The Kaplan Foundation
The Kaplan Foundation is a private foundation based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its 2025 filing says it gives preference to organizations with activities in the Greater Cincinnati area and generally restricts grants to religion, education, medical, and community projects, while allowing grants for other projects when funds are available.
The Kaplan Foundation at a glance
In short: The Kaplan Foundation gave $967K across 67 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), mostly in Ohio. 7% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $966,500
- +7.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 67
- +8.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,425
- -0.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $15,170,007
- +8.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (5 of 67, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (72% 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 Kaplan Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts written applications from organizations exempt under I.R.C. 509(a)(1), (2), or (3). Applications from other organizations and from individuals will not be considered. An application must include a copy of the organization’s IRS determination letter regarding its classification. The filing states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Grants generally support religion, education, medical, and community projects; other projects may be considered to the extent funds are available. Preference is given to organizations with activities in the Greater Cincinnati area.
- Review Cycle
- Applications are accepted at any time.
- Deadline
- Applications are accepted at any time.
- Contact
Application contact: Steven Kaplan
Mailing address: 9435 Waterstone Blvd Suite 390, Cincinnati, OH 45249
Phone: (513) 721-5086
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Kaplan Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Taft Museum of Art ($75K). Together the top 10 received $437K.
Grant Size Distribution
311 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 296 grants of 311 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation states that it gives preference to organizations with activities in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2025, Ohio recipients received 72% of grant dollars, followed by New York at 7%, Kentucky and Indiana at 5% each, and Virginia at 4%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 67 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Kaplan Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 67 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $9K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 81% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 87% 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 $659K (2020) to $967K (2025). In 2025 it made 67 grants totaling $967K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Taft Museum of Art Cincinnati, OH | Unrestricted Contribution | $75,000 |
| Cincinnati Ballet Cincinnati, OH | Unrestricted Contribution | $60,000 |
| Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland, OH | Unrestricted Contribution | $50,000 |
| University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | Unrestricted Contribution | $50,000 |
| CET Cincinnati, OH | Unrestricted Contribution | $45,000 |
| SHOE4AFRICA New York, NY | Unrestricted Contribution | $40,000 |
| People for Ethical Treatment of Animals Norfolk, VA | Unrestricted Contribution | $35,000 |
| International Fund for Animal Welfare Yarmouth Port, MA | Unrestricted Contribution | $30,000 |
| Mercy for Animals Los Angeles, CA | Unrestricted Contribution | $30,000 |
| Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus Columbus, OH | Unrestricted Contribution | $22,000 |
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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 | $15,170,007 | $2,316,028 | $1,140,183 | $966,500 | 67 | $966,761 | $2,209,454 | $1,111,244 |
| 2024 | $13,994,162 | $3,364,555 | $1,020,812 | $901,000 | 62 | $903,733 | $3,275,166 | $1,000,384 |
| 2023 | $11,650,419 | $1,559,024 | $895,135 | $813,000 | 62 | $877,858 | $1,533,757 | $868,181 |
| 2022 | $10,986,530 | $706,470 | $1,027,579 | $907,700 | 61 | $909,314 | $620,065 | $872,425 |
| 2021 | $11,307,639 | $1,865,901 | $820,005 | $731,300 | 59 | $732,875 | $1,772,521 | $923,796 |
| 2020 | $10,261,743 | $1,099,191 | $738,356 | $658,500 | 55 | — | $1,032,301 | $727,790 |
| 2019 | $9,900,908 | $2,183,835 | $864,700 | $749,000 | 51 | — | $2,064,671 | $674,487 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Kaplan Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M 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 is provided. The foundation’s stated grant fields are religion, education, medical, and community projects. Its 2025 grants also included organizations working in arts and culture, animal welfare, and food assistance. For example, the Taft Museum of Art says its mission is to connect people with great art; Mercy for Animals describes its work as building a compassionate food system; and Freestore Foodbank says it works to improve lives by eliminating hunger in partnership with its community. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 67 grants totaling $966,500. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $75,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest grants included $75,000 to the Taft Museum of Art, $60,000 to Cincinnati Ballet, $50,000 each to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the University of Notre Dame, and $45,000 to CET. Each of these grants was listed as an unrestricted contribution. Other 2025 grants included $40,000 to Shoe4Africa, $35,000 to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and $30,000 each to the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Mercy for Animals.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Barbara S. Kaplan, MD, as president, and Steven J. Kaplan and Richard M. Kaplan as trustees.
The Kaplan Foundation is led by Barbara S. Kaplan MD, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Barbara S. Kaplan MD
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard M. Kaplan
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven J. Kaplan
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/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.
Frequently asked questions about The Kaplan Foundation
How much does The Kaplan Foundation give each year?
The Kaplan Foundation gave $967K across 67 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $901K across 62 grants.
What is The Kaplan Foundation's typical grant size?
The Kaplan Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $14,425, across 67 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Kaplan Foundation that year got $9K on average.
Where does The Kaplan Foundation give grants?
The Kaplan Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 72% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (7%) and Kentucky (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cincinnati, OH (13 grants), Columbus, OH (12 grants), Cleveland, OH (8 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Kaplan Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Kaplan Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (67 of 67) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Kaplan Foundation's largest grantees?
The Kaplan Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Taft Museum of Art ($75,000), Cincinnati Ballet ($60,000) and Cleveland Museum of Art ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Kaplan Foundation?
The Kaplan Foundation reported $15.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $967K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (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 Kaplan Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The foundation’s stated grant fields are religion, education, medical, and community projects. Its 2025 grants also included organizations working in arts and culture, animal welfare, and food assistance. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Kaplan Foundation?
The foundation accepts written applications from organizations exempt under I.R.C. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Kaplan Foundation's EIN?
The Kaplan Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1423392. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 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 June 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 10, 2025)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Kaplan Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Kaplan Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-kaplan-foundation-morg_d77324b9594841f580a54437be245812
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311423392_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Kaplan Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-kaplan-foundation-morg_d77324b9594841f580a54437be245812},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Kaplan 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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