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The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$9.3M
Granted FY2024still arriving
77
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$2.0M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$21MHealth$4.9MFood & Nutrition$4.1MEducation$2.8MEnvironment$2.0MCommunity Improvement$1.2MYouth Development$588kRecreation & Sports$475kOther$0
02FY2024 · 77 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k8 grants · $25k
  • $10k–50k43 grants · $1.1M
  • $50k–250k19 grants · $1.2M
  • $250k+7 grants · $7.0M
$30,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$159M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART$2,000,000
MUSICAL ARTS ASSOCIATION$1,200,000
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY$1,000,000
THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART$1,000,000
UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS$1,000,000
HOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE$530,000
CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC$275,000
THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART$205,000
DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND ALLIANCE$70,000
PLAYHOUSE SQUARE FOUNDATION$63,500
PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER OHIO$60,000
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME$60,000
SAINT MARTIN DE PORRES HIGH SCHOOL$60,000
FIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER$60,000
CLEVELAND LEADERSHIP CENTER$59,000
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 (FY20–24, $1.5M) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%MAY DUGAN CENTER: $25k → 17%HOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE: $530k → 17%HOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE: $250k → 17%HOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE: $50k → 17%HOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE: $50k → 17%HOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE: $30k → 17%HOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE: $30k → 17%THE GATHERING PLACE: $40k → 17%THE GATHERING PLACE: $40k → 17%THE GATHERING PLACE: $20k → 17%THE GATHERING PLACE: $20k → 17%THE GATHERING PLACE: $20k → 17%STRONGSVILLE EMERGENCY FOOD BANK: $3k → 17%STRONGSVILLE EMERGENCY FOOD BANK: $3k → 17%SPIRIT OF CLEVELAND: $7k → 17%STRONGSVILLE EMERGENCY FOOD BANK: $3k → 17%CATHOLIC CHARITIES - DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND: $4k → 17%STRONGSVILLE EMERGENCY FOOD BANK: $3k → 17%CATHOLIC CHARITIES - DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND: $4k → 17%STRONGSVILLE EMERGENCY FOOD BANK: $2k → 17%CATHOLIC CHARITIES - DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND: $4k → 17%CATHOLIC CHARITIES - DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND: $4k → 17%CATHOLIC CHARITIES - DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND: $4k → 17%GLOBAL CLEVELAND: $5k → 17%GLOBAL CLEVELAND: $4k → 17%GLOBAL CLEVELAND: $3k → 17%GLOBAL CLEVELAND: $3k → 17%SEEDS OF LITERACY: $10k → 17%GLOBAL CLEVELAND: $3k → 17%SEEDS OF LITERACY: $10k → 17%SEEDS OF LITERACY: $10k → 17%SEEDS OF LITERACY: $10k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $80k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $80k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $40k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $40k → 17%CLEVELAND SIGHT CENTER: $40k → 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.
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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$38M · 86 repeat orgs$1.2M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against -7% for those funded once.

86 repeat relationships: 73 still active in FY2024, 13 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

86
12

Total granted

$38M
$1.2M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
-7%

Still filing today

88%
83%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $3k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesEnvironmentHealthCommunity ImprovementOther
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

  • CM
    CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
    5× · 2020–2024 · $9.2M · revenue +23%
  • TM
    The Musical Arts Association
    5× · 2020–2024 · $3.4M · revenue +45%
  • TR
    THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM INC
    5× · 2020–2024 · $2.7M · revenue +263%

Funded once

  • MA
    MANUFACTURING ADVOCACY & GROWTH NETWORK INC
    one grant, 2022 · $500k · revenue -15%
  • CS
    CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $250k · revenue +109%
  • CZ
    CLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
    one grant, 2021 · $250k · revenue +13%
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
Cincinnati Museum Center

Cincinnati museum center inspires people of all ages to learn more about our world through science, regional history, and educational, engaging and meaningful experiences.

Arts & Culture
2
Literary Cleveland

Literary Cleveland assists writers and readers at all stages of development, promotes new and existing literature of the highest quality, and advances Northeast Ohio as a vital center of diverse voices and visions.

Education
3
Cleveland Arts Prize

The cleveland arts prize identifies, rewards, publicly honors and promotes those creative artists whose original work and accomplishments have set a standard of excellence to which other artists can aspire. additionally, the cleveland arts…

Arts & Culture
4
Greater Cleveland Volunteers

Greater cleveland volunteers enriches the community and indivuduals through volunteer service. volunteers age 18 and older are recruited and placed in the agency's programs or referred to local nonprofit or public organizations to help…

Philanthropy
5
Greater Columbus Arts Council

Mission: to champion and elevate the arts and cultural expression of greater columbus.vision: power of art realized. people engaged. city energized.

Arts & Culture
6
Digitalc

Empower the people of greater cleveland to achieve success through technology, innovation and connected community.

Community Improvement
7
Community Learning Center Institute

Clci facilitates the ongoing engagement of the greater cincinnati community to promote the development of all schools as community learning centers, each with a set of financially self-sustaining, co-located community partners.

Education
8
Cleveland Municipal School District Transformation

The cleveland transformation alliance (cta) is a trusted community partner working to ensure every student is engaged in a high-quality, equitable education. the cta gives families and students the information they need to commit to their…

Education
9
Point Park University

Provides innovative education in a dynamic urban setting. dedicated to academic excellence and community engagement,we prepare students of diverse backgrounds with the knowledge, skill,and experience to lead meaningful lives as informed…

—
10
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
11
Cleveland Development Foundation

Developing and improving Cleveland Ohio's civic visions.

Community Improvement
12
Capital University

Capital university transforms lives by empowering an inclusive community of learners through engaging academic, co-curricular, and professional experiences.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Family Promise of Greater Cleveland; the most unlike its peers is The Strongsville Emergency Food Bank Inc. 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

90 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. 90 of the 102 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
20
Early backer (in before they grew)
88/90
Grantees still filing
72/90
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART: $9,210,000 · Arts & CultureCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ARTThe Musical Arts Association: $3,400,000 · Arts & CultureThe Musical Arts AssociationTHE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM INC: $2,685,000 · Arts & CultureTHE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM INCCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $2,000,000 · Arts & CultureCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY+12 more: $2,286,500 · Arts & Culture+12 moreUNIVERSITY HOSPITALS: $2,000,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY HOSPITALSFIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER: $390,000 · OtherTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY - OHIO: $350,000 · OtherLAWRENCE SCHOOL: $350,000 · OtherHOLDEN FORESTS & GARDENS: $300,000 · OtherPLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER OHIO: $420,000 · Other+44 more: $5,079,337 · Other+44 moreGREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC: $4,099,833 · Food & NutritionGREATER CLE…CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: $837,500 · EducationCASE WEST…CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC: $400,000 · EducationCLEVELAND…COLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC: $294,000 · EducationCOLLEGE N…CENTER FOR ARTS-INSPIRED LEARNING: $267,000 · EducationCENTER FO…CLEVELAND LEADERSHIP CENTER: $264,000 · EducationCLEVELAND…CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $250,000 · EducationCLEVELAND…FRIENDS OF BREAKTHROUGH SCHOOLS: $250,000 · EducationFRIENDS O…Saint Martin de Porres High School: $220,000 · EducationSaint Mar…HAWKEN SCHOOL: $175,000 · EducationTHE CITY CLUB OF CLEVELAND: $150,000 · EducationJUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF GREATER CLEVELAND: $120,000 · Education+6 more: $156,834 · EducationHOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE INC: $940,000 · Human ServicesCLEVELAND SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND: $280,000 · Human ServicesTHE GATHERING PLACE: $140,000 · Human Services+6 more: $120,250 · Human ServicesWESTERN RESERVE LAND CONSERVANCY: $475,000 · EnvironmentCONSERVANCY FOR CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK: $310,000 · EnvironmentTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $210,000 · EnvironmentSHAKER LAKES REGIONAL NATURE CENTER DBA NATURE CENTER AT SHAKER LAKES: $190,000 · EnvironmentWEST CREEK CONSERVANCY: $135,000 · EnvironmentMANUFACTURING ADVOCACY & GROWTH NETWORK INC: $500,000 · Community ImprovementDOWNTOWN CLEVELAND ALLIANCE: $445,000 · Community ImprovementUNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED: $75,000 · Community Improvement+1 more: $4,000 · Community Improvement
Arts & Culture$19,581,500Other$8,889,337Food & Nutrition$4,099,833Education$3,384,334Human Services$1,480,250Environment$1,320,000Community Improvement$1,024,000

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

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART: $9,210,000 over 5y, 2.9% of budgetGREATER CLEVELAND FOOD BANK INC: $4,099,833 over 5y, 1.6% of budgetThe Musical Arts Association: $3,400,000 over 5y, 1.6% of budgetTHE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM INC: $2,685,000 over 5y, 2.9% of budgetCLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: $2,000,000 over 2y, 4.7% of budgetHOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE INC: $940,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetCASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: $837,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetMANUFACTURING ADVOCACY & GROWTH NETWORK INC: $500,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budgetWESTERN RESERVE LAND CONSERVANCY: $475,000 over 5y, 1.2% of budgetDOWNTOWN CLEVELAND ALLIANCE: $445,000 over 5y, 1.4% of budgetPLANNED PARENTHOOD OF GREATER OHIO: $420,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetCLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC: $400,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetFIELDSTONE FARM THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER: $390,000 over 5y, 5.2% of budgetLAWRENCE SCHOOL: $350,000 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetGREAT LAKES THEATER FESTIVAL INC: $350,000 over 5y, 4.3% of budgetPlayhouse Square Foundation: $346,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetTHE CLEVELAND MUSIC SCHOOL SETTLEMENT: $310,000 over 5y, 1.7% of budgetCONSERVANCY FOR CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK: $310,000 over 5y, 4.0% of budgetCOLLEGE NOW GREATER CLEVELAND INC: $294,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetIDEASTREAM: $287,500 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetCLEVELAND SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND: $280,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetLAKE ERIE NATURE AND SCIENCE CENTER: $273,500 over 5y, 4.2% of budgetCENTER FOR ARTS-INSPIRED LEARNING: $267,000 over 5y, 4.7% of budgetCLEVELAND LEADERSHIP CENTER: $264,000 over 5y, 3.0% of budgetLAND STUDIO INC: $260,000 over 5y, 2.3% of budgetCLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $250,000 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetCLEVELAND HEARING AND SPEECH CENTER: $250,000 over 5y, 2.1% of budgetCLEVELAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $250,000 over 1y, 1.9% of budgetFRIENDS OF BREAKTHROUGH SCHOOLS: $250,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetTHE CLEVELAND FOUNDATION: $250,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFAMILY PROMISE OF GREATER CLEVELAND: $245,000 over 5y, 4.7% of budgetHOPEWELL: $245,000 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetLAKEVIEW CEMETERY FOUNDATION: $225,000 over 5y, 10% of budgetSaint Martin de Porres High School: $220,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetTHE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND: $210,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetGREATER CLEVELAND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC: $201,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetOPEN DOORS INC: $200,000 over 5y, 1.3% of budgetSHAKER LAKES REGIONAL NATURE CENTER DBA NATURE CENTER AT SHAKER LAKES: $190,000 over 5y, 3.8% of budgetURBAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL: $185,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetVOCATIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICES: $183,000 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetBECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS: $177,000 over 5y, 3.3% of budgetBUSINESS VOLUNTEERS UNLIMITED: $175,000 over 5y, 2.8% of budgetHAWKEN SCHOOL: $175,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetCLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE INC: $165,000 over 5y, 2.8% of budgetTHE HIRAM HOUSE: $160,000 over 5y, 5.8% of budgetELEANOR B RAINEY MEMORIAL INSTITUTE: $155,000 over 5y, 3.8% of budgetTHE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF CLEVELAND: $150,000 over 5y, 2.5% of budgetGREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS COMMISSION: $150,000 over 3y, 0.8% 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 George Gund Found…The Char and Chuck Fo…The Cleveland Foundat…The Reinberger Founda…The Swagelok Foundati…John P Murphy Foundat…George Codrington Fdn…Jewish Federation of …The Louise H & David …The Nord Family Found…The Lozick Family Fou…Treu Mart Fund
The George Gund FoundationOH81.3× affinity38 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The George Gund Foundation · The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation · The Cleveland Foundation · The Reinberger Foundation · The Swagelok Foundation · John P Murphy Foundation · George Codrington Fdnhirtlena · Jewish Federation of Cleveland · The Louise H & David S Ingalls Fdn · The Nord Family Foundation · The Lozick Family Foundation · Treu Mart Fund

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 The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    45report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
    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 The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith 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 102 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 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Kelvin & Eleanor Smith’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