The Gries Family Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker Shaker Heights, OH EIN: 34-1536795

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The Gries Family Foundation is a private foundation established in 1986 in Cleveland, Ohio. Located in Shaker Heights, the foundation utilizes investment income—including interest dividends from investments, interest on temporary cash and savings, and gains from the sale of investments—for charitable giving purposes.

Key facts about The Gries Family Foundation

EIN: 34-1536795
Latest 990 filing: Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024): $338,521
Grants made (2024): 33
Average grant: $10,258
Median grant: $2,500
New grantees (estimate): 6% first-time grantees (2 of 33, 2024)
Total assets: $1,997,048
Primary geography: Ohio (88% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

Who The Gries Family Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for The Gries Family Foundation's 33 itemized 2024 grants were Ohio (88%) and Pennsylvania (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cleveland, OH (21 grants) and Beachwood, OH (4 grants). 97% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.

Is The Gries Family Foundation open to new grantees?

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 2 of 33 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $11K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $3K repeat.

88% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
Giving fell 75% from 2021 to 2024. Method
In 2024 it paid out 592% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). 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 The Gries Family Foundation

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$2.0M

-10.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$339K

-73.5% YoY

Grant Count

-21.4% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$10K

-66.3% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Gries Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $57K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's main focus is on general philanthropic activities in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. Primary funding interests include:

Higher education
Education
Cultural programs, particularly the performing arts
Hospitals and health planning

The foundation concentrates its support on charities of particular interest to its trustees.

Grantmaking

The foundation makes grants for operating support, lead contributions, and endowment funding. Recent grantmaking activity shows:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily supports charitable organizations in Cleveland and the greater Cleveland area, though it also makes grants nationally.

Grant Distribution by State

Ohio $297K (88%)

Pennsylvania $30K (9%)

Connecticut $5K (1%)

Massachusetts $5K (1%)

Colorado $1K (0%)

All other $500 (0%)

Share of all 33 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

States

Colorado Connecticut Florida Illinois Massachusetts Missouri New York Ohio Pennsylvania

Cities

ClevelandBeachwoodNew HavenDenverGates MillsNorthhamptonPhiladelphiaIndependenceShaker HeightsUniversity HeightsWatertownLake ForestNew YorkSt LouisChagrin FallsLakewoodTampaWestlake

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Most Recent (2024):

Total assets: $1,997,048
Total revenues: $237,182
Total expenses: $376,167

Historical (2023):

Total assets: $2,241,060
Total giving: $1,278,052

Historical (1992):

Assets exceeded $3.9 million

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$1,997,048	$2,241,060	$3,793,062
Revenue	$237,182	$595,621	$1,938,146
Expenses	$376,167	$1,323,885	$439,391
Qualifying Distributions	$338,521	$1,278,052	$382,500
Net Investment Income	$86,002	$241,581	$1,063,254
Distributable Amount	$57,229	$98,512	$75,717

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

March 2, 2026 IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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 2024

Grant Size Distribution

209 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include University Hospitals ($151,000), Suburban Temple ($53,000), American Jewish Committee ($30,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS Cleveland, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$151,000
SUBURBAN TEMPLE Beachwood, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$53,000
AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE Philadelphia, PA	OPERATING SUPPORT	$30,000
MALTZ MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE Beachwood, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$11,000
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Cleveland, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$10,000
CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDENHOLDEN ARB Cleveland, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$10,000
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART Cleveland, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$10,000
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE Cleveland, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$7,500
VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICES Cleveland, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$6,000
HAWKEN SCHOOL Gates Mills, OH	OPERATING SUPPORT	$5,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation was established by Ellen D. Cole and Robert D. Gries, with Robert D. Gries serving as foundation president as of 1994. Robert D. Gries is a descendant of philanthropist Nathan Dauby.

Compensation Overview

No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.

From 2024 IRS filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
Sarah L Gries	President-Trustee	10	—

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2017

In 2017, Sally and Bob Gries were recognized to receive the Cleveland Play House Centennial Star Award. The foundation has also been involved in collaborative philanthropic efforts, including support alongside other major Cleveland foundations for cultural programming.

Gries family receives Family Impact Award for safe sleep education : Inside

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Gries Family Foundation fund?

The foundation's main focus is on general philanthropic activities in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. Primary funding interests include: • Higher education • Education • Cultural programs, particularly the performing arts • Hospitals and health planning The foundation concentrates its support on charities of particular interest to its trustees.

How do I apply for a grant from The Gries Family Foundation?

The foundation makes grants for operating support, lead contributions, and endowment funding. Recent grantmaking activity shows: • In 2024, the foundation made 50 grants totaling $338,521 • Notable 2024 grants included $151,000 to University Hospitals, $53,000 to Suburban Temple, $30,000 to the American Jewish Committee, and $11,000 to the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage • Historical data from 1992 indicates the foundation distributed $161,406 for 48 grants ranging between $188 and $20,000

Where does The Gries Family Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily supports charitable organizations in Cleveland and the greater Cleveland area, though it also makes grants nationally.

What size grants does The Gries Family Foundation award?

In 2024, The Gries Family Foundation awarded 33 grants totaling $339K — an average of about $10K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Gries Family Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Gries Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $57K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.