Woodruff Foundation
The Woodruff Foundation is a private foundation based in Cleveland, Ohio. It welcomes grant requests from tax-exempt nonprofit organizations with a presence in Cuyahoga County that serve county residents and address behavioral health.
Woodruff Foundation at a glance
In short: Woodruff Foundation gave $410K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Ohio. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $410,000
- -12.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +4.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,826
- -16.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $13,904,333
- +9.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (6 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Woodruff Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Submit an application online through the foundation’s process.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists three cycles: applications available November 15, due December 15, with a February meeting; available April 1, due May 1, with a June meeting; and available August 1, due September 1, with an October meeting. The 2024 filing lists no deadlines.
- Deadline
- The website lists three cycles: applications available November 15, due December 15, with a February meeting;…
- Contact
Application contact: Care Of Cristin Slesh
Mailing address: 1422 Euclid Avenue Suite 966, Cleveland, OH 44115
Phone: (216) 566-1853
Website: https://woodruffgreatercle.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Woodruff Foundation
Who Woodruff Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Magnolia Clubhouse ($55K). Together the top 10 received $265K.
Grant Size Distribution
117 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 111 grants of 117 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Cleveland, Ohio. Its website generally seeks applications from organizations with a presence in Cuyahoga County serving county residents. In 2024, all grant dollars were reported as going to recipients in Ohio.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Woodruff Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 23 grantees (26%) 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 $25K; repeat grants $15K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 35% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 83% 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 (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 $372K (2022) to $667K (2023). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $410K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Magnolia Clubhouse Cleveland, OH | Capital Campaign to Expand Services | $55,000 |
| Center for Community Solutions Cleveland, OH | Cuyahoga Cty - Nonprofit Advocacy | $35,000 |
| First Year Cleveland (CWRU) Cleveland, OH | Capacity Building for Maternal/Infan | $30,000 |
| May Dugan Center Cleveland, OH | Behavioral Health Services | $25,000 |
| Ohio Guidestone Berea, OH | Mobile Response & Stabilization Serv | $25,000 |
| Stella Maris Cleveland, OH | Detoxification Services | $25,000 |
| Beechbrook Garfield Heights, OH | Early Childhood Mental Health | $20,000 |
| Bellefaire Jewish Children's Bureau Shaker Heights, OH | School Centered Mental Health | $20,000 |
| Health Policy Institute of Ohio Columbus, OH | Policy Briefs on Youth Mental Health | $15,000 |
| Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry Cleveland, OH | Provide Guardianship to Adults | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Woodruff 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 | $13,904,333 | $744,520 | $686,954 | $410,000 | 23 | $532,277 | $688,630 | $641,827 |
| 2024 | $12,754,518 | $870,903 | $697,315 | $470,785 | 22 | $615,566 | $822,968 | $612,112 |
| 2023 | $12,156,735 | $1,231,002 | $833,676 | $666,960 | 29 | $784,577 | $1,181,753 | $579,780 |
| 2022 | $11,416,685 | $364,540 | $597,596 | $372,000 | 16 | $496,781 | $260,592 | $597,589 |
| 2021 | $14,329,254 | $1,012,705 | $861,710 | $630,314 | 27 | $748,757 | $896,237 | $671,426 |
| 2020 | $13,207,344 | $337,459 | $734,653 | $526,000 | 27 | — | $243,386 | $581,291 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Woodruff Foundation reported a distributable amount of $642K 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
The foundation’s website describes behavioral health as encompassing mental health and substance use, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support. Its focus areas include treatment; education and prevention; coordination of resources in the community; research; and advocacy. It says advocacy grants cannot fund lobbying, and that advocacy proposals from organizations without a Cuyahoga County presence may be considered if they demonstrate an impact on county residents.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of work represented among grantees. Positive Education Program describes its mission as “supporting young people to overcome and thrive.” Stella Maris says it provides a continuum of addiction and mental health services. Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy describes its work as unifying local voices to raise awareness and advance policies affecting people impacted by mental illness and addiction.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 22 grants totaling $470,785. Awards ranged from $10,000 to $50,000, with a median grant of $22,892. The largest listed award was $50,000 to The Educational Service Center of for developing the infant and early childhood mental health workforce. Other notable 2024 grants included $35,000 to The Centers for Family and Children for renovation of Cleveland Christian Home; $30,000 to Positive Education Program for professional development; and $25,000 each to Cleveland Foundation, Pregnant with Possibilities, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, The MetroHealth Foundation, Thrive for Change, Stella Maris, NAMI Greater Cleveland, and Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy. Its 2025 filing, the latest on this page, reports 23 grants totaling $410,000.
The foundation’s website provides an online application process and says applications are reviewed by staff and the board. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations, have a presence in Cuyahoga County, and provide services or programming in an eligible focus area. A report on any previous grant must be submitted before a new request can be considered. The website says grants are generally for one year and that the foundation’s general policy is to make one grant per year directly to an organization; it also considers joint requests from partner agencies. It does not consider requests for endowment, scholarships, fellowships, annual fundraising campaigns, or general solicitations.
The foundation’s 2024 filing describes proposals as having no specific application form and lists suggested materials: proposal purpose; organizational history and purpose; client and service information; request objectives, timeline, and budget; prior-year income and expenses and current budget; board list; latest audited financial statements; and most recent annual report.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Molly Wimbiscus MD, Habeebah Rasheed Grimes, Vanessa Jensen PsyD, Dixon Morgan, Steven Siemborski, and Robert Fischer PhD as trustees. Laurel Domanski Diaz is listed as president, Janet Lowder as secretary, and John Corlett as vice president.
Woodruff Foundation is led by Laurel Domanski Diaz, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 9 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Laurel Domanski Diaz
President
Trustee → Vice President, 2021
Vice President → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Dixon Morgan
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Habeebah Rasheed Grimes
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Molly Wimbiscus MD
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Robert Fischer PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Eric Amanfoh
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Janet Lowder
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
John Corlett
Vice President
Trustee → Secretary & Treasurer, 2021
Secretary & Treasurer → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Vanessa Jensen Psyd
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Steven Siemborski (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Lovell J. Custard (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: John Hertzer MD (2020–2022) — Trustee
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 Woodruff Foundation
How much does Woodruff Foundation give each year?
Woodruff Foundation gave $410K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $471K across 22 grants.
What is Woodruff Foundation's typical grant size?
Woodruff Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $17,826, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Woodruff Foundation that year got $25K on average.
Where does Woodruff Foundation give grants?
Woodruff Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Cleveland, OH (17 grants).
Does Woodruff Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on Woodruff Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Woodruff Foundation's largest grantees?
Woodruff Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Magnolia Clubhouse ($55,000), Center for Community Solutions ($35,000) and First Year Cleveland (CWRU) ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Woodruff Foundation?
Woodruff Foundation reported $13.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $532K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $642K (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 Woodruff Foundation fund?
The foundation’s website describes behavioral health as encompassing mental health and substance use, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support. Its focus areas include treatment; education and prevention; coordination of resources in the community; research; and advocacy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Woodruff Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Woodruff Foundation's EIN?
Woodruff Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7425631. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Woodruff Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 17, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS September 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Woodruff Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/woodruff-foundation-morg_800d37ab067140fda1457e3c40f0f27f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237425631_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Woodruff Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/woodruff-foundation-morg_800d37ab067140fda1457e3c40f0f27f},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-05. 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 Woodruff 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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