The Clara Weiss Fund
The Clara Weiss Fund is a private foundation based in Seville, Ohio. Its stated purpose is to purchase and manage investments so grant funds are available for nonprofit organizations.
The Clara Weiss Fund at a glance
In short: The Clara Weiss Fund gave $449K across 213 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), top state Ohio. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $449,225
- -12.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 213
- +2.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,109
- -14.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $5,452,635
- +1.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (12 of 206, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (37% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Clara Weiss Fund
- How to Apply
-
Contact Lizbeth Kohler. No form or other materials, deadline, or award restrictions are specified.
- Contact
Application contact: Lizbeth Kohler
Mailing address: 8161 Lake Road, Seville, OH 44273
Phone: (330) 421-5974
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Clara Weiss Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Food & Friends ($28K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $125K.
Grant Size Distribution
1,091 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,091 grants of 1,091 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to organizations in Ohio (37%), Virginia (26%), and the District of Columbia (10%). Massachusetts received 8% and North Carolina 4%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 213 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Clara Weiss Fund open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 206 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+0%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 174% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $354K (2020) to $512K (2024). In 2025 it made 213 grants totaling $449K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Food & Friends Washington, DC | To support non-profit operations | $15,000 |
| Girl Scouts of North East Ohio Macedonia, OH | To support non-profit operations | $15,000 |
| Union of Concerned Scientists Cambridge, MA | To support non-profit operations | $15,000 |
| Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar, VA | To support non-profit operations | $13,000 |
| Food & Friends Washington, DC | To support non-profit operations | $12,500 |
| Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill Truro, MA | To support non-profit operations | $10,000 |
| Lake Erie Nature & Science Center Cleveland, OH | To support non-profit operations | $10,000 |
| College of Wooster Wooster, OH | To support non-profit operations | $10,000 |
| Powhatan School Boyce, VA | To support non-profit operations | $10,000 |
| Catholic Charities Arlington, VA | To support non-profit operations | $7,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Clara Weiss Fund?
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 | $5,452,635 | $230,913 | $468,866 | $449,225 | 213 | $449,225 | $230,913 | $258,333 |
| 2024 | $5,379,601 | $217,035 | $532,819 | $511,635 | 207 | $511,635 | $217,035 | $247,408 |
| 2023 | $5,016,152 | $216,520 | $502,047 | $482,000 | 218 | $482,000 | $239,905 | $259,869 |
| 2022 | $5,500,737 | $120,653 | $468,295 | $448,500 | 231 | $448,000 | $169,166 | $283,690 |
| 2021 | $5,854,319 | $245,292 | $430,172 | $424,200 | 222 | $422,000 | $245,292 | $282,674 |
| 2020 | $5,377,206 | $272,594 | $352,086 | $353,700 | 190 | — | $272,594 | $257,727 |
| 2019 | $3,365,754 | $251,151 | $381,202 | $361,000 | 204 | — | $252,111 | $291,276 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Clara Weiss Fund reported a distributable amount of $258K 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
The fund states that its sole purpose is to purchase and manage investments to make funding available for grants to nonprofit organizations. Its 2025 recipients included organizations working in areas such as food and health services, education, youth development, and the arts. For example, Food & Friends describes its mission as serving people with serious illnesses through specialized meals, groceries, nutrition counseling, and efforts to reduce social isolation. Powhatan School describes its mission as providing educational experiences that promote academic skills, problem solving, and analytical thinking.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund made 213 grants totaling $449,225. Awards ranged from $100 to $15,000, with a median grant of $1,500. Notable 2025 grants included $15,000 each to Food & Friends, Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, and the Union of Concerned Scientists; $13,000 to Sweet Briar College; and $10,000 each to Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, College of Wooster, and Powhatan School.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lizbeth Weiss Kohler as Admin. Asst., and William A Weiss and Robert L Weiss Jr as Part-Time.
The Clara Weiss Fund's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lizbeth Weiss Kohler
Administrator Assistant
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
$13K (2019) → $13K (2025)
Robert L Weiss Jr.
Part-Time
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William A Weiss
Part-Time
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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 $13K, to Lizbeth Weiss Kohler (Admin. Asst.).
Frequently asked questions about The Clara Weiss Fund
How much does The Clara Weiss Fund give each year?
The Clara Weiss Fund gave $449K across 213 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $512K across 207 grants.
What is The Clara Weiss Fund's typical grant size?
The Clara Weiss Fund's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $2,109, across 213 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Clara Weiss Fund that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Clara Weiss Fund give grants?
The Clara Weiss Fund's top state is Ohio, with 37% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Virginia (26%) and District of Columbia (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (20 grants), Winchester, VA (18 grants), Medina, OH (18 grants) and Cleveland, OH (17 grants).
Does The Clara Weiss Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 213 grants with a stated purpose on The Clara Weiss Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To support non-profit operations" (213 grants).
Who are The Clara Weiss Fund's largest grantees?
The Clara Weiss Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Food & Friends ($27,500 across 2 grants), Girl Scouts of North East Ohio ($15,000) and Union of Concerned Scientists ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Clara Weiss Fund?
The Clara Weiss Fund reported $5.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $449K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $258K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Clara Weiss Fund fund?
The fund states that its sole purpose is to purchase and manage investments to make funding available for grants to nonprofit organizations. Its 2025 recipients included organizations working in areas such as food and health services, education, youth development, and the arts. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Clara Weiss Fund?
Contact Lizbeth Kohler. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Clara Weiss Fund's EIN?
The Clara Weiss Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 34-6556158. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 28, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 18, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Clara Weiss Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-clara-weiss-fund-morg_6fb5a09480714bebb89f511316ba945a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_346556158_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Clara Weiss Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-clara-weiss-fund-morg_6fb5a09480714bebb89f511316ba945a},
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 The Clara Weiss Fund'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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