The Vana Family Foundation
The Vana Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Medina, Ohio. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including arts, education, and human-services organizations.
The Vana Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Vana Family Foundation gave $55K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in Ohio. 4% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $55,050
- -1.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- -29.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,294
- +39.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $937,291
- +6.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 4% first-time grantees (1 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (84% 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 Vana Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1114 N Court St 229, Medina, OH 44256
Phone: (330) 212-4756
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Vana Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Magical Theatre Company ($13K). Together the top 10 received $44K.
Grant Size Distribution
158 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 158 grants of 158 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 84% of grant dollars went to recipients in Ohio, 9% to Illinois, 5% to South Carolina, and 1% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Vana Family Foundation open to new grantees?
4%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 23 grantees (4%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 96% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 107% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $50K (2022) to $58K (2021). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $55K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Magical Theatre Company Barberton, OH | General Support | $12,500 |
| Gift of Adoption Northbrook, IL | General Support | $5,000 |
| Ormaco Inc Warren, OH | General Support | $5,000 |
| Playhouse Square Foundation Cleveland, OH | General Support | $3,500 |
| Highland Foundation Medina, OH | General Support | $3,000 |
| Hiram Fund - Hiram College Hiram, OH | General Support | $3,000 |
| Saint Mary Seminary Wickliffe, OH | General Support | $3,000 |
| University of Akron Foundation Akron, OH | General Support | $3,000 |
| By the Dawn's Early Light Northfield, OH | General Support | $2,500 |
| Carolina Park Elementary School Mt Pleasant, SC | General Support | $1,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Vana Family 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 | $937,291 | $119,082 | $60,724 | $55,050 | 24 | $55,250 | $114,516 | $51,712 |
| 2024 | $878,933 | $77,706 | $61,044 | $55,750 | 34 | $55,950 | $72,197 | $50,462 |
| 2023 | $862,271 | $29,797 | $57,054 | $52,750 | 32 | $52,950 | $25,668 | $47,869 |
| 2022 | $887,278 | $28,321 | $55,247 | $50,000 | 34 | $50,200 | $23,808 | $48,958 |
| 2021 | $914,204 | $77,392 | $61,093 | $57,500 | 34 | $57,500 | $74,058 | $58,107 |
| 2020 | $897,905 | $25,287 | $54,733 | $52,000 | 34 | — | $19,976 | $49,733 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Vana Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $52K 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 available here. Its 2025 grants included support for arts organizations such as Magical Theatre Company and Playhouse Square Foundation. Magical Theatre Company describes itself as an educational and entertainment resource for young audiences and families; Playhouse Square Foundation says its work includes presenting and producing performing arts and advancing arts education.
Other supported organizations describe work in areas including music arts and outreach to rural youth and underserved populations (ORMACO), supportive services for people and families on a cancer journey (Stewart’s Caring Place), and research, knowledge, and care for the NF community (Children’s Tumor Foundation). These are the grantees’ stated missions, not stated focus areas of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $55,050. Grants ranged from $300 to $12,500, with a median of $1,500.
The largest reported awards included $12,500 to Magical Theatre Company; $5,000 each to Gift of Adoption and ORMACO; $3,500 to Playhouse Square Foundation; and $3,000 each to Highland Foundation, Hiram Fund–Hiram College, Saint Mary Seminary, and University of Akron Foundation. Each was listed for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert Vana as president and trustee/director; Veronica Vana-Snider, Matthew Vana, Francine Novak, and Krystyl Vana as vice presidents; and Helena Vana as secretary/treasurer.
The Vana Family Foundation is led by Robert Vana, President, Trustee & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert Vana
President, Trustee & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Helena Vana
Secretary, Treasurer & Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Francine Novak
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Krystyl Vana
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Matthew Vana
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Veronica Vana-Snider
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Vana Family Foundation
How much does The Vana Family Foundation give each year?
The Vana Family Foundation gave $55K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $56K across 34 grants.
What is The Vana Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Vana Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $2,294, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Vana Family Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Vana Family Foundation give grants?
The Vana Family Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 84% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Illinois (9%) and South Carolina (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Akron, OH (7 grants), Cleveland, OH (2 grants), Mt Pleasant, SC (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does The Vana Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Vana Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (24 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Vana Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Vana Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Magical Theatre Company ($12,500), Gift of Adoption ($5,000) and Ormaco Inc ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Vana Family Foundation?
The Vana Family Foundation reported $937K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $55K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $52K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Vana Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is available here. Its 2025 grants included support for arts organizations such as Magical Theatre Company and Playhouse Square Foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Vana Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Vana Family Foundation's EIN?
The Vana Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1356963. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Vana Family 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Vana Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Vana Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Vana Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-vana-family-foundation-morg_615b506a190e42138b65ea4ce1febb05
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201356963_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Vana Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-vana-family-foundation-morg_615b506a190e42138b65ea4ce1febb05},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Vana Family 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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