The State Auto Foundation logo

The State Auto Foundation

Grantmaker Columbus, OH EIN: 31-1257265 Website

The State Auto Foundation is a private foundation based in Columbus, Ohio. Its 2024 filing reports no grants and no assets, so the foundation appears to have wound down or stopped grantmaking.

The State Auto Foundation at a glance

Revenue (2024)
$382,329
+5018.2% vs 2023
Expenses (2024)
$400
-82.7% vs 2023
Latest 990 filing
Form 990 filing, 2024 View filing

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

How to apply to The State Auto Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.

Contact

Mailing address: 518 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215-3901
Phone: (614) 464-5000
Website: https://stateauto.com

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

Who The State Auto Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

70 grants across all recorded years

60<$50K7$50–100K2$100–250K1$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 70 (86%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2022 grants listed include several Columbus-based organizations, as well as recipients in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Austin.

Grant Distribution by State

10states
+2 more states

Cities

ColumbusIndianapolisFarmingtonGrove CityNewarkAustinChicagoDes MoinesMinneapolisNashvilleMilbank

Is The State Auto Foundation open to new grantees?

25%

first-time grantees, 2022

In 2022, 6 of 24 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $19K. How we count

Medians: $8K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 71% of 2022 grantees were also funded in 2021. Method
  • In 2022 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2022). 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$200K$400K$600K$800K21 grants2020 25 grants2021 24 grants2022 0 grants2023 0 grants2024

From 2020 to 2022, annual grant giving ranged from $389K (2022) to $740K (2021). In 2022 it made 24 grants totaling $389K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
United Way of Central Ohio Columbus, OHN/A$70,000
American Online Giving Foundation Newark, DEN/A$50,229
American Heart Association Inc Columbus, OHN/A$50,000
Homeport Columbus, OHN/A$37,500
Mid Ohio Food Collective Grove City, OHN/A$25,000
Jazz Arts Group Columbus, OHN/A$25,000
Community Shelter Board Columbus, OHN/A$25,000
Invest Farmington, CTN/A$15,000
Ballet Met Columbus, OHN/A$12,500
Ronald McDonald House Charities Chicago, ILN/A$10,000
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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
2024—$382,329$400—————
2023$1,853,855$7,470$2,309————$144
2022$1,848,494$131,451$389,002$388,72924$388,729$131,178$25,990
2021$1,236,447$519,002$747,725$739,65025$739,650$60,927$100,739
2020$2,035,671$588,205$500,857$487,94621—$125,294$92,242

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

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement or formal funding focus areas are provided. Its 2022 grants included organizations whose own missions describe work in community support, homelessness and housing, healthcare-related family services, jazz music, and employment pathways. For example, United Way of Central Ohio says it works with community partners to help families meet basic needs and children achieve student success; Community Shelter Board says it works to end homelessness; and Jazz Arts Group says it promotes awareness of jazz music through its professional jazz repertory orchestra.

Grantmaking

In 2022, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $388,729. Notable recipients included United Way of Central Ohio ($70,000), Jazz Arts Group ($25,000), Community Shelter Board ($25,000), Ronald McDonald House Global ($10,000), and Community Housing Network ($10,000). The foundation reported no grants in 2023 or 2024. The available information does not establish a typical grant size.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Stephanie Meredith, Elise Spriggs, Mitzi White, and Duke Daugherty as trustees.

The State Auto Foundation's 2024 filing lists 4 officers; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Duke Daugherty

    Trustee

    Trustee → Trsutee, 2022

    Trsutee → Trustee, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Elise Spriggs

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mitzi White

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Stephanie Meredith

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (3)
  • Former: Scott A. Jones (2020–2022) — Trsutee
  • Former: Melissa A. Centers (2020) — Trustee
  • Former: Michael E. Larocco (2020) — Trustee

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 State Auto Foundation

What does The State Auto Foundation fund?

No mission statement or formal funding focus areas are provided. Its 2022 grants included organizations whose own missions describe work in community support, homelessness and housing, healthcare-related family services, jazz music, and employment pathways. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The State Auto Foundation?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

Where does The State Auto Foundation make grants?

The 2022 grants listed include several Columbus-based organizations, as well as recipients in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Austin.

What is The State Auto Foundation's EIN?

The State Auto Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1257265. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does The State Auto 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

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from The State Auto 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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