Ohio · Nonprofit
UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED
UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED (Ohio) receives grants from 78 organizations whose IRS filings report $5,619,901 to it, the largest being HOLDEN PARKS TA ($1,604,399). 53 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $13M
- Funders on record
- 78
- Grants received
- $5.6M
- Net assets
- $46M
What University Circle Incorporated does
Mission
University circle is one of the most extraordinary cultural districts in the world. Within one square mile, it is home to world-class arts, educational, and medical institutions and public spaces that welcome millions of residents, workers, students, and visitors each year. It is a place where global excellence and local life intersectwhere art, science, medicine, and education shape the civic and cultural identity of greater cleveland.university circle inc. (uci) is the nonprofit behind the neighborhood. Uci exists to steward this remarkable place, connect the people who breathe life into it, and tell its story in ways that are inclusive, compelling, and future-focused. Our mission is to answer the call for connection and community in cleveland's circle of arts, culture, wellness, and learning. Our vision is that the circle is an extraordinary place where locals belong, and the world is welcomed.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2024 return the organization reported a significant change in how it conducts a program.
Recently the organization shifted away from direct service education programs to wholistic community and family engagement programs. This was the result of responding to the improvement in the quality and quantity of education programs available in the immediate area. It became apparent that this was no longer a service that our organization needed to provide, because so many others were meeting that need. However, the connection to the whole family and the broader community is still an area where work can be done. Therefore, we now have an engagement department that creates free programming to strengthen the connection of this district to the broader community.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 3).
Safety through relationships - the university circle police department (ucpd) supports a safe and welcoming district through a community policing model grounded in trust and engagement. Ucpd emphasizes safety by building relationships, prioritizing consistent presence, and opening dialogue with residents, employees, students, and visitors.ucpd services are supported through a special improvement district approved by the city of cleveland in 2025 and are not supported by uci's philanthropic or grant-funded programs.during fy25, ucpd operated with approximately 25 commissioned officers and staff serving the university circle area. Officers regularly coordinate with museum and cultural partners through routine patrols, event staffing, and off-duty assignments that help ensure safe, accessible environments for exhibitions, performances, festivals, and public programs. Ucpd also provides security and engagement support for uci-produced events, including parade the circle & circle village, wade oval wednesdays, yay! Fall fun, and the annual tree lighting.the department engages in regular community outreach efforts, typically hosting two or more engagement activities per month, such as…
$4,084,580 spent$3,832,431 earned by the program46% of program spendingPlace management - University Circle Incorporated serves as the primary steward of the public realm of university circe through advocacy or direct improvement, and is the implementing agent of a legacy land bank concept whereby real estate situated within university circle and may be acquired and held until its reuse or development occurs. Real estate is used or held for various purposes, including income production and sale to area non-profit institutions and other businesses and organizations operating in the greater university circle area in a manner which advances university circle as a vibrant and accessible neighborhood, with its use and disposition determined within the context of University Circle Incorporated's charitable mission. In this capacity, University Circle Incorporated undertakes economic development initiatives and provides property operations, including ground lease redevelopment, commercial rental, and public realm infrastructure improvements and maintenance in the greater university circle area. The uci team also advocates for transportation improvements, park enhancements, infrastructure repairs, and ongoing maintenance and landscaping by working closely…
$2,162,684 spent$1,720,187 earned by the program25% of program spendingCommunity programs, events, and engagement - university circle inc. Produces free public festivals and programs that promote university circle as a cultural destination while expanding access, participation, and belonging for residents and regional visitors. Through coordinated efforts between its marketing & experiences and engagement & collaboration departments, uci activates public spaces, amplifies institutional partners, and connects people to arts, culture, and resources throughout the year.during fy25, uci produced four marquee public festivals, including parade the circle & circle village, wade oval wednesdays (wow), yay! Fall fun, and the annual tree lighting, reaching an estimated 55,000 attendees. These free events are designed to encourage visitation and create shared experiences that support community vitality and economic activity. Fy25 marked continued growth in attendance and partner participation, particularly for wow.at the neighborhood level, fy25 marked the launch of new community responsive programs, with each program serving approximately 10 to 15 participants through a multi-week series. Programs may include creative writing, yoga, nutrition, safety, and…
$1,355,127 spent$55,720 earned by the program15% of program spendingParking - as the second largest employment district in northeastern ohio and a destination for millions of annual visitors, University Circle Incorporated's parking program continues to serve the public and not-for-profit partners. The program is operated by a full-service parking provider.
$66,924 spent$215,063 earned by the program1% of program spendingIn addition to the programs that are extended to our stakeholders, there is an ongoing need to build relationships both locally and with a broader group of stakeholders. Efforts continue to work with the leaders of partner organizations within the greater circle footprint. As an umbrella organization, we are always looking for avenues that support our peers and elevate their work. We also advocate on behalf of the district at both local, county, state and federal levels. It is critical that elected officials understand the value of this district as they are determining policies, programs, and funding. To that end, much energy is put into advocacy work through the leadership of the organization.
$1,121,183 spentof which $18,666 as grants$326,403 earned by the program13% of program spending
The 5 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $8,790,498.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $43M to $142M (+227%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2018 4% · 2019 2% · 2020 9% · 2021 10% · 2022 4% · 2023 5% · 2024 1% · 2025 0%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
25% of UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (60% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 5 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Doug Wang
Chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 14 funders to 33 funders, grant income rose $167k → $648k.
8 of 78 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 7% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
Left out of every figure on this page: $3.5M from 16 payers (the payer shares this organization's board, largest University Circle Housing Inc). These are real filings, and they are not money UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED raised.
From the IRS filings of UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 78 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 29% of grant income, and it takes 4 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 4 funders to its left
48% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 36% · 2018 21% · 2019 41% · 2020 39% · 2021 34% · 2022 38% · 2023 50% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
49% of UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 68% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
95% of UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED's grant income comes from Ohio funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $380k arriving through sponsors registered in 7 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 366 community improvement nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 366 community improvement nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2025
Government funding UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $15k on record.
- National Endowment for the Arts$15k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Ohio
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
80% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
90%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Part of a family of 5 related entities
- University Circle East LLC · disregarded
- Uci-Cet LLC · disregarded
- University Circle West LLC · disregarded
- University Circle Housing Inc · exempt
- University Circle Parking Services Inc · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED?
- UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED (Ohio) receives grants from 78 organizations whose IRS filings report $5,619,901 to it, the largest being HOLDEN PARKS TA ($1,604,399). 53 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED have?
- IRS filings report 78 organizations giving $5,619,901 in grants to UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED, 53 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED?
- HOLDEN PARKS TA is the largest funder on record, with $1,604,399 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like UNIVERSITY CIRCLE INCORPORATED find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Ohio. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 78 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing