The Fortney Foundation
The Fortney Foundation is a private foundation based in North Olmsted, Ohio. Its 2025 filing reports 21 grants totaling $88,000 to charitable organizations, with the largest shares of grant dollars going to recipients in Ohio and Illinois.
The Fortney Foundation at a glance
In short: The Fortney Foundation gave $88K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Ohio. 52% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $88,000
- +31.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- +23.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,190
- +6.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $1,705,582
- -29.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 52% first-time grantees (11 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (61% 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 The Fortney Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 31269 Bradley Road, North Olmsted, OH 44070
Phone: (440) 761-4000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Fortney Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Les Turner ALS Foundation ($15K). Together the top 10 received $69K.
Grant Size Distribution
112 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 112 grants of 112 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 61% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 19% to Illinois, 9% to Connecticut, 6% to New York, and 3% to California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Fortney Foundation open to new grantees?
52%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 21 grantees (52%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 24% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−20%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 88% 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 (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 $67K (2024) to $118K (2020). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $88K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Les Turner ALS Foundation Skokie, IL | General Operating | $15,000 |
| Kidney Foundation Cleveland, OH | General Operating | $10,000 |
| Cleveland Food Bank Cleveland, OH | General Operating | $9,000 |
| Coalition to Cure Caplain 3 Westport, CT | General Operating | $7,500 |
| Playhouse Square Cleveland, OH | General Operating | $6,000 |
| The City Mission Cleveland Cleveland, OH | General Operating | $5,250 |
| Friendship APL Elyria, OH | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Holy Trinity School Avon, OH | General Operating | $5,000 |
| Palestinian Children's Relief Fund Los Angeles, CA | General Operating | $3,000 |
| The Cleveland Animal Protective League Cleveland, OH | General Operating | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Fortney Foundation?
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 | $1,705,582 | $90,591 | $194,731 | $88,000 | 21 | $104,369 | $4,231 | $118,336 |
| 2024 | $2,403,512 | $213,097 | $172,305 | $67,000 | 17 | $83,354 | $127,739 | $109,272 |
| 2023 | $2,172,356 | $101,024 | $185,344 | $86,000 | 17 | $102,357 | $18,237 | $96,796 |
| 2022 | $2,012,191 | $92,523 | $198,207 | $109,500 | 29 | $123,921 | $23,926 | $102,867 |
| 2021 | $2,477,015 | $141,582 | $201,792 | $116,000 | 28 | $130,550 | $70,340 | $115,975 |
| 2020 | $2,357,375 | $-107,791 | $206,267 | $117,500 | 24 | — | $18,058 | $106,737 |
| 2019 | $2,400,354 | $147,917 | $175,295 | $77,000 | 23 | — | $67,823 | $117,731 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Fortney Foundation reported a distributable amount of $118K 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 went to organizations working in areas including health, food assistance, the arts, education, animal welfare, and humanitarian relief. For example, the Cleveland Animal Protective League describes its mission as fostering compassion and ending animal suffering; the Cleveland Music School Settlement says it welcomes people to learn, create, celebrate, and heal through music and the arts; and World Central Kitchen says it provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $88,000 through 21 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $15,000, with a median of $3,000. The largest awards included $15,000 to Les Turner ALS Foundation (Skokie, Illinois), $10,000 to Kidney Foundation (Cleveland, Ohio), $9,000 to Cleveland Food Bank, $7,500 to Coalition to Cure Caplain 3 (Westport, Connecticut), and $6,000 to Playhouse Square (Cleveland, Ohio). These grants were listed for general operating support.
Other 2025 grantees included the Cleveland Animal Protective League ($3,000), Evans Scholars Foundation ($2,000), Cleveland Music School Settlement ($2,000), World Central Kitchen ($2,000), Providence House ($2,000), and Sierra's Haven For New And Used Pets ($500).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ruth A Fortney as trustee, president, and treasurer; Megan Fortney Smith, Jessica Fortney Krisanda, and Chelsea Fortney as directors; and Katherine P F Horne as director, vice president, and secretary.
The Fortney Foundation is led by Ruth A Fortney, Trustee, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2019; 4 of 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ruth A Fortney
Trustee, President & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chelsea Fortney
Director
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$15K (2019) → $15K (2025)
Jessica Fortney Krisanda
Director
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$15K (2019) → $15K (2025)
Katherine P F Horne
Director, Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$15K (2019) → $15K (2025)
Megan Fortney Smith
Director
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$15K (2019) → $15K (2025)
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 $15K, to Chelsea Fortney (Director). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Fortney Foundation
How much does The Fortney Foundation give each year?
The Fortney Foundation gave $88K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $67K across 17 grants.
What is The Fortney Foundation's typical grant size?
The Fortney Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $4,190, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Fortney Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does The Fortney Foundation give grants?
The Fortney Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Illinois (19%) and Connecticut (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cleveland, OH (7 grants) and Rocky River, OH (2 grants).
Does The Fortney Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Fortney Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (21 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Fortney Foundation's largest grantees?
The Fortney Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Les Turner ALS Foundation ($15,000), Kidney Foundation ($10,000) and Cleveland Food Bank ($9,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Fortney Foundation?
The Fortney Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $104K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $118K (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 The Fortney Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including health, food assistance, the arts, education, animal welfare, and humanitarian relief. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Fortney 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 The Fortney Foundation's EIN?
The Fortney Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8082606. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Fortney Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 18, 2021)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Fortney Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Fortney Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-fortney-foundation-morg_5be464f51e434fa589f58fe8bccdc5c2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_208082606_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Fortney Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-fortney-foundation-morg_5be464f51e434fa589f58fe8bccdc5c2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Fortney 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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