The Macbea Foundation
Columbus, OH · EIN 27-3409621. Reported 223 grants totalling $11.1M to 77 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. The Macbea 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 $20,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $15,000 and $40,000; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $700,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Foundation | Columbus, OH | $4,025,000 | 23 | 5 | 2025 |
| St John Neumann Catholic Church | Mogadore, OH | $1,100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Star House | Columbus, OH | $750,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Tunnel to Towers Foundation | Staten Island, NY | $450,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Lutheran Society Services | Worthington, OH | $265,000 | 6 | 3 | 2023 |
| Lutheran Social Services | Columbus, OH | $215,000 | 6 | 2 | 2025 |
| St Francis Center | Mcarthur, OH | $215,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Warm | Westerville, OH | $215,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The James Development Fund the OSU Foundation | Columbus, OH | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Lifecare Alliance | Columbus, OH | $190,000 | 7 | 5 | 2025 |
| Holy Family Soup Kitchen | Columbus, OH | $185,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Homeport | Columbus, OH | $165,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Saint Jude Children's Research Hosp | Memphis, TN | $155,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Mid Ohio Food Bank | Grove City, OH | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church | Ada, OH | $135,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Salvation Army of Central Ohio | Columbus, OH | $125,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| St Vincent Depaul | Sunbury, OH | $120,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Mid Ohio Food Collective | Grove City, OH | $110,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Men's Shelter of Delaware County | Delaware, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Prevent Blindness Ohio | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The James Development Fund | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Ohio State University Foundatio | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Refuge | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Westfall Cares | Circleville, OH | $99,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Cristo Rey Columbus High School | Columbus, OH | $95,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Central Ohio | Columbus, OH | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| 4C for Children Inc | Cincinnati, OH | $85,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Flat Rock Homes | Flat Rock, OH | $80,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Christ Child Society of Columbus | Columbus, OH | $74,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| American Red Cross | Columbus, OH | $70,102 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Together We Grow | Newark, OH | $70,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Pregnancy Decision Health Centers | Columbus, OH | $65,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Saint Jude Children's Hospital | Memphis, TN | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Lower Lights Ministries | Columbus, OH | $60,000 | 3 | 2 | 2025 |
| Women's Care Center | Columbus, OH | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Little Bottoms Free Store | Columbus, OH | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Lower Lights Ministry | Columbus, OH | $50,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Nationwide Children's Foundation | Columbus, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Eye Cancer Foundation | New York, NY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Big Walnut Friends Who Share | Sunbury, OH | $44,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Family Promise of Delaware County | Delaware, OH | $40,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Ronald Mcdonald House Charities | Columbus, OH | $40,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Move to Prosper | Columbus, OH | $37,700 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Adaptive Sports Ohio | Wooster, OH | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Disabled American Veterans | Columbus, OH | $35,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Epilepsy Alliance Ohio | Cincinnati, OH | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Agape Distribution | Sidney, OH | $34,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Community Kitchen Inc | Columbus, OH | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and Columbus | Cincinnati, OH | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Cincinnati Children's Charitable Care Fund | Cincinnati, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Elizabeth's Hope Pregnancy Resource | Chillicothe, OH | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Food Program and Clothesline of Jackson | Jackson, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Elizabeth's Hope Pregnancy Resource Center | Jackson, OH | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Gladden Community House | Columbus, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hillsboro Christian Academy | Hillsboro, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sourcepoint Meals on Wheels | Delaware, OH | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Stable Families Fund of United Way | Columbus, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| United Way of Central Ohio | Columbus, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| United Way of Columbus | Columbus, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Families Flourish | Columbus, OH | $19,200 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife | Oak Harbor, OH | $17,200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Licking County Coalition of Care | Newark, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Ohio Dyslexia Center | Fresno, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Mash Pantry and Resource Center | Grove City, OH | $12,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Saint Michael's Community | Delaware, OH | $10,622 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Charity Newsies | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Foundation for Appalachia Ohio | Nelsonville, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Greene County Fish Pantry | Xenia, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jordan Rieser Legacy Foundation | Grove City, OH | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Special Olympics Ohio | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Urban League of Columbus | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Veterans and First Responders | Mentor, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| United Church Residences of Delawar | Marion, OH | $6,880 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Direction for Youth and Familities | Columbus, OH | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Fostering Further | Newark, OH | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Youth for Christ | Columbus, OH | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Bethel Pro-Life Ministries | Upper Sandusky, OH | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
47 of 77 (61%) 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 73%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Columbus Foundation
COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT FUND - Tunnel to Towers Foundation
FIRST RESPONDER ASSISTANCE - Men's Shelter of Delaware County
TEMPORARY HOUSING &SUPPORT FOR MEN - St Francis Center
FOOD PANTRY AND CLOTHING CENTER - Adaptive Sports Ohio
WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL TEAM - Christ Child Society of Columbus
SERVING NEEDS OF CHILDREN
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 100 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 | 42 | $1,876,080 | $25,000 |
| 2022 | 45 | $2,022,500 | $20,000 |
| 2023 | 43 | $2,228,822 | $20,000 |
| 2024 | 47 | $2,146,602 | $20,000 |
| 2025 | 46 | $2,871,700 | $25,000 |
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
94% 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 $20,000. 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.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Macbea 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: 52 E Gay Street, Columbus, OH, 43215. 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 27-3409621 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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