Norton Family Foundation
The Norton Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Lorain, Ohio. In filing year 2025, it reported 22 grants totaling $145,000 to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Ohio.
Key facts about Norton Family Foundation
In short: Norton Family Foundation gave $145K across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Ohio. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 34-1874344
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $145,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- Average grant
- $6,591
- Median grant
- $5,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (2 of 22, 2025)
- Total assets
- $994,496
- Primary geography
- Ohio (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$994K
+7.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$145K
+9.4% YoY
Grant Count
22
+4.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$7K
+4.5% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Norton Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $140K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Norton Family Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 22 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 22% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included operating support, emergency relief, food assistance, scholarships, school renovations, and summer camp support. Among its grantees, the Lorain Historical Society says its mission is to engage the community and visitors in shared and diverse history through preservation, education, and collaboration. North Helpline says it helps neighbors obtain basic needs, including food and housing. Footpath Foundation describes its mission as connecting kids with nature to support personal growth and access to the natural world.
Other 2025 grantees describe work that includes education, health care access, meeting community members’ basic needs, environmental restoration, and providing temporary safe homes for children of families in crisis.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 22 grants totaling $145,000. Grants ranged from $340 to $20,000, with a median grant of $5,000.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 7% to Washington, 1% to Montana, 1% to Colorado, and less than 1% to Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $96K (2020) to $145K (2025). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $145K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Second Harvest Food Bank ($20K). Together the top 10 received $109K.
Grant Size Distribution
98 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 98 grants of 98 (100%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Second Harvest Food Bank Lorain, OH | Operating support | $20,000 |
| Lorain Historical Society Lorain, OH | Operating Support | $12,000 |
| Lorain County Community College Foundation North Ridgeville, OH | Support Services & Scholarship Fund | $11,000 |
| St Bernadette School Westlake, OH | School renovations | $11,000 |
| American Red Cross - Northern Ohio Region Cleveland, OH | Emergency Relief | $10,000 |
| Footpath Foundation Cleveland, OH | Support Summer Camp | $10,000 |
| Lorain Port Authority Lorain, OH | Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Magnificat High School Rocky River, OH | Scholarship support | $10,000 |
| North Helpline Lynnwood, WA | Greatest Need | $10,000 |
| Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH | Avon Ohio Food Pantry | $5,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant sum | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $994,496 | $336,773 | $164,767 | $145,000 | 22 |
| 2024 | $925,177 | $289,395 | $148,772 | $132,500 | 21 |
| 2023 | $882,769 | $244,325 | $137,867 | $122,703 | 19 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $994,496 | $925,177 | $882,769 |
| Revenue | $336,773 | $289,395 | $244,325 |
| Expenses | $164,767 | $148,772 | $137,867 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $145,211 | $132,714 | $122,914 |
| Net Investment Income | $216,105 | $173,654 | $130,271 |
| Distributable Amount | $139,505 | $130,427 | $114,466 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 3, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 3, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Benjamin Norton as chairman and treasurer; Brenda Norton as secretary; and Bradley Norton, Deborah Norton, Brent Norton, and Gretchen Norton as trustees.
Norton Family Foundation is led by Benjamin Norton, Chairman & Treasurer since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Benjamin Norton
Chairman & Treasurer
Trustee & President → Chairman & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bradley Norton
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Brent Norton
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Deborah Norton
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Gretchen Norton
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Brenda Norton
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Sara Norton (2020–2022) — Chairman
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 3535 E Erie Ave, Lorain, OH 44052-2565
Phone: (440) 288-4581
Frequently asked questions about Norton Family Foundation
How much does Norton Family Foundation give each year?
Norton Family Foundation gave $145K across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $133K across 21 grants.
What is Norton Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Norton Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,591, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Norton Family Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Norton Family Foundation give grants?
Norton Family Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Washington (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Lorain, OH (6 grants), Cleveland, OH (3 grants), Elyria, OH (3 grants) and North Ridgeville, OH (2 grants).
Does Norton Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 32% of Norton Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 22) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Greatest need" (3 grants).
Who are Norton Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Norton Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Second Harvest Food Bank ($20,000), Lorain Historical Society ($12,000) and Lorain County Community College Foundation ($11,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Norton Family Foundation?
Norton Family Foundation reported $994K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $145K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $140K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Norton Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included operating support, emergency relief, food assistance, scholarships, school renovations, and summer camp support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Norton Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Norton Family Foundation's EIN?
Norton Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 34-1874344. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Norton Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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