% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Main Street Ventures
- Contact
Mailing address: 1311 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: (513) 357-9626
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Main Street Ventures funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Vale Technologies ($30K). Together the top 10 received $130K.
Grant Size Distribution
183 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 179 grants of 183 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization describes its work as serving the Greater Cincinnati region. In filing year 2025, 71% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio and 29% to recipients in Kentucky.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Main Street Ventures open to new grantees?
88%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 17 grantees (88%) 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 $10K; repeat grants $19K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $19K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $193K (2025) to $1.3M (2023). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $193K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vale Technologies Loveland, OH | Seed Funding | $30,000 |
| Noteworthy CO Florence, KY | Seed Funding | $17,000 |
| Idyllwild Farm Melbourne, KY | Seed Funding | $13,000 |
| Aaron Wearable Tech Cincinnati, OH | Seed Funding | $10,000 |
| Azelo LLC Blue Ash, OH | Seed Funding | $10,000 |
| Birdie Bound Morning View, KY | Seed Funding | $10,000 |
| METEORA3D Cincinnati, OH | Seed Funding | $10,000 |
| MPI Consulting Cincinnati, OH | Seed Funding | $10,000 |
| Silux Columbus, OH | Seed Funding | $10,000 |
| Skin by Brownlee Liberty Township, OH | Seed Funding | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Main Street Ventures?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,948,638 | $468,731 | $764,597 | $192,750 | 17 | $38,461 |
| 2024 | $2,092,338 | $980,567 | $1,714,825 | $934,162 | 54 | $226,698 |
| 2023 | $2,671,983 | $2,249,420 | $2,121,305 | $1,291,082 | 59 | $1,685,798 |
| 2022 | $2,515,108 | $1,779,738 | $1,265,923 | $721,632 | 32 | $38,404 |
| 2021 | $2,120,386 | $1,217,762 | $1,285,949 | $506,100 | 21 | $484,720 |
| 2020 | $2,083,223 | $1,857,726 | $1,119,818 | $457,000 | 13 | $518,852 |
| 2019 | $1,088,283 | $1,038,851 | $1,134,554 | $359,550 | 19 | $6,709 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to promote regional economic development by providing a physical structure for startup and emerging technology businesses, educating regional business communities about technology, and creating a forum for sharing ideas and information among regional technology businesses and colleges and universities. Its 2024 filing describes its program as focused on entrepreneurial ecosystem building and increasing access to capital for emerging businesses with the potential to create regional jobs and opportunities.
Its funding programs include Launch Funding for pre-revenue businesses with a prototype or product and evidence of direct customer engagement, and Leap Funding for revenue-generating businesses with potential to create jobs and opportunities in Greater Cincinnati. Learn Funding supports organizations and events that strengthen and connect the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including entrepreneur-support organizations and groups that foster resource collaboration and STEM talent.
One 2025 recipient was Cintrifuse, which received $7,500. Cintrifuse describes its mission as empowering Cincinnati entrepreneurs to launch bold, scalable startups and improving the odds that they grow into transformational companies.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Main Street Ventures reported 17 grants totaling $192,750. Grant amounts ranged from $6,000 to $30,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest reported grant was $30,000 to Vale Technologies in Loveland, Ohio, for seed funding. Other notable grants included $17,000 to Noteworthy Co in Florence, Kentucky, and $13,000 to Idyllwild Farm in Melbourne, Kentucky, both for seed funding. Several other listed recipients received $10,000 for seed funding.
The website describes Launch Funding awards of $5,000–$10,000 and Leap Funding awards of $10,000–$30,000. It says applicants must be registered business entities (C-Corp, S-Corp, or LLC) with a federal tax ID, and lists retail and hospitality, manufacturing and packaged goods, and tech-enabled businesses as eligible sectors. The website states that it is evaluating the timing of its next grant application cycle; it does not provide application materials or a deadline.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kelly Bonnell as president, Tara Noland as vice president, and Robert W. McDonald as secretary. It also lists Tony Alexander, Dave Knox, George Molinsky, JB Kropp, John Moore, Ryan Watson, and Joel Stone as board members.
Main Street Ventures is led by Kelly Bonnell, President since 2024 (on filings since 2021); 2 of 13 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kelly Bonnell
President
Executive Director → Executive Director & President, 2023
Executive Director & President → President, 2024
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
$38K (2021) → $0 (2025)
Sean Parker
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$114K (2024) → $142K (2025)
Sarah Kubala
CFO
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
$23K (2019) → $18K (2025)
Tony Alexander
Board Member
Board Chair → President, 2020
President → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$116K (2019) → $0 (2025)
Dave Knox
Board Member
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
George Molinsky
Board Member
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jb Kropp
Board Member
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Moore
Board Member
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert W. McDonald
Secretary
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tara Noland
Vice President
Vice Chair → Vice President, 2020
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joel Stone
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ryan Watson
Board Member
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paula Boggs Muething
Board Member
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Jeff Boeh (2019–2021) — Managing Director
- Former: Pete Brown (2019–2021) — Executive Director - Last Fiscal Period
- Former: Erin Childs (2019–2020) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $142K, to Sean Parker (Executive Director (Until May 31)). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Main Street Ventures
How much does Main Street Ventures give each year?
Main Street Ventures gave $193K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $934K across 54 grants.
What is Main Street Ventures's typical grant size?
Main Street Ventures's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $11,338, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Main Street Ventures that year got $10K on average.
Where does Main Street Ventures give grants?
Main Street Ventures gives mostly in Ohio: 71% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Kentucky (29%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cincinnati, OH (7 grants).
Does Main Street Ventures give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Main Street Ventures's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Seed Funding" (17 grants).
Who are Main Street Ventures's largest grantees?
Main Street Ventures's largest 2025 grantees include Vale Technologies ($30,000), Noteworthy CO ($17,000) and Idyllwild Farm ($13,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Main Street Ventures?
Main Street Ventures reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $469K.
What does Main Street Ventures fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to promote regional economic development by providing a physical structure for startup and emerging technology businesses, educating regional business communities about technology, and creating a forum for sharing ideas and information among regional technology businesses and colleges and universities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Main Street Ventures?
Main Street Ventures has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Main Street Ventures's EIN?
Main Street Ventures's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1663711. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 2, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Main Street Ventures funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Main Street Ventures's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Main Street Ventures funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/main-street-ventures-morg_08a14b102e774f26885e9c553ca1fa0c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311663711_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Main Street Ventures funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/main-street-ventures-morg_08a14b102e774f26885e9c553ca1fa0c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Main Street Ventures'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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