Ohio History Connection
Ohio History Connection is a statewide history organization and public charity based in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1885, it preserves and shares Ohio’s history through historic sites and museums, archives, education, and historic preservation. Its work includes housing the State Historic Preservation Office and the official state archives, and managing more than 50 sites and museums across Ohio.
Key facts about Ohio History Connection
In short: Ohio History Connection gave $1.5M across 43 grants in 2025 (avg $36K), mostly in Ohio. 72% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 31-4389673
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,537,978
- Grants made (2025)
- 43
- Average grant
- $35,767
- Median grant
- $19,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 72% first-time grantees (31 of 43, 2025)
- Total assets
- $6,539,004
- Primary geography
- Ohio (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Deadline
- September 8, 2026, for the Ohio History Fund.
Data from IRS Form 990, 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.
Quick answers about Ohio History Connection
How much does Ohio History Connection give each year?
Ohio History Connection gave $1.5M across 43 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 62 grants.
What is Ohio History Connection's typical grant size?
Ohio History Connection's median grant in 2025 was $19,000, and its average grant was $35,767, across 43 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ohio History Connection that year got $36K on average.
Where does Ohio History Connection give grants?
Ohio History Connection gives mostly in Ohio: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Columbus, OH (6 grants), Cincinnati, OH (5 grants), Cleveland, OH (2 grants) and Athens, OH (2 grants).
Does Ohio History Connection give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 43 grants with a stated purpose on Ohio History Connection's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Ohio History Connection's largest grantees?
Ohio History Connection's largest 2025 grantees include Capitol Square Foundation ($190,000), Van Wert County Port Authority ($157,557) and Riddle Block 9 LLC ($109,440), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ohio History Connection?
Ohio History Connection reported $6.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $37.6M.
Is Ohio History Connection open to new grantees?
72%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 31 of 43 grantees (72%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $36K; repeat grants $34K. How we count
Medians: $19K first-time, $20K 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.
Next steps with Ohio History Connection
- How to evaluate Ohio History Connection as a funder
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Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$6.5M
-13.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.5M
+28.2% YoY
Grant Count
43
-30.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$36K
+84.8% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to “identify, authenticate, collect, preserve, and interpret Ohio’s history.” Its reported programs include operating historic sites and museums; developing exhibits and providing interpretive and educational services; planning, designing, and rehabilitating sites and exhibits; and administering the State Historic Preservation Office.
Through the Ohio History Fund, it supports history projects such as preservation, collections care, building restoration, digitization, accessibility improvements, and local-history education. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations and local government entities in Ohio; the program requires a local match.
Its grantees have included organizations with varied missions. For example, the National First Ladies Library says its mission is to educate the public about the contributions of America’s First Ladies. Cleveland Restoration Society says it preserves, protects, and celebrates historic buildings and places, while Midstory describes itself as an educational media organization focused on the Midwest.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Ohio History Connection reported 43 grants totaling $1,537,978. Individual grants ranged from $6,378 to $190,000, with a median of $19,000. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio. The largest listed awards included $190,000 to Capitol Square Foundation for a women’s suffrage monument; $157,557 to Van Wert County Port Authority for a Paul Bruhn grant payment for the Kauke McCurdy Block Building; and $109,440 to Riddle Block 9 LLC for a Paul Bruhn grant payment. Other listed awards included $42,500 to the University of Cincinnati for an AM250 grant and $40,000 to America’s River Roots Experience for a web-based Freedom Journey app.
Review Cycle
is September 8, 2026.
Ready to take the next step with Ohio History Connection?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Ohio History Fund is statewide. All grant dollars itemized in filing year 2025 went to Ohio recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 43 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,539,004 | $37,587,082 | $41,988,560 | $1,537,978 (43 grants) |
| 2024 | $7,512,051 | $40,430,293 | $41,690,848 | $1,199,820 (62 grants) |
| 2023 | $5,713,736 | $29,897,248 | $31,964,047 | $316,360 (28 grants) |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $6,539,004 | $7,512,051 | $5,713,736 |
| Revenue | $37,587,082 | $40,430,293 | $29,897,248 |
| Expenses | $41,988,560 | $41,690,848 | $31,964,047 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $37,433 | $5,675 | $-17,808 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 6, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
178 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
4 open opportunities from Ohio History Connection
Ohio History Fund Grants
Ohio History Connection
Amount
Up to $19,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ohio History Fund Grants: Bricks & Mortar Grant
Ohio History Connection
Amount
US $2,000 - US $20,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ohio History Fund Grants: Organizational Development Grant
Ohio History Connection
Amount
US $1,000 - US $4,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| CAPITOL SQUARE FOUNDATION Worthington, OH | WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MONUMENT | $190,000 |
| VAN WERT COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY Van Wert, OH | PAUL BRUHN GRANT PAYMENT; KAUKE MCCURDY BLOCK BLDG | $157,557 |
| RIDDLE BLOCK 9 LLC Hinkley, OH | PAUL BRUHN 1 P20AP00425 GRANT PAYMENT | $109,440 |
| THIRD STREET STUDIO LLC Middletown, OH | PAUL BRUHN 1 GRANT PAYMENT P20AP00425 | $95,000 |
| PAINESVILLE TOWER LLC Montville, OH | PAUL BRUHN 1 GRANT PAYMENT LAKE COUNTY NAT'L BANK | $94,330 |
| MARK MILLER Holmesville, OH | PAUL BRUN 2 GRANT PAYMENT - NEW TOWNE GALLERY | $80,864 |
| CONFLUENCE CORPORATION Westerville, OH | PAUL BRUHN 2 GRANT PAYMENT CONFLUENCE | $74,320 |
| HONEY HOUSE COSHOCTON LLC Newark, OH | PAUL BRUHN 2 GRANT PAYMENT | $59,990 |
| OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOUNDATION Columbus, OH | MEMORIAL GIFTS | $49,250 |
| UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Cincinnati, OH | AM250 GRANT THINKING ABOUT OHIO DEVELOPMENT | $42,500 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Megan Wood as Executive Director & CEO; Jeffrey Ward as Chief Financial Officer; Gerald Dannemiller as Chief Marketing Officer; Ann Ruege as Chief Development Officer; Jennifer Aultman as Chief Historic Sites Officer; and Stacia Kuceyeski as Chief Operating Officer. It also lists Charley Moses as President, Ann Bair as Vice President, Melody Young as Treasurer, and Alex Hastie as Secretary.
Ohio History Connection is led by Megan Wood, Executive Director & CEO since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 6 of 24 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Megan Wood
Executive Director & CEO
Cultural Resources Director → Executive Director & CEO, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$105K (2020) → $300K (2025)
Charley Moses
President
Secretary → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → President, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jon T. Elsasser
Trustee
Trustee → Treasurer, 2022
Treasurer → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard F. Hillis
Trustee
Secretary → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chief Billy W. Friend
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jen Miller
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Guadalupe Velasquez
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert M. Roach
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Joseph
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Betty Montgomery
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James B. Hadden
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Renu Ramankutty
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Coon
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Janenne Allen
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Owen Russell
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher H. Gillcrist
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey K. Ward
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$151K (2019) → $168K (2025)
Ann E. Ruege
Chief Development Officer
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$102K (2022) → $142K (2025)
Gerald Dannemiller
Chief Marketing Officer
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$110K (2023) → $142K (2025)
Jennifer Aultman
Chief Historic Sites Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$132K (2024) → $135K (2025)
Stacia Kuceyeski
Chief Operating Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$130K (2024) → $136K (2025)
Alex Hastie
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melody Young
Treasurer
Trustee → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ann Bair
Vice President
Trustee → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (42)
- Former: Gregory H. Simpson (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Lox A. Logan (2019–2023) — Executive Director & CEO - Former
- Former: Betty Weibel (2020–2023) — Vice President
- Former: Heidi M. Samuel (2022–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Bob Lucas (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: C. Ellen Connally (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Grant Douglass (2019–2022) — Emeritus Trustee
- Former: James F. Dicke II (2019–2022) — Vice President
- Former: Jamison D. Pack (2019–2022) — Chief Marketing Officer
- Former: Lucy M. Porter (2019–2022) — Emeritus Trustee
- Former: Patricia Eldredge (2019–2022) — Emeritus Trustee
- Former: Suhas Kakde (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Thomas V. Chema (2019–2022) — President
- Former: Jb Hadden (2021–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Rich Hillis (2021–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Benjamin D. Garcia (2022) — Deputy Executive Director & Chief Learning Officer
- Former: R. Anthony Joseph (2022) — Trustee
- Former: Bob Roach (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Loann W. Crane (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Micharl G. Rapp (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Hillary Bates (2020–2021) — Chief Development Officer
- Former: Ben Garcia (2021) — Deputy Executive Director & Chief Learning Officer
- Former: James A. Wilson (2019–2020) — Vice President
- Former: Robert B. Smith (2019–2020) — Emeritus
- Former: Steve George (2019–2020) — Senior Advisor to the CEO
- Former: Nancy Shaw Goldsmith (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Elizabeth A. Weibel (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Emilia Sykes (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: George M. Ironstrack (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Governor Mike Dewine (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Jackie Barton (2019) — Division Director
- Former: Jennifer Scheehle (2019) — Chief Development Officer
- Former: Larry Householder (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Laura P. Battocletti (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Lavanya Vemsani (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Lydia L. Mihalik (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: PAOLO DeMARIA (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Randy Gardner (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Senator Kenny Yuko (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Senator Larry Obhof (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Vicki A. Motz (2019) — Ex-Officio Member
- Former: Wendy Zucal (2019) — Ex-Officio 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
Contact
Mailing address: 800 East 17Th Ave, Columbus, OH 43211-2474
Phone: (614) 297-2300
Website: https://ohiohistory.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Ohio History Connection fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to “identify, authenticate, collect, preserve, and interpret Ohio’s history.” Its reported programs include operating historic sites and museums; developing exhibits and providing interpretive and educational services; planning, designing, and rehabilitating sites and exhibits; and administering the State Historic Preservation Office. Through the Ohio History Fund, it supports history projects such as preservation, collections care, building restoration, dig…
How do I apply for a grant from Ohio History Connection?
In filing year 2025, Ohio History Connection reported 43 grants totaling $1,537,978. Individual grants ranged from $6,378 to $190,000, with a median of $19,000. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio. The largest listed awards included $190,000 to Capitol Square Foundation for a women’s suffrage monument; $157,557 to Van Wert County Port Authority for a Paul Bruhn grant payment for the Kauke McCurdy Block Building; and $109,440 to Riddle Block 9 LLC for a Paul Bruhn grant payment…
What is Ohio History Connection's EIN?
Ohio History Connection's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-4389673. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.