Otto Family Foundation
The Otto Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In its 2025 filing, it reported 11 grants totaling $72,000, with stated purposes including educational support, arts and cultural programs, homelessness prevention, community support, and assistance for first responders and people with developmental disabilities or mental health issues.
Otto Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Otto Family Foundation gave $72K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), top state North Carolina. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $72,000
- +5.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,545
- +5.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,210,042
- +82.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (49% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Otto Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Contact John F. Otto with a typed statement of need and supporting materials, such as a pamphlet illustrating the need.
- Review Cycle
- Several months prior to the need.
- Deadline
- Several months prior to the need.
- Contact
Application contact: John F Otto
Mailing address: 4 Sound Shore Drive B-11, Greenwich, CT 06830
Phone: (917) 941-7951
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Otto Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Davidson College ($25K). Together the top 10 received $72K.
Grant Size Distribution
22 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 22 grants of 22 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that grant dollars were distributed among recipients in North Carolina (49%), Florida (28%), Connecticut (18%), New York (3%), and Ohio (1%). The listed 2025 grants also include a $500 award to Cherokee High School PTSA in Canton, Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
How Otto Family Foundation gives
- 55% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 73% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $68K (2024) to $72K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $72K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Davidson College Davidson, NC | Payment for Educaton Support | $25,000 |
| Brunswick School Greenwich, CT | Payment to Support Local Education | $10,000 |
| Duke University Durham, NC | Payment for Educaton Support | $10,000 |
| Society of the Four Arts Palm Beach, FL | For Educational and Cultural Programs in the Arts. | $10,000 |
| The Lord's Place Inc West Palm Beach, FL | Payment to Help Prevent and End Homelessness | $5,000 |
| Bath & Tennis Historic Building Preservation Foundation Inc Palm Beach, FL | Community Support | $5,000 |
| Waterside School Stanford, CT | Payment to Support Local Education | $2,500 |
| Tunnel to Towers Foundation Staten Island, NY | To Support First Responders and Their Families | $2,500 |
| Star Inc Portsmouth, OH | To Support Individuals with Developmental Disabilites | $1,000 |
| Cherokee High School PTSA Canton, GA | Eductational | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,210,042 | $1,092,925 | $97,200 | $72,000 | 11 | $72,000 | $70,347 | $98,025 |
| 2024 | $1,214,317 | $55,688 | $81,136 | $68,000 | 11 | $68,000 | $42,552 | $60,958 |
| 2023 | $1,240,826 | $1,240,826 | $814 | — | — | — | $1,599 | $2,524 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Otto Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $98K for 2025 — 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for educational institutions and programs, arts and cultural programs, homelessness prevention, community support, first responders and their families, and people with developmental disabilities or mental health issues.
The grantees describe their own work in varied terms. The Lord’s Place says it works to break the cycle of homelessness through housing and supportive services. Waterside School describes its mission as providing a well-rounded early educational foundation for motivated, disadvantaged children. Star Inc. says it provides services and support intended to enhance the quality of life of people with developmental disabilities, including support for independence, community involvement, and vocational opportunities. Brunswick School describes itself as a day school for boys from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade that aims to educate the “whole boy.”
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $72,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $25,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest awards included $25,000 to Davidson College for educational support; $10,000 each to Brunswick School for local education and Duke University for educational support; and $10,000 to the Society of the Four Arts for educational and cultural programs in the arts. Other awards included $5,000 to The Lord’s Place to help prevent and end homelessness and $5,000 to the Bath & Tennis Historic Building Preservation Foundation for community support.
The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Its filing says applicants should submit a typed statement of need and materials such as a pamphlet to illustrate the need. It lists no restrictions on awards.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
John F. Otto is listed as a trustee on the 2025 filing.
Otto Family Foundation is led by John F. Otto, Trustee on every filing since 2022 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John F. Otto
Trustee
On filings since 2022
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "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 Otto Family Foundation
How much does Otto Family Foundation give each year?
Otto Family Foundation gave $72K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $68K across 11 grants.
What is Otto Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Otto Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,545, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Otto Family Foundation give grants?
Otto Family Foundation's top state is North Carolina, with 49% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Florida (28%) and Connecticut (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Palm Beach, FL (2 grants).
Does Otto Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Otto Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Otto Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Otto Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Davidson College ($25,000), Brunswick School ($10,000) and Duke University ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Otto Family Foundation?
Otto Family Foundation reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $72K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $98K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Otto Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Otto Family Foundation?
Contact John F. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Otto Family Foundation's EIN?
Otto Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 92-1658709. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 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 July 9, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 9, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
Live grants for the work Otto Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Otto Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Otto Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/otto-family-foundation-morg_301ec0e4315b408fb5d43c51c06e15c1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_921658709_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Otto Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/otto-family-foundation-morg_301ec0e4315b408fb5d43c51c06e15c1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Otto 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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