The Norton Family Foundation makes a small number of relatively substantial, locally focused grants in Lorain, OH, prioritizing neighborhood revitalization, basic emergency relief, and support for local cultural institutions. Their support mixes capital campaign and building investments with operating support and emergency assistance, indicating a preference for strengthening civic infrastructure and community resilience. Grants are concentrated and targeted rather than broadly distributed across many causes.
Norton Family Foundation’s recent giving is anchored in local civic infrastructure: a $20,500 capital campaign grant to Neighborhood Alliance in Elyria, paired with support for a mix of renovations, operating needs, and emergency response. That pattern shows a funder that backs organizations working on the ground in Lorain County rather than spreading gifts broadly across many regions. The foundation also supports institutions that hold community memory and services, including the Lorain Historical Society, which received both operating and building support, and the American Red Cross, which received emergency relief funding in Cleveland. Education and youth-related grants appear alongside those civic and relief awards, with scholarship support for Lake Ridge Academy and Magnificat High School, plus school renovation funding for St Bernadette School. Smaller grants to food, family, and community-assistance organizations further point to a portfolio built around basic stability, local access, and place-based strengthening. Across the recent record, the foundation favors targeted awards that help organizations maintain facilities, cover operating costs, or meet urgent community needs.
Neighborhood revitalization is a clear theme. Norton Family Foundation gave $20,500 to Neighborhood Alliance in Elyria for a capital campaign and $15,000 to the same organization for Haven Center renovations, signaling support for local building projects and community-facing space improvements. Historical preservation is another thread: the Lorain Historical Society received $17,000 for operating and building support and another $14,500 for its annual fund, combining facility needs with core organizational support. Education-related grants also appear in several forms. The foundation gave $11,000 to St Bernadette School in Westlake for school renovations and the same amount for a computer lab update, while also directing scholarship support to Lake Ridge Academy and Magnificat High School. Youth programming shows up through Footpath Foundation grants for summer camp support.
Typical grant size is $2,500 at the 25th percentile, $5,000 at the median, and $10,000 at the 75th percentile, with a few larger awards reaching above $20,000. The foundation appears to make repeated gifts to the same recipients across multiple years, including Neighborhood Alliance, Lorain Historical Society, St Bernadette School, Footpath Foundation, Lake Ridge Academy, and Lorain County Community College Foundation. That suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards. It is classified as a regular funder and funds individuals, which aligns with the scholarship and emergency scholarship grants in the recent record. The pattern is mixed across operating support, project support, and emergency assistance.
$145K
$994K
$337K
$165K
Most grants fall between $3K and $10K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Concentrated local giving: a few mid-sized grants per year focused on community institutions and capital/operating needs rather than many small awards. Emphasis on place-based impact and strengthening civic infrastructure.
Notable grantees: Neighborhood Alliance, American Red Cross, Lorain Historical Society
Giving is overwhelmingly local and concentrated in Ohio, with 93% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Lorain, Elyria, North Ridgeville, Westlake, Cleveland, Rocky River, Macedonia, Amherst, and Olmsted County-area organizations all appear in the recent grants list. Lorain and Elyria show up repeatedly, including grants to Lorain Historical Society, Second Harvest Food Bank, and United Way of Greater Lorain County in Lorain, plus multiple awards to Neighborhood Alliance and Lorain County Community College Foundation in Elyria. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
The recent record includes neighborhood revitalization, emergency relief, historical and cultural institutions, schools, scholarship funds, summer camp programming, food assistance, and women-focused services. Examples include grants to community organizations in Elyria and Lorain, school renovation and scholarship awards, and support for emergency response and basic needs work.
Yes. Ohio accounts for 93% of grants in the data, and the foundation’s giving is classified as local. Recent recipients are concentrated in Lorain, Elyria, North Ridgeville, Westlake, Cleveland, Rocky River, Macedonia, and Amherst.
The 25th percentile grant is $2,500, the median is $5,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. Recent grants also include larger awards such as $20,500 and $20,000, but most gifts cluster in the mid-range.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Neighborhood Alliance, Lorain Historical Society, St Bernadette School, Footpath Foundation, Lake Ridge Academy, and Lorain County Community College Foundation. That points to recurring relationships rather than isolated grants.
Yes. It is marked as funding individuals, and the recent record includes scholarship support and emergency scholarship funds for educational institutions and foundations.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Harvest Food Bank | Lorain, OH | $20,000 | 2026 | Operating support |
| Lorain Historical Society | Lorain, OH | $12,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Lorain County Community College Foundation | North Ridgeville, OH | $11,000 | 2026 | Support Services & Scholarship Fund |
| St Bernadette School | Westlake, OH | $11,000 | 2026 | School renovations |
| North Helpline | Lynnwood, WA | $10,000 | 2026 | Greatest Need |
| Magnificat High School | Rocky River, OH | $10,000 | 2026 | Scholarship support |
| Lorain Port Authority | Lorain, OH | $10,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Footpath Foundation | Cleveland, OH | $10,000 | 2026 | Support Summer Camp |
| American Red Cross - Northern Ohio Region | Cleveland, OH | $10,000 | 2026 | Emergency Relief |
| Cleveland Clinic | Cleveland, OH | $5,000 | 2026 | Avon Ohio Food Pantry |
| Lake Ridge Academy | North Ridgeville, OH | $5,000 | 2026 | Scholarship support |
| Family Planning Services of Lorain County | Elyria, OH | $5,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Neighborhood Alliance | Elyria, OH | $5,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Good Knights of Lorain County | Amherst, OH | $5,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Lorain County Free Clinic | Lorain, OH | $5,000 | 2026 | Medical Supplies |
| FireFish Arts | Lorain, OH | $4,000 | 2026 | Festival Support |
| Camp Ideas | Lorain, OH | $3,000 | 2026 | Support Summer Camps |
| Sweetgrass Advocacy | Colorado Spring, CO | $1,000 | 2026 | Greatest Need |
| Gardiner Food Pantry | Gardiner, MT | $1,000 | 2026 | Greatest need |
| Cold Creek Foundation | Castalia, OH | $1,000 | 2026 | Operations Support |
| Blessing House | Elyria, OH | $660 | 2026 | Support Operations |
| Common Roots | Meadville, PA | $340 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Lake Ridge Academy | North Ridgeville, OH | $13,000 | 2025 | Scholarship support |
| Lorain Historical Society | Lorain, OH | $12,000 | 2025 | Operating support |
| St Bernadette School | Westlake, OH | $11,000 | 2025 | School renovations |
| Magnificat High School | Rocky River, OH | $10,000 | 2025 | Scholarships |
| American Red Cross - Northern Ohio Region | Cleveland, OH | $10,000 | 2025 | Emergency Relief |
| Second Harvest Food Bank | Lorain, OH | $10,000 | 2025 | School programs |
| Footpath Foundation | Cleveland, OH | $10,000 | 2025 | Support summer camp |
| Lorain County Community College Foundation | Elyria, OH | $6,000 | 2025 | Support services & Scholarship Funds |
| Blessing House | Elyria, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Support Operations |
| Cleveland Clinic | Cleveland, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Avon Oho Food Pantry |
| Family Planning Services of Lorain County | Elyria, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Operating Support |
| Community Foundation of Lorain County | Elyria, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Womens Fund |
| Lorain Port Authority | Lorain, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Operating support |
| Neighborhood Alliance | Elyria, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | operating support |
| Good Knights of Lorain County | Amherst, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Operating support |
| Lorain County Safe Harbor | Elyria, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Child care center |
| Scouting America Lake Erie Council | Cleveland, OH | $3,500 | 2025 | Camp renovations |
| Camp Ideas | Lorain, OH | $3,000 | 2025 | Support Summer Camps |
| Lorain County Free Clinic | Lorain, OH | $2,000 | 2025 | Medical Supplies |
| Gardiner Food Pantry | Gardiner, MT | $1,000 | 2025 | greatest need |
| FireFish Arts | Lorain, OH | $1,000 | 2025 | Festival Support |
| Neighborhood Alliance | Elyria, OH | $20,500 | 2024 | Capital campaign |
| Lorain Historical Society | Lorain, OH | $17,000 | 2024 | Operating and Building support |
| Blessing House | Elyria, OH | $11,000 | 2024 | Support Operations |
| St Bernadette School | Westlake, OH | $11,000 | 2024 | Computer lab update |
| Footpath Foundation | Cleveland, OH | $10,500 | 2024 | Support summer camp |
| Magnificat High School | Rocky River, OH | $10,000 | 2024 | Scholarhsips |
| Lake Ridge Academy | North Ridgeville, OH | $10,000 | 2024 | Scholarship support |
Lorain County Community College Foundation
$11,000Support Services & Scholarship Fund
St Bernadette School
$11,000School renovations
North Helpline
$10,000Greatest Need
Magnificat High School
$10,000Scholarship support
Lorain Port Authority
$10,000Operating Support
Footpath Foundation
$10,000Support Summer Camp
American Red Cross - Northern Ohio Region
$10,000Emergency Relief
Cleveland Clinic
$5,000Avon Ohio Food Pantry
Lake Ridge Academy
$5,000Scholarship support
Family Planning Services of Lorain County
$5,000Operating Support
Good Knights of Lorain County
$5,000Operating Support
FireFish Arts
$4,000Festival Support
Camp Ideas
$3,000Support Summer Camps
Sweetgrass Advocacy
$1,000Greatest Need
Gardiner Food Pantry
$1,000Greatest need
Cold Creek Foundation
$1,000Operations Support
Common Roots
$340Operating Support
Lake Ridge Academy
$13,000Scholarship support
St Bernadette School
$11,000School renovations
Magnificat High School
$10,000Scholarships
American Red Cross - Northern Ohio Region
$10,000Emergency Relief
Footpath Foundation
$10,000Support summer camp
Cleveland Clinic
$5,000Avon Oho Food Pantry
Family Planning Services of Lorain County
$5,000Operating Support
Lorain Port Authority
$5,000Operating support
Lorain County Safe Harbor
$5,000Child care center
Scouting America Lake Erie Council
$3,500Camp renovations
Camp Ideas
$3,000Support Summer Camps
Gardiner Food Pantry
$1,000greatest need
FireFish Arts
$1,000Festival Support
St Bernadette School
$11,000Computer lab update
Footpath Foundation
$10,500Support summer camp
Magnificat High School
$10,000Scholarhsips
Lake Ridge Academy
$10,000Scholarship support