Pfau Charitable Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Pittsburgh, PA EIN: 31-1411794

Pfau Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2025, it made 50 grants totaling $1,557,500 to organizations, most of them in Ohio.

Pfau Charitable Foundation at a glance

In short: Pfau Charitable Foundation gave $1.6M across 50 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), mostly in Ohio. 44% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$1,557,500
+6.5% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
50
-9.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$31,150
+17.2% vs 2024
Median grant
$25,000
Total assets
$23,149,416
+2.5% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
44% first-time grantees (22 of 50, 2025)
Primary geography
Ohio (79% 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 Pfau Charitable Foundation

How to Apply

Submit a letter of inquiry using the online form specified in the foundation’s application instructions.

Review Cycle
Follow the application instructions for submission deadlines.
Deadline
Follow the application instructions for submission deadlines.
Contact

Application contact: Daniel And Susan Pfau Foundation
Mailing address: 200 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: (513) 241-2880

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Pfau Charitable Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Greater Cincinnati Fdn: $100KGreater Cincinnati Fdn$100KCrayons to Computers Inc: $60KCrayons to Computers Inc$60KBig Brothers Big Sisters of: $55KBig Brothers Big Sisters of$55KMindpeace: $50KMindpeace$50KCincinnati Inst of Fine Arts: $50KCincinnati Inst of Fine Arts$50KComprehensive Community Child Care: $50KComprehensive Community ChildCare$50KBethany House Services Inc: $50KBethany House Services Inc$50KCincinnati Youth Collaborative: $50KCincinnati Youth Collaborative$50KStarfire Council of Greater Cincinnati I: $50KStarfire Council of GreaterCincinnati I$50KCincinnati Eye Institute: $40KCincinnati Eye Institute$40K

The largest 2025 recipient was Greater Cincinnati Fdn ($100K). Together the top 10 received $555K.

Grant Size Distribution

260 grants across all recorded years

236<$50K22$50–100K2$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 236 grants of 260 (91%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, Ohio recipients received 79% of grant dollars, Kentucky recipients 11%, Pennsylvania recipients 4%, New York recipients 3%, and Virginia recipients 1%.

Grant Distribution by State

9states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 50 itemized grants.

Cities

CincinnatiCovingtonFort MitchellLovelandBlue AshSchenectadyFlorenceHamiltonLiberty TWPAlbanyBronxChicagoClarksvilleMilfordNewportWest Chester TWPArlingtonBataviaBuffaloCanton

Is Pfau Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?

44%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 22 of 50 grantees (44%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $29K; repeat grants $33K. How we count

Medians: $25K first-time, $30K repeat.

  • 10% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 112% 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.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M55 grants2020 50 grants2021 50 grants2022 55 grants2023 55 grants2024 50 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.3M (2020) to $1.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 50 grants totaling $1.6M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Greater Cincinnati Fdn Cincinnati, OHSupport Power of Place$100,000
Crayons to Computers Inc Cincinnati, OHGeneral Support$60,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pittsburgh, PAGeneral Support$55,000
Mindpeace Cincinnati, OHGeneral Support$50,000
Cincinnati Inst of Fine Arts Cincinnati, OHGeneral Support$50,000
Comprehensive Community Child Care Cincinnati, OHGeneral Support$50,000
Bethany House Services Inc Cincinnati, OHGeneral Support$50,000
Cincinnati Youth Collaborative Cincinnati, OHSupport Mentoring Programs$50,000
Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati I Cincinnati, OHGeneral Support$50,000
Cincinnati Eye Institute Blue Ash, OHGeneral Support$40,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$23,149,416$2,339,875$1,764,667$1,557,50050$1,679,346$2,264,105$1,501,732
2024$22,576,073$4,313,448$1,680,090$1,462,00055$1,568,601$4,254,383$1,393,597
2023$19,946,343$1,483,301$1,537,813$1,357,00055$1,449,948$1,412,348$1,285,574
2022$19,980,279$862,908$1,518,022$1,351,56450$1,438,970$790,638$1,319,081
2021$20,676,152$2,213,719$1,615,380$1,410,50050$1,493,595$2,129,087$1,453,742
2020$20,120,404$2,768,525$1,495,931$1,338,72555—$2,666,095$1,229,554

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Pfau Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.5M 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

A mission statement for the foundation is not provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in youth mentoring, early childhood education, housing stability, youth mental health, hunger relief, and disability inclusion. For example, Big Brothers Big Sisters of describes its work as providing mentoring services to Bucks County youth, while Bethany House Services describes its work as helping homeless and at-risk families achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation made 50 grants totaling $1,557,500. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $100,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest listed award was $100,000 to Greater Cincinnati Foundation to support Power of Place. Other notable grants included $60,000 to Crayons to Computers for general support; $55,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of; and $50,000 each to MindPeace, Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, Comprehensive Community Child Care, Bethany House Services, Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, and Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati.

The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. A letter of inquiry is required, using the online form indicated in the application instructions. Applicants should follow those instructions for restrictions or limitations.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

PNC Bank N.A. is listed as trustee on the 2025 filing.

Pfau Charitable Foundation's only listed officer is PNC Bank N A, Trustee on every filing since 2020 (compensated).

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • PNC Bank N A

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    $70K (2020) → $83K (2025)

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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

PNC Bank N a — Trustee: $83KPNC Bank N aTrustee$83K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $83K, to PNC Bank N a (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about Pfau Charitable Foundation

How much does Pfau Charitable Foundation give each year?

Pfau Charitable Foundation gave $1.6M across 50 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.5M across 55 grants.

What is Pfau Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?

Pfau Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $31,150, across 50 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Pfau Charitable Foundation that year got $29K on average.

Where does Pfau Charitable Foundation give grants?

Pfau Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 79% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Kentucky (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cincinnati, OH (33 grants), Covington, KY (4 grants), Blue Ash, OH (3 grants) and Hamilton, OH (2 grants).

Does Pfau Charitable Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 72% of Pfau Charitable Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (36 of 50) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Pfau Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?

Pfau Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Greater Cincinnati Fdn ($100,000), Crayons to Computers Inc ($60,000) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of ($55,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Pfau Charitable Foundation?

Pfau Charitable Foundation reported $23.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Pfau Charitable Foundation fund?

A mission statement for the foundation is not provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in youth mentoring, early childhood education, housing stability, youth mental health, hunger relief, and disability inclusion. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Pfau Charitable Foundation?

Submit a letter of inquiry using the online form specified in the foundation’s application instructions. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Pfau Charitable Foundation's EIN?

Pfau Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1411794. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 26, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 26, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 3, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 25, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 26, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Pfau Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/pfau-charitable-foundation-morg_fa6f57774bbb4759b1b23549f106fd8b

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311411794_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Pfau Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/pfau-charitable-foundation-morg_fa6f57774bbb4759b1b23549f106fd8b},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Pfau Charitable 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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