Fairfax Foundation
Mentor, OH · EIN 34-1553708. Reported 116 grants totalling $6,013,747 to 82 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Fairfax Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $10,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $5,000 and $40,000; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $750,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hathaway Brown School | Shaker Heights, OH | $780,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Urban Community School | Cleveland, OH | $775,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Urban Squash Cleveland | Cleveland, OH | $772,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| University School | Hunting Valley, OH | $750,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Trees Water & People | Fort Collins, CO | $410,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Our Family Services | Tuscon, AZ | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Huntington's Disease Society of America | New York, NY | $225,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Emerge | Tuscon, AZ | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Doctors Without Borders | New York, NY | $105,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Friends of Community Foundations of Canada | Tempe, AZ | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Rise Against Suicide | Lafayette, CO | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Kiva Center | Boulder, CO | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Lake View Cemetery Foundation | Cleveland, OH | $80,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Human Rights Watch Inc | New York, NY | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| American Indian College Fund | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Boulder Food Rescue | Boulder, CO | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| God's Vast Resources | Tuscon, AZ | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland | Beachwood, OH | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Pachamama Alliance | San Francisco, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Parkinson's Foundation | Miami, FL | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Rocky Mountain Equality Center | Boulder, CO | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| September School | Boulder, CO | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| UNCF | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Gospel Rescue Mission Inc | Tuscon, AZ | $47,447 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cleveland Museum of Art | Cleveland, OH | $42,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| ACLU of Ohio | Cleveland, OH | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Friends of the Art Gallery of Ontario Inc | Toronto | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Friends of the Art Gallery of Ontario Inc | Toronto Ontario | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio | Akron, OH | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Augustine Cathedral | Tuscon, AZ | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jsfa | Beachwood, OH | $34,700 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Csu Foundation | Cleveland, OH | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Givewell | Lakeland, FL | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation | Toronto Ontario | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Church of God International Office | Charleston, TN | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Arden Court Promedica Memory Care Fund | Livonia, MI | $23,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Grief Support Network | Golden, CO | $22,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| ACLU Foundation | Cleveland, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Friends of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health | Toronto Ontario | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Habitat for Humanity | Fort Collins, CO | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Shaw Festival | Niagara-on-the-La | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Shaw Festival | Buffalo, NY | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Sustainable Living Association | Cleveland, OH | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| University Hospitals | Cleveland, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Alzheimers Association | Beachwood, OH | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Neighbor to Neighbor | Fort Collins, CO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Redline Contemporary Art Center | Denver, CO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Vive Wellness | Denver, CO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Colorado Center for Documentary and Ethnographic Media | Boulder, CO | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Center for Documentary and Ethnographic Media | Boulder, CO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Colonial Williamsburg Foundation | Williamsburg, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity | Fort Collins, CO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Lutheran Family Services | Denver, CO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Michael J Fox Foundation | New York, NY | $10,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| St Jude Children's Research Hospital | Memphis, TN | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| World Central Kitchen | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cleveland Food Bank | Bachwood, OH | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Providence House | Cleveland, OH | $7,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Saint Ignatius High School | Cleveland, OH | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Franciscan University of Stubenville | Stubenville, OH | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Grasp | New York, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Howard Hanna Children's | Pittsburgh, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lyceum | South Euclid, OH | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army | Cleveland, OH | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Gathering Place | Beachwood, OH | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Wounded Warrior Project | Jacksonville, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch | Burton, OH | $4,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Zelie's Home | Garfield Heights, OH | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cleveland Orchestra | Cleveland, OH | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Holden Forests & Gardens | Kirtland, OH | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Birthright Geauga | Newbury Township, OH | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Catholic Psychotherapy Association | Greeley, CO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cato Institute | Washington, DC | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cleveland Museum of Natural History | Cleveland, OH | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Our Lady of Lourdes National Shrine | Euclid, OH | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Priestly Fraternity of St Peter | South Abington Townshi, PA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Better Kenmore Cdc | Akron, OH | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army | Alexandria, VA | $1,100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Chagrin Valley Jaycees | Chagrin Falls, OH | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Christian Appalachian Project | Paintsville, KY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cleveland Zoological Society | Cleveland, OH | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Foundation for Geauga Parks | Chesterland, OH | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
22 of 82 (27%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 42%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 56 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | $72,500 | $5,000 |
| 2022 | 8 | $70,000 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 12 | $76,600 | $5,000 |
| 2024 | 56 | $4,614,947 | $17,500 |
| 2025 | 26 | $1,179,700 | $32,350 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
59% of its giving went to organizations in Ohio. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $10,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Ohio.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Fairfax Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: Co 8141 Tyler Blvd A3, Mentor, OH, 44060. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 34-1553708 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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