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Cleveland Browns Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Cleveland Browns Foundation

The CLEVELAND BROWNS FOUNDATION is dedicated to taking a solution-based, holistic approach to ensure youth in ohio and beyond receive the development and education they need as a foundation for independence and success.

$2.6M
Granted FY2024still arriving
12
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$500k
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 2024.

Education$2.9MHuman Services$774kRecreation & Sports$474kYouth Development$358kFood & Nutrition$335kHealth$231kCommunity Improvement$210kPhilanthropy$189kOther$0
02FY2024 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 12 grants below total $818,490, the rows itemized in this filing. The $2,620,491 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $1,802,001 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 · FY2024

  • Under $10k3 grants · $16k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $145k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $158k
  • $250k+1 grant · $500k
$25,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$2.2M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BATTELLE EDUCATION$500,000
GREATER CLEVELAND FOODBANK$100,000
SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS$57,680
CITIZENS FOR OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE$30,000
KEEPERS FOUNDATION$25,000
COLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC$25,000
AMERICAN YOUTH FOOTBALL INC DBA CLEVELAND MUNY SPORTS ASSOCIATION$25,000
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CLEVELAND MEDICAL CENTER$25,000
HARVARD UNIVERSITY$15,000
EDWINS LEADERSHIP & RESTAURANT INSTITUTE$8,000
UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS HEALTH SYSTEM INC$5,310
CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT$2,500
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 (FY17–24, $1.3M) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%KULTURECITY: $5k → 16%BATTELLE EDUCATION: $500k → 15%CATHOLIC YOUTH ORGANIZATION YOUTH FOOTBALL: $10k → 17%THE CENTERS FOR FAMILIES & CHILDREN: $50k → 17%THE CENTERS FOR FAMILIES & CHILDREN: $50k → 17%THE CENTERS FOR FAMILIES & CHILDREN: $50k → 17%MEIJER: $15k → 17%SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS: $236k → 17%SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS: $112k → 17%SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS: $100k → 17%SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS: $57k → 17%SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS: $79k → 17%SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS: $58k → 17%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.

Which US states its grants reach

IL
MA
IA
OH
CA
NC
DC
LA
AL
GA
TX
FL
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.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

77%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$4.2M · 28 repeat orgs$1.3M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +25% since the first grant, against +23% for those funded once.

28 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2024, 20 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

28
46

Total granted

$4.2M
$697k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+25%
+23%

Still filing today

50%
63%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 31% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $555k went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
HealthEducationHuman ServicesPhilanthropyRecreation & SportsFood & NutritionOther
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

  • DP
    Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
    3× · 2020–2022 · $135k · revenue +375%
  • CN
    COLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC
    6× · 2017–2024 · $133k · revenue +214%
  • AC
    ACHIEVEMENT CENTERS FOR CHILDREN
    2× · 2017–2018 · $87k · revenue +57%

Funded once

  • D
    DIGITALCgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $83k · revenue +365%
  • LC
    LORAIN CITY SCHOOLS
    one grant, 2018 · $70k
  • FO
    FRIENDS OF THE GINN ACADEMY
    one grant, 2017 · $65k
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
Cleveland Leadership Center

The mission of cleveland leadership center (the organization) is to build a continuum of civic leaders committed to our community's excellence by serving as a catalyst for civic engagement. the organization achieves its mission by…

Education
2
The Cleveland Foundation

Enhance the lives of all residents of greater cleveland, now and for generations to come, by working together with our donors to build community endowment, address needs through grantmaking, and provide leadership on key community issues.

Philanthropy
3
Global Cleveland

Global cleveland is dedicated to growing northeast ohio's economy by welcoming and connecting international people to opportunities and fostering a more inviting community for those seeking a place to call home.

Human Services
4
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Group Return

Caring for life, researching for health and educating those who serve.

Health
5
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Caring for life, researching for health and educating those who serve.

Health
6
National Committee for Quality Assurance

Our mission: to improve the quality of health care.our vision: better health care. better choices. better health.

Health
7
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The children's hospital of philadelphia, the oldest hospital in the united states dedicated exclusively to pediatrics, strives to be the world leader in the advancement of health care for children by integrating excellent patient care,…

Health
8
The Literacy Cooperative of Greater Cleveland

The literacy cooperative of cleveland was formed for public, charitable, scientific, and educational purposes relating to the improvement of the literacy rate in the greater cleveland area.

Education
9
Hope for Cleveland's Children
—
10
Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose Inc

Chief executives for corporate purpose (cecp) is the only business counsel and network dedicated to driving measurable returns on purpose. we promote responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee…

Philanthropy
11
The Democracy Collaborative Foundation Inc

See schedule othe democracy collaborative was established in 2000 to advance understanding of democracy for the 21st century and to promote emerging strategies and innovations in community development that enhance democratic life. in…

Education
12
Child Welfare League of America

Child welfare league of america engages its network of public and private agencies and partners to advance policies, best practices, and collaborative strategies that result in better outcomes for vulnerable children, youth, and families.

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Greater Cleveland Food Bank Inc; the most unlike its peers is Dr Maya Angelou Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

54 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

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 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 54 of the 82 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
52/54
Grantees still filing
34/54
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CUYAHOGA COUNTY OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD: $690,000 · OtherCUYAHOGA COUNTY OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOODCLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT: $381,023 · OtherCLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICTEAST CLEVELAND SCHOOL DISTRICT: $329,850 · OtherEAST CLEVELAND SCHOOL DISTRICTAKRON PUBLIC SCHOOLS: $185,000 · OtherAKRON PUBLIC SCHOOLSCLEVELAND MUNY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: $167,267 · OtherCLEVELAND MUNY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATIONMAPLE HEIGHTS CITY SCHOOL DISTRIST: $155,595 · OtherUNIVERSITY HOSPITALS HEALTH SYSTEM INC: $150,000 · Other+38 more: $902,659 · Other+38 moreSHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS: $641,966 · Human ServicesSHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDSBATTELLE EDUCATION: $500,000 · Human ServicesBATTELLE EDUCATIONThe Centers for Families and Children: $165,033 · Human ServicesThe Centers for Families a…+3 more: $23,000 · Human ServicesFRIENDS OF GINN ACADEMY CORPORATION: $145,000 · EducationFRIENDS OF …Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: $135,000 · EducationDolly Parto…COLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC: $133,216 · EducationCOLLEGE NOW…CLEVELAND COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL: $52,176 · EducationCLEVELAND C…EDWINS LEADERSHIP & RESTAURANT INSTITUTE: $48,000 · EducationEDWINS LEAD…Long Beach Education Foundation: $20,000 · Education+3 more: $25,000 · EducationGREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC: $300,000 · Food & NutritionCHILDREN'S HUNGER ALLIANCE: $35,000 · Food & NutritionJEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND: $100,000 · PhilanthropyTHE GOOD COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $50,000 · PhilanthropyKEEPERS FOUNDATION: $25,000 · PhilanthropyCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE MAHONING VALLEY: $23,940 · PhilanthropyBPA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $10,000 · PhilanthropyCOMMUNITY INITIATIVES: $10,000 · Philanthropy+3 more: $15,000 · PhilanthropyUNIVERSITY HOSPITALS HEALTH SYSTEM INC: $56,860 · HealthRAINBOW BABIES & CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION: $25,000 · HealthJessie Rees Foundation: $10,000 · HealthAmerican Heart Association Inc: $10,000 · HealthLIFEACT: $7,500 · HealthOhioGuidestone: $5,000 · HealthEPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA: $5,000 · HealthAmerican Diabetes Association: $5,000 · HealthJack McGovern Coats Disease Foundation: $5,000 · HealthTHE LITTLEST HEROES INC: $5,000 · HealthDIGITALC: $82,500 · Community Improvement
Other$2,961,394Human Services$1,329,999Education$558,392Food & Nutrition$335,000Philanthropy$233,940Health$134,360Community Improvement$82,500

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetSHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS: $641,966 over 6y, 4.1% of budgetBATTELLE EDUCATION: $500,000 over 1y, 8.2% of budgetGREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC: $300,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetThe Centers for Families and Children: $165,033 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetFRIENDS OF GINN ACADEMY CORPORATION: $145,000 over 3y, 52% of budgetDolly Parton's Imagination Library: $135,000 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetCOLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC: $133,216 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetJEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetACHIEVEMENT CENTERS FOR CHILDREN: $87,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetDIGITALC: $82,500 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetUNIVERSITY HOSPITALS HEALTH SYSTEM INC: $56,860 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCLEVELAND COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL: $52,176 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetTHE GOOD COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 1y, 95% of budgetEDWINS LEADERSHIP & RESTAURANT INSTITUTE: $48,000 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetTHE CLEVELAND POLICE FOUNDATION: $40,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetUSO (UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS) OF NORTHERN OHIO: $35,961 over 2y, 6.0% of budgetCHILDREN'S HUNGER ALLIANCE: $35,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetKEEPERS FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 10% of budgetRAINBOW BABIES & CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE MAHONING VALLEY: $23,940 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetMOBILEMED1 INC DBA MEDWORKS: $21,550 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetLong Beach Education Foundation: $20,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetLEGAL AID SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetJOURNEY CENTER FOR SAFETY AND HEALING: $17,388 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetOHIO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES A: $15,000 over 2y, 9.5% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS OHIO INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetPresident and Fellows of Harvard College: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJessie Rees Foundation: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetBPA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetCOMMUNITY INITIATIVES: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Heart Association Inc: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCATHOLIC CHARITIES CORPORATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLIFEACT: $7,500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetOhioGuidestone: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE LINDY INFANTE FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetURBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER CLEVELAND: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetEPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDIVERSITY CENTER OF NORTHEAST OHIO: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPROVIDENCE HOUSE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUNITED WAY WORLDWIDE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMARINE TOYS FOR TOTS FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDr Maya Angelou Foundation: $5,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetSave The Children Federation Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAmerican Diabetes Association: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetJack McGovern Coats Disease Foundation: $5,000 over 1y, 3.2% of budgetKultureCity: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% 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.

  • Who funds SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR KIDS ↗
  • Who funds BATTELLE EDUCATION ↗
  • Who funds GREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC ↗
  • Who funds The Centers for Families and Children ↗
  • Who funds FRIENDS OF GINN ACADEMY CORPORATION ↗
  • Who funds Dolly Parton's Imagination Library ↗
  • Who funds COLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC ↗
  • Who funds JEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND ↗
  • Who funds ACHIEVEMENT CENTERS FOR CHILDREN ↗
  • Who funds DIGITALC ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS HEALTH SYSTEM INC ↗
  • Who funds CLEVELAND COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds THE GOOD COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds EDWINS LEADERSHIP & RESTAURANT INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds THE CLEVELAND POLICE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds USO (UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS) OF NORTHERN OHIO ↗
  • Who funds CHILDREN'S HUNGER ALLIANCE ↗
  • Who funds KEEPERS FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds RAINBOW BABIES & CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE MAHONING VALLEY ↗
  • Who funds MOBILEMED1 INC DBA MEDWORKS ↗
  • Who funds Long Beach Education Foundation ↗
  • Who funds LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF CLEVELAND ↗

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 Cleveland Foundat…The George Gund Found…The Reinberger Founda…Columbus FoundationShoes and Clothes for…Dominion Energy Chari…The Nordson Corporati…Mt Sinai Health Care …Saint Lukes Foundatio…The Cleveland Clinic …The Cleveland Clinic …The Char and Chuck Fo…
The Cleveland FoundationOH37.4× affinity20 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Cleveland Foundation · The George Gund Foundation · The Reinberger Foundation · Columbus Foundation · Shoes and Clothes for Kids · Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation · The Nordson Corporation Foundation · Mt Sinai Health Care Foundation · Saint Lukes Foundation of Cleveland Ohio · The Cleveland Clinic Foundation · The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Group Return · The Char and Chuck Fowler Family 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 Cleveland Browns Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Cleveland Browns Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 22%
  • Save the Children Federation Inc: 30% of income from government
  • Epilepsy Foundation of America: 22% of income from government
  • President and Fellows of Harvard College: 7% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
15report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
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 Cleveland Browns Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Cleveland Browns 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 82 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Cleveland Browns’ 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