About Nisource Charitable Foundation
NiSource Charitable Foundation appears to concentrate its charitable giving into place-based community philanthropy by making large, unrestricted donations to a community foundation (Essex County Community Foundation). The pattern suggests the foundation prefers to support intermediary organizations that distribute funds locally rather than funding many direct-service groups. Grants are corporate donations likely intended to build endowment or support broad community needs in the grantee’s county.
Focus Areas
Support for county/community foundations (place‑based philanthropy)Unrestricted/corporate donations to build endowments or general operating capacityChanneling corporate philanthropic dollars to local community needs via intermediariesPlace-based community development in Essex County (through a local community foundation)
Who They Fund
not_specified
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: very few grants (3) all to a single intermediary grantee, large dollar amounts, repeat giving to the same organization rather than many small direct-service grants.
Funding Style
About Nisource Charitable Foundation
Nisource Charitable Foundation’s most visible recent pattern is a three-year sequence of $2.1 million corporate donations to Essex County Community Foundation in Danvers, Massachusetts, in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That recurring support points to a funder that often works through intermediary organizations rather than only through direct grants to service providers. Recent awards also show substantial commitments to Indiana Economic Development Foundation in Indianapolis, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana Inc in Portage, and United Way of Central Ohio in Columbus, indicating a mix of community philanthropy, economic development, and broad local support. The foundation’s giving also reaches organizations such as American Red Cross - Columbus, Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, and Children’s Hunger Alliance, suggesting attention to both emergency response and community-serving institutions. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s corporate donation format is consistent with its place-based, community-oriented approach.
What Nisource Charitable Foundation Funds
A clear thread in the foundation’s giving is support for community foundations and intermediary philanthropy. Essex County Community Foundation received $2.1 million in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025, all recorded as corporate donations. Economic development is another visible theme: Indiana Economic Development Foundation received $340,000 in 2025 and $250,000 in 2024, after a $190,000 grant in 2023. Youth and family-serving organizations also appear repeatedly, including Boys and Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana Inc at $150,580 in 2024 and Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne at $60,000 in 2023. In Ohio, the foundation backed community-facing nonprofits such as United Way of Central Ohio and Children’s Hunger Alliance, showing a blend of intermediary support and direct local philanthropy.
How Nisource Charitable Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is modest relative to the largest awards: p25 is $1,000, median is $2,500, and p75 is $7,000. The recent grants list also shows a small number of very large corporate donations, including repeated multi-year awards to the same grantee. That pattern suggests a mix of many smaller grants with a few high-dollar institutional commitments. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, and the presence of several active programs indicates multiple channels for giving. Some programs are invitation-based or limited to specific employee or service-area contexts, while the NiSource Charitable Foundation Grants program accepts unsolicited proposals.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$7.5M
Total Assets
$43M
Total Revenue
$12.4M
Total Expenses
$7.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $1K and $7K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$7K
Geographic Reach
National25 states funded
About 20% of grants go to recipients in IN.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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