Margaret and Robert Walter Foundation
Columbus, OH · EIN 31-1491083. Reported 163 grants totalling $36.9M to 82 organizations across tax years 2021-2025, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Margaret and Robert Walter Foundation, the IRS classifies it as a philanthropic organization (NTEE T99Z).
- How spread out its giving is. 82 distinct organizations, with 25% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 48% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 4 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 56% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $40,000. Half of what it reported fell between $24,000 and $100,000; the smallest was $6,000 and the largest $6,000,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Charles Preparatory School | Columbus, OH | $9,142,200 | 6 | 5 | 2025 |
| Mission Grammar School | Roxbury, MA | $4,140,550 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| United Schools Network Inc | Columbus, OH | $2,607,062 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Nationwide Childrens Hospital Inc | Columbus, OH | $2,500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Columbus Foundation | Columbus, OH | $2,271,550 | 14 | 5 | 2025 |
| Foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus | Columbus, OH | $2,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lawrence Catholic Academy of Lawrence Massachusetts Inc | Lawrence, MA | $1,219,500 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Catholic Diocese of Columbus | Columbus, OH | $1,150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Ohio State University Foundation | Columbus, OH | $1,060,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Ohio University Foundation | Athens, OH | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Star House Foundation | Columbus, OH | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Saint Mary Catholic Church | Columbus, OH | $845,500 | 5 | 4 | 2025 |
| Kenya Works Inc | Appleton, WI | $756,700 | 7 | 5 | 2025 |
| Metro Early College High School | Columbus, OH | $750,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Jewish Family Services | Columbus, OH | $600,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Meuse Family Foundation | Columbus, OH | $525,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Entitlements How Dba Free the Facts | Lexington, KY | $450,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Choices for Victims of Domestic Violence | Columbus, OH | $397,840 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Adaptive Sports Connection | Powell, OH | $330,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Harmony Project Productions Inc | Columbus, OH | $326,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Catholic Schools Foundation Inc | Boston, MA | $249,550 | 4 | 3 | 2025 |
| Columbus Museum of Art | Columbus, OH | $223,650 | 7 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Homeless Families Foundation | Columbus, OH | $160,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Basic Needs Giving Partnership Inc | Appleton, WI | $150,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Community Financial Wellness | Columbus, OH | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Flying Horse Farms | Mount Gilead, OH | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kindway | Columbus, OH | $115,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| I Know I Can | Columbus, OH | $110,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Marys Meals USA Inc | Bloomfield, NJ | $100,200 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Catholic Social Services Inc | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region Inc | Appleton, WI | $100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Community Refugee and Immigration Services Inc | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Greater Columbus Community House | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Hnhf Realty Collaborative | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lifecare Alliance | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lower Lights Christian Health Center Inc | Columbus, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Mid-Ohio Foodbank | Grove City, OH | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Mary School Inc | Columbus, OH | $95,180 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Childrens Hunger Alliance | Columbus, OH | $92,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Save a Warrior Inc | Columbus, OH | $90,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $85,000 | 3 | 2 | 2024 |
| Manhattan University | Bronx, NY | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Childhood League Inc | Columbus, OH | $70,000 | 4 | 3 | 2025 |
| Reeb Avenue Center | Columbus, OH | $67,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Tenacre Country Day School Corporation | Wellesley, MA | $67,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Cristo Rey Columbus High School Work Study Program | Columbus, OH | $60,400 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| A Kid Again Inc | Columbus, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Childrens Hospital Foundation | Louisville, KY | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Gladden Community House | Columbus, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Saint Francis Desales High School | Columbus, OH | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Valerie Fund | Maplewood, NJ | $50,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rivers School Corporation | Weston, MA | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sanctuary Collective | Columbus, OH | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mount Carmel Health System Foundation | Columbus, OH | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vita Nova Maternity Community | Papillion, NE | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Community Development for All People | Columbus, OH | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Neighborhood Services Inc | Columbus, OH | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Young Mens Christian Association of Central Ohio | Columbus, OH | $28,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus Inc | Columbus, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Breakthrough T1D | New York, NY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Columbus Academy | Gahanna, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Damascus Inc | Centerburg, OH | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Malaria No More Fund | Washington, DC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Open Discourse Coalition | Lewisburg, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Partnership Schools | New York, NY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Jude Childrens Research Hospital Inc | Memphis, TN | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Scott and Kim Verplank Foundation | Norman, OK | $24,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Pontifical College Josephinum | Columbus, OH | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Momentum-Excellence Inc | Columbus, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nnemap Inc | Columbus, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Society of St Vincent De Paul Diocesan Council of Columbus | Columbus, OH | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Groundwork Group | Columbus, OH | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Brian Muha Memorial Foundation Inc | Galloway, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Foundation for Palm Beach & Martin Counties Inc | West Palm Bch, FL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Community Housing Network Inc | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Riverview International Center Inc | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Salvation Army | West Nyack, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Urban Strings Columbus | Columbus, OH | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Young Audiences Inc | New York, NY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Oak Rose Fund | Greenwood Vlg, CO | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Columbus Association for the Performing Arts Inc | Columbus, OH | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
32 of 82 (39%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 68 of 82 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 | $12.4M | $27,500 |
| 2022 | 27 | $7,140,490 | $50,000 |
| 2023 | 40 | $4,103,900 | $29,000 |
| 2024 | 34 | $7,026,100 | $42,500 |
| 2025 | 29 | $6,223,392 | $55,180 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
79% of its giving went to organizations in Ohio. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. 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 grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $40,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Ohio.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Margaret and Robert Walter Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 29 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 1234 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH, 43205.
EIN 31-1491083 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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