The Pulley Foundation concentrates its giving locally in the Cincinnati area with a clear preference for organizations serving youth, arts/culture, and specialized education/communication needs. It gives few but substantial grants, often repeating support to established local institutions and even contributing to endowments. The foundation’s largest investments have gone to a local Boys & Girls Club, a historic regional opera house, and a center for the deaf, signaling a mix of youth development, performing arts preservation, and services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of local organizations with repeat funding to core grantees; emphasis on multi-year or legacy-building gifts (including endowment support).
Pulley Foundation’s recent giving shows a strong pattern of large, repeated support for a small set of local institutions, especially the Tom Browning Boys & Girls Club in Maysville and Washington Opera House in Maysville. Those two grantees alone received multiple awards across 2023 and 2024, including a $775,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Club and a $435,000 grant to the opera house. The foundation also backs specialized education and communication services: Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis received endowment funding in consecutive years. The grant list points to a foundation that favors established nonprofits rather than one-time experimental projects. Program support is the most common grant purpose in the recent awards, and the portfolio includes youth development, performing arts, and support for organizations serving people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Alongside these anchors, Pulley Foundation has also funded regional cultural and community institutions such as Webster University, Opera Theatre of St Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis Zoological Park, Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, St Patrick's Church, and Hospice of Hope Inc.
Youth development is one of the clearest themes in Pulley Foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $775,000 in 2023 and $275,000 in 2024 to Tom Browning Boys & Girls Club for program support. The foundation also supported community-serving arts and civic institutions in Maysville, including $435,000 to Washington Opera House in 2024 and $15,000 in 2023 to the same organization. A second theme is performing arts and cultural preservation. Pulley Foundation awarded $25,000 in both 2023 and 2024 to Opera Theatre of St Louis for program support, and it gave $25,000 in each of those years to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Its support for specialized education and communication needs appears in repeated endowment funding to Central Institute for the Deaf, with $100,000 in both 2023 and 2024. The foundation also made program-support grants to Webster University, Missouri Botanical Garden, and St Louis Zoological Park.
Pulley Foundation’s recent grants cluster around a median gift of $20,000, with a lower quartile of $10,000 and an upper quartile of $50,000. The distribution includes a few much larger awards, such as $775,000 and $435,000, alongside many smaller program-support grants. The pattern suggests selective, high-dollar support rather than broad small-grant dispersion. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Tom Browning Boys & Girls Club, Washington Opera House, Central Institute for the Deaf, Webster University, Opera Theatre of St Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis Zoological Park, Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, and St Patrick's Church. The foundation gives through grants, not to individuals, and it is not shown making program-related investments.
$895K
$10.7M
$1.5M
$972K
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 9% of grants go to recipients in KY.
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Notable grantees: Tom Browning Boys & Girls Club, Washington Opera House, Central Institute for the Deaf
Pulley Foundation gives regionally, with the strongest concentration in Ohio, which accounts for the largest share of grant count, while only 9% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. The recent grants list is entirely domestic: 22 grants to US recipients. Grantmaking reaches several cities, especially Maysville, Kentucky; St Louis and Saint Louis, Missouri; and Cincinnati, Ohio. Maysville appears repeatedly through the Boys & Girls Club, Washington Opera House, Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, St Patrick's Church, and Hospice of Hope Inc. St Louis also shows up often through Central Institute for the Deaf, Webster University, Opera Theatre of St Louis, Missouri Botanical Garden, and St Louis Zoological Park.
The typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also includes several much larger awards, including $775,000 and $435,000.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2024, including Tom Browning Boys & Girls Club, Washington Opera House, Central Institute for the Deaf, Webster University, Opera Theatre of St Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis Zoological Park, Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, and St Patrick's Church.
Its recent grants support youth development, performing arts, specialized education and communication needs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and long-term sustainability through endowment funding. The grant list also includes community and cultural institutions such as a museum center, a botanical garden, a zoo, a church, and hospice care.
The top state by grant count is Ohio. The recent grants are also regionally concentrated in nearby cities such as Maysville, Kentucky; St Louis and Saint Louis, Missouri; and Cincinnati, Ohio.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VAIL PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY | EDWARDS, CO | $75,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| COMMUNITY CARE CLINIC | HIGHLANDS, NC | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION | AVON, CO | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION | AVON, CO | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY | MAYSVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| BRIGHT FUTURES FOUNDATION | AVON, CO | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| BETTY FORD ALPINE GARDENS | VAIL, CO | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION | AVON, CO | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| DARLINGTON SCHOOL | ROME, GA | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| THE LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER | SANTA FE, NM | $50,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| FOOD DEPOT SANTA FE | SANTA FE, NM | $40,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| GODS PANTRY | LEXINGTON, KY | $30,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| VAIL HEALTH FOUNDATION | EDWARDS, CO | $30,000 | 2026 | 8,500 SH US BANCORPROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHATHAM HALL | CHATHAM, VA | $30,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY | NASHVILLE, TN | $30,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| WILD SALMON CENTER | PORTLAND, OR | $30,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHRISTUS ST VINCENT HOSPITAL | SANTA FE, NM | $25,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| SHAW CANCER CENTER | EDWARDS, CO | $20,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART | SANTA FE, NM | $20,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS LAND TRUST INC | HIGHLANDS, NC | $15,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| HIGHLANDS BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATION | HIGHLANDS, NC | $15,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| KENTUCKY TALKING BOOK LIBRARY | FRANKFORT, KY | $15,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET | ASPEN, CO | $15,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| LIMESTONE MINISTRIES FOOD BANK | MAYSVILLE, KY | $10,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| JJ BRANNEN COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION | MAYSVILLE, KY | $10,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| THE BASCOM CENTER | HIGHLANDS, NC | $5,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | GLENWOOD SPRING, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHATHAM HALL | CHATHAM, VA | $250,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| GODS PANTRY FOOD BANK | LEXINGTON, KY | $250,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CENTRAL INSTITUTE FOR THE DEAF | ST LOUIS, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | ENDOWMENT FUND |
| BRAVO VAIL | VAIL, CO | $100,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| TOM BROWNING BOYS & GIRLS CLUB | MAYSVILLE, KY | $75,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY | MAYSVILLE, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| OPERA THEATRE OF ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CINCINNATI PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK | CINCINNATI, OH | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| WASHINGTON OPERA HOUSE | MAYSVILLE, KY | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ROCK 4 RESCUE | WASHINGTON, KY | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE COMPANY | CINCINNATI, OH | $25,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| KENTUCKY TALKING BOOK LIBRARY | FRANKFORT, KY | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $10,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS ZOOLOGICAL PARK | ST LOUIS, MO | $10,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| HOSPICE OF HOPE INC | MAYSVILLE, KY | $10,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| BETTY FORD ALPINE GARDENS | VAIL, CO | $10,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| VAIL PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY | EDWARDS, CO | $10,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION | AVON, CO | $5,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ST PATRICK'S CHURCH | MAYSVILLE, KY | $5,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO | $5,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| KENTUCKY GATEWAY MUSEUM CENTER | MAYSVILLE, KY | $5,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| WASHINGTON OPERA HOUSE | MAYSVILLE, KY | $435,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
VAIL PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY
$75,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
COMMUNITY CARE CLINIC
$50,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
$50,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
BRIGHT FUTURES FOUNDATION
$50,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
THE LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
$50,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
FOOD DEPOT SANTA FE
$40,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
VAIL HEALTH FOUNDATION
$30,0008,500 SH US BANCORPROGRAM SUPPORT
NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
$30,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHRISTUS ST VINCENT HOSPITAL
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
SHAW CANCER CENTER
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
HIGHLANDS BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
KENTUCKY TALKING BOOK LIBRARY
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
LIMESTONE MINISTRIES FOOD BANK
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
JJ BRANNEN COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
THE BASCOM CENTER
$5,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
$5,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
$50,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
OPERA THEATRE OF ST LOUIS
$50,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
WASHINGTON OPERA HOUSE
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ROCK 4 RESCUE
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
KENTUCKY TALKING BOOK LIBRARY
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ST LOUIS ZOOLOGICAL PARK
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
HOSPICE OF HOPE INC
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
VAIL PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ST PATRICK'S CHURCH
$5,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
$5,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
KENTUCKY GATEWAY MUSEUM CENTER
$5,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
WASHINGTON OPERA HOUSE
$435,000PROGRAM SUPPORT