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Gerlach Foundation Inc at a glance

· Private foundation

Gerlach Foundation Inc

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$3.7M
Granted FY2025still arriving
3
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$2.7M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead

Read this first · the figures below need context

73% of Gerlach Foundation Inc’s FY2025 grant dollars went to The Columbus Foundation, not to grantees.

Its money now reaches organizations through that sponsor, which does not report who recommended each grant. FY2025 names 1 organization directly, so a portfolio cannot be read from it.

Organizations named directly on the return

2
’17
3
’18
2
’19
3
’20
5
’21
4
’22
3
’23
1
’24
1
’25

Amber years are those where most dollars went to a sponsor.

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.

Philanthropy$17MEducation$10.0MHealth$1.1MPublic Safety & Disaster$150kEmployment$100kFood & Nutrition$100kHousing & Shelter$100kHuman Services$100kOther$0
02FY2025 · 3 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • $10k–50k1 grant · $14k
  • $250k+2 grants · $3.7M
$1,000,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$2.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION$2,700,000
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY$1,000,000
BALLETMET$13,500
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 (FY19–21, $105k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%HOMELESS FAMILIES FOUNDATION: $100k → 15%THE HEINZERLING FOUNDATION: $5k → 15%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.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

72%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$13M · 6 repeat orgs$5.1M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +43% since the first grant, against +4% for those funded once.

6 repeat relationships: 2 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

6
12

Total granted

$13M
$5.1M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+43%
+4%

Still filing today

67%
58%

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
PhilanthropyEducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureFood & 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

  • OS
    OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
    2× · 2018–2022 · $8.9M · revenue +45%
  • OS
    OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
    2× · 2024–2025 · $2.1M
  • TF
    THE FG FOUNDATION
    4× · 2020–2023 · $1.6M · revenue -68% · 42% of their budget

Funded once

  • TJ
    THE JOHN J AND PAULINE GERLACH FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2020 · $3.5M · revenue -63% · 75% of their budget
  • OC
    OHIOHEALTH CORPORATION
    one grant, 2018 · $1.0M
  • TS
    THE SALVATION ARMY
    one grant, 2021 · $100k
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
Columbus State University Foundation Inc

The Columbus State University Foundation supports educational excellence and the expansion of educational opportunities at Columbus State University. The Foundation attracts, receives, invests, manages, and expends gifts and other…

Education
2
The Ohio University Foundation

The Ohio University Foundation was established in 1945 to support the mission of Ohio University, the first institution of higher education in the Northwest Territory. Ohio University holds as its central purpose the intellectual and…

Education
3
Otterbein University

Otterbein University is an inclusive community dedicated to educating the whole person in the context of humane values. Our mission is to prepare graduates to think deeply and broadly, to engage locally and globally, and to advance their…

Education
4
Cincinnati Development Fund

To strengthen underserved neighborhoods and improve lives through innovative financing.

Housing & Shelter
5
Ohio Capital Finance Corporation

Ohio capital finance corporation provides flexible financing products and utilizes partnerships for the expansion and preservation of afforable housing to advance community development while ensuring that all residents regardless of income…

Community Improvement
6
Ohio United Way

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

Philanthropy
7
Columbus Medical Association Foundation

The columbus medical association foundation, through the governance and oversight of its board of physicians and other experts, effects change within specific priority areas to improve the health and wellbeing of the residents and…

Health
8
Oberlin College

Oberlin College and Conservatory educate students for lives of intellectual, musical and artistic rigor and breadth, sustained inquiry, creativity and innovation, and leadership. Oberlin aims to prepare graduates with the knowledge,…

Education
9
Community Shelter Board

The community shelter board is ending homelessness by creating collaborations, innovating solutions, and investing in quality programs.

—
10
Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation

The mission of the organization is to connect students residing in greater cincinnati with post-high school scholarship opportunities to pursue their educational goals

—
11
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra

Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (CCO) creates intimate, transformative experiences that connect the musically curious.

Arts & Culture
12
Columbus College of Art & Design

Ccad fosters a diverse community that educates students so they can unleash their creative power to shape culture and commerce.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Columbus Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Heinzerling Community. 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

12 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. 12 of the 19 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
12/12
Grantees still filing
7/12
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

COLUMBUS FOUNDATION: $14,052,875 · PhilanthropyCOLUMBUS FOUNDATIONTHE JOHN J AND PAULINE GERLACH FOUNDATION: $3,499,517 · PhilanthropyTHE JOHN J AND PAULINE GERLACH FOUNDATIONTHE FG FOUNDATION: $1,564,236 · PhilanthropyTHE FG FOUNDATION+1 more: $250,000 · PhilanthropyOHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $8,889,963 · EducationOHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIO…+1 more: $10,000 · EducationOHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: $2,100,000 · OtherOHIO STATE U…OHIOHEALTH CORPORATION: $1,000,000 · OtherOHIOHEALTH C…Individual grant recipient: $150,000 · Other+5 more: $400,500 · Other+5 moreTHE HOMELESS FAMILIES FOUNDATION: $100,000 · Human ServicesHEINZERLING COMMUNITY: $5,000 · Human ServicesLIFECARE ALLIANCE: $100,000 · Food & NutritionBALLET METROPOLITAN INC: $88,520 · Arts & CultureTHE CONTEMPORARY THEATRE OF OHIO: $5,000 · Arts & Culture
Philanthropy$19,366,628Education$8,899,963Other$3,650,500Human Services$105,000Food & Nutrition$100,000Arts & Culture$93,520

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

25%50%75%100%$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCOLUMBUS FOUNDATION: $14,052,875 over 9y, 1.2% of budgetOHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $8,889,963 over 2y, 2.3% of budgetTHE JOHN J AND PAULINE GERLACH FOUNDATION: $3,499,517 over 1y, 75% of budgetTHE FG FOUNDATION: $1,564,236 over 4y, 42% of budgetJOHN B AND DARETH GERLACH FOUNDATION: $250,000 over 2y, 36% of budgetLIFECARE ALLIANCE: $100,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetMid-Ohio Foodbank: $100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE HOMELESS FAMILIES FOUNDATION: $100,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetBALLET METROPOLITAN INC: $88,520 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetCOLLEGE HEIGHTS FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHEINZERLING COMMUNITY: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE CONTEMPORARY THEATRE OF OHIO: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% 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.

Harry C Moores Founda…Columbus FoundationThe John J and Paulin…L Brands FoundationIngram-White Castle F…Columbus Jewish Found…Cardinal Health Found…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Harry C Moores FoundationOH15.7× affinity5 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Harry C Moores Foundation · Columbus Foundation · The John J and Pauline Gerlach Foundation · L Brands Foundation · Ingram-White Castle Foundation · Columbus Jewish Foundation · Cardinal Health Foundation · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 Gerlach Foundation Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Gerlach Foundation Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%5%19%42%75%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Gerlach Foundation Inc?

    Find your warmest path to Gerlach Foundation Inc 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 19 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-PF 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 Gerlach’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