Ohio continues to have a strong tradition of charitable giving, and each year, Philanthropy Ohio researches, analyzes and presents the most current foundation giving data in our Ohio Gives report. This year's analysis examines 2022 IRS data, the most recent available year and the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data shows that annual foundation giving increased 13% in 2022, totaling $2.44 billion. With an 11% giving increase in 2021, foundation giving in Ohio continues to set records, reaching its highest level ever.
Private foundations account for over half of all foundation giving (56%), and in 2022, these foundations gave $1.37 billion, representing a 14% increase from the previous year. The vast majority of foundations in Ohio are private foundations, comprising 91% of all foundations in the state. Meanwhile, community foundation giving makes up a third of all foundation giving (33%). The state's local and regional community foundations gave $797 million, a 22% increase from 2021. Corporate foundation giving decreased by 10%, totaling $261 million.
Total foundation assets decreased in 2022 for the first time and significantly, by 8%, to $34.3 billion. Foundation assets had held steady, increasing nearly every year over the last decade, with a notable 24% increase in assets in 2021. Yet, the vast majority of Ohio foundations are small to medium (97% have less than $50 million in assets), with half having less than $1 million in assets. Less than 1% of foundations in Ohio have assets exceeding $250 million.
The number of Ohio foundations increased 3% in 2022 to 4,470. The breakdown of foundations by type (community, corporate, private and other) has remained essentially unchanged.
The total gifts that Ohio foundations received increased modestly by 3.6% in 2022, totaling $2.4 billion. Community foundations experienced the most significant increase in gifts received, up 32%, surpassing the one-billion mark at $1.2 billion. Meanwhile, private foundations experienced an 18% decrease in gifts, totaling $931 million. Likewise, corporate foundation gifts decreased 2.4%, totaling $212 million.
In addition to foundation giving, the Ohio Gives analysis found that giving by other funders, including public charity grantmakers, United Ways, federated funds and other charitable giving organizations, was up 11.6%. This growth was fueled by increases in public charity grantmaker funding (26%), United Way funding (24%) and federated fund giving (12.6%). Ohio has a robust network of United Ways that supports nonprofits in communities across the state. United Way giving was up overall, with nearly half of the 61 local and regional United Ways giving more in 2022 than they did in 2021, totaling $103 million.
While foundations are distributed throughout the state, nearly half are concentrated in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Cuyahoga County is home to about a quarter of the state's total foundations, with 1,024. These foundations gave $709 million in 2022, accounting for 29% of all foundation giving and 31% of total foundation assets, which amount to $11.6 billion. Hamilton County comprises 13% of the state's foundations, with 582 total. These foundations contributed $568 million, representing 23% of overall foundation giving and 22% of total foundation assets, totaling $8 billion. Franklin County has 10% of the state's total foundations, totaling 445. These foundations gave $615 million, making up 25% of total foundation giving and 12% of total foundation assets, which stand at $4.5 billion.
This year's snapshot of how Ohio gives relies on 2022 data from various sources to demonstrate the strength of philanthropic giving in the state. To learn more and download this infographic, visit philanthropyohio.org/ohiogives.
Jessica Howard
Vice President, Communications & Membership
Philanthropy Ohio