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Cincinnati Bar Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Cincinnati Bar Foundation

Promoting justice and changing lives through the law with the desire to serve the legal profession, the justice system and the Greater Cincinnati community.

$169k
Granted FY2025still arriving
8
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$32k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Crime & Legal$553kHuman Services$75kEmployment$43kPublic Benefit$15kYouth Development$11kHealth$8kInternational$6kEducation$5kOther$0
02FY2025 · 8 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 8 grants below total $102,237, the rows itemized in this filing. The $168,667 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $66,430 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k4 grants · $31k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $72k
$10,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$4.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Cincinnati Bar Association$31,737
Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati$15,000
ProKids$15,000
Summer Work Experience in Law (SWEL)$10,000
Children's Home of Cincinnati$8,000
Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio$7,500
Cincinnati Works$7,500
Pro Bono Partnership of Greater Cincinnati$7,500
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY18–25, $97k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Talbert House: $5k → 16%Children's Home of Cincinnati: $8k → 16%Children's Home of Cincinnati: $8k → 16%Children's Home of Cincinnati: $5k → 16%Living Arrangements for the Devlopmentally Disabled: $5k → 16%ProSeniors: $8k → 16%Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio: $8k → 16%Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio: $8k → 16%Cincinnati Works: $8k → 16%Cincinnati Works: $8k → 16%Cincinnati Works: $8k → 16%Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio: $6k → 16%Cincinnati Works: $5k → 16%Cincinnati Works: $5k → 16%Cincinnati Works: $5k → 16%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 100% of Cincinnati Bar Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address. By recipient address, 96% of the giving stays in OH; by stated purpose, 0%.

Cincinnati Bar Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

88%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$635k · 12 repeat orgs$85k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +49% since the first grant, against +7% for those funded once.

12 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
13

Total granted

$635k
$85k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+49%
+7%

Still filing today

92%
92%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesCrime & LegalCivil RightsEducationPhilanthropyEmploymentOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • LA
    Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati
    8× · 2017–2025 · $130k · revenue +87%
  • P
    ProKids
    7× · 2017–2025 · $91k · revenue +210%
  • CW
    CINCINNATI WORKS
    6× · 2018–2025 · $38k · revenue +19%

Funded once

  • SO
    STATE OF OHIO
    one grant, 2017 · $15k
  • PS
    Pro Seniors Incgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $8k · revenue +140%
  • HC
    HEALTH CARE ACCESS NOW
    one grant, 2024 · $8k · revenue +7%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Justice League

The mission of Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center (OCVJC) is to ensure that the constitutional and statutory rights of Ohio crime victims are protected and enforced in state and federal jurisdictions in all 88 Ohio counties. To fulfill this…

Crime & Legal
2
The Toledo Legal Aid Society

Toledo Legal Aid Society provides legal representation for indigent clients that are charged with criminal, traffic, or juvenile offenses for which the penalty or any possible adjudication includes the potential loss of liberty.

—
3
Central Ohio Workers Center Inc

The Central Ohio Worker Center is a non-profit organization that educates, empowers, and advocates for and with low-wage and immigrant workers in Central Ohio.

Civil Rights
4
Legal Defenders Office of Summit County Ohio Inc

To provide legal representation to indigent persons for the citizens of Summit County, Ohio.

Crime & Legal
5
Ohio United Way

To strengthen the capacity of United Ways across Ohio and to advance the common good for Ohioans.

Philanthropy
6
Cleveland Jobs With Justice

To work as a coalition of labor unions, community organzation, and religious community to raise the public awarness of and build campaigns to promote workers rights an social justice issues.

Education
7
Cincinnati Bar Foundation

Promoting justice and changing lives through the law with the desire to serve the legal profession, the justice system and the Greater Cincinnati community. The Cincinnati Bar Foundation concentrates grant-making efforts in the following…

Crime & Legal
8
Cleveland Mediation Center

Our mission is to promote a just and peaceful community by honoring all people, building their capacity to act, and facilitating opportunities for them to engage in conflict constructively. We continue to fulfill our mission by…

Crime & Legal
9
Lakeshore Legal Aid

Standing with our neighbors, Lakeshore Legal Aid fights poverty and injustice through advocacy and by providing meaningful and dignified access to the legal system.

Crime & Legal
10
United Way of Greater Lima Inc

United Way improves lives by uniting the caring power of our community.

—
11
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland

See schedule o.legal aid's mission is to secure justice, equity and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes through passionate legal representation and advocacy for systematic change.

—
12
OneJustice

OneJustice's mission is to strengthen the legal services sector's expertise and capacity to advance justice and equity.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati; the most unlike its peers is Found Village. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

23 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 23 of the 25 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
7
Early backer (in before they grew)
23/23
Grantees still filing
17/23
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Cincinnati Bar Association: $191,038 · OtherCincinnati Bar AssociationLegal Aid Society of Cincinnati: $129,750 · OtherLegal Aid Society of CincinnatiSTATE OF OHIO: $15,000 · Other+6 more: $38,500 · Other+6 moreProKids: $90,720 · Civil RightsProKidsOHIO JUSTICE AND POLICY CENTER: $23,925 · Civil RightsOHIO JUSTICE AND P…CINCINNATI WORKS: $37,500 · Human ServicesCINCINNATI WORK…Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio: $20,500 · Human ServicesCatholic Charit…The Children's Home of Cincinnati Ohio: $20,500 · Human ServicesThe Children's …Pro Seniors Inc: $8,000 · Human ServicesPro Seniors IncLiving Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled Inc: $5,000 · Human ServicesTALBERT HOUSE: $5,000 · Human ServicesPRO BONO PARTNERSHIP OF OHIO: $30,500 · Crime & LegalPRO BONO PA…NORTHERN KENTUCKY CHILDRENS LAW CENTER INC: $27,500 · Crime & LegalNORTHERN KE…Immigrant & Refugee Law Center: $18,000 · Crime & LegalImmigrant &…Summer Work Experience In Law Inc: $35,000 · EducationLaw and Leadership Institute LLC: $5,000 · EducationYoung Mens Christian Association of Greater Cincinnati: $6,000 · PhilanthropyUnited Way of Greater Cincinnati: $5,000 · PhilanthropyHEALTH CARE ACCESS NOW: $7,500 · Health
Other$374,288Civil Rights$114,645Human Services$96,500Crime & Legal$76,000Education$40,000Philanthropy$11,000Health$7,500

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCincinnati Bar Association: $191,038 over 8y, 1.4% of budgetLegal Aid Society of Cincinnati: $129,750 over 8y, 0.5% of budgetProKids: $90,720 over 7y, 0.4% of budgetCINCINNATI WORKS: $37,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetSummer Work Experience In Law Inc: $35,000 over 4y, 28% of budgetPRO BONO PARTNERSHIP OF OHIO: $30,500 over 4y, 2.1% of budgetNORTHERN KENTUCKY CHILDRENS LAW CENTER INC: $27,500 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetOHIO JUSTICE AND POLICY CENTER: $23,925 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetCatholic Charities Southwestern Ohio: $20,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetThe Children's Home of Cincinnati Ohio: $20,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetImmigrant & Refugee Law Center: $18,000 over 3y, 2.2% of budgetPro Seniors Inc: $8,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetHEALTH CARE ACCESS NOW: $7,500 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetVolunteer Lawyers for the Poor Foundation: $6,500 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetFound Village: $6,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetYoung Mens Christian Association of Greater Cincinnati: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBack 2 Back Ministries Inc: $6,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDress for Success Cincinnati: $5,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetUnited Way of Greater Cincinnati: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLaw and Leadership Institute LLC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetLiving Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTALBERT HOUSE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA COUNCIL 438 DAN BEARD: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Greater Cincinnat…United Way of Greater…Millstone FundJohnson Charitable Gi…Ohio State Bar Founda…Pfau Charitable Found…Carol Ann and Ralph V…Ge Aerospace Foundati…The Thomas J Emery Me…John a Schroth Family…Interact for ChangeSpaulding Foundation
The Greater Cincinnati FoundationOH37.6× affinity17 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Greater Cincinnati Foundation · United Way of Greater Cincinnati · Millstone Fund · Johnson Charitable Gift Fund · Ohio State Bar Foundation · Pfau Charitable Foundation · Carol Ann and Ralph V Haile Jr Foundation · Ge Aerospace Foundation · The Thomas J Emery Memorial · John a Schroth Family Char Tr · Interact for Change · Spaulding Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Cincinnati Bar Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Cincinnati Bar Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%8%15%22%30%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    13report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–30%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Cincinnati Bar Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Cincinnati Bar Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 25 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Cincinnati Bar’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home