The Central Benefits Health Care Foundation concentrates its philanthropic support on child, youth and mental health services in Ohio, with a strong emphasis on clinical and community behavioral health providers, crisis/residential programs, and youth-serving nonprofits in Columbus. Grants skew toward larger awards to established institutions (children's hospitals, regional behavioral-health agencies) while also supporting targeted community organizations that serve vulnerable youth populations, including LGBTQ and maternal/infant initiatives. The foundation appears to prioritize operational/program support that strengthens care delivery and access rather than broad national advocacy.
The Central Benefits Health Care Foundation’s largest recent grant was $500,000 to The Buckeye Ranch in Whitehall, a signal of how strongly it backs children’s behavioral health and residential treatment in Ohio. The foundation’s recent giving also shows sustained support for major local health and behavioral-health providers, including $350,000 to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and $162,832 to Mental Health America of Ohio. Those awards sit alongside smaller but still substantial grants to youth-serving and crisis-response organizations, suggesting a pattern of concentrated, locally directed funding for care delivery, access, and stabilization services. Its portfolio points to a clear interest in organizations that work with children, youth, and families facing mental health and social-service needs. Grants have gone to hospital-based programs, regional mental-health agencies, and community nonprofits serving young people in Columbus and nearby cities. The foundation also appears to support groups serving specific populations, including LGBTQ youth and maternal and infant health initiatives. Across the recent grants list, the awards are generally sizable rather than symbolic, with multiple grants at or above six figures.
In children’s behavioral health, the foundation supported The Buckeye Ranch with $500,000 for social services and Huckleberry House Inc with $90,205 for health. It also backed Ohioguidestone with $11,214, showing that it funds both major providers and smaller service organizations. For pediatric and hospital-based care, it gave $350,000 to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. That award fits a broader pattern of support for health systems that deliver specialized care to children. Youth development and crisis response are another thread. Directions for Youth & Families received $150,000, Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus received $100,000, and Black Girl Rising Inc received $35,000. The foundation also made a $146,010 grant to Kaleidoscope Youth Center Inc, indicating attention to youth-serving community programming.
Typical grant size clusters at $50,000 at the 25th percentile, $100,000 at the median, and $150,000 at the 75th percentile, so the foundation’s giving is centered on relatively large awards. The recent grants list also includes one grant at $500,000, which sits well above the rest of the distribution. The pattern looks recurring rather than one-off: Mental Health America of Ohio appears more than once across the recent grants list, with grants in 2024 and 2025. The foundation is a single-entity private foundation led by Scott G Heitkamp, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$300K
$10.5M
$782K
$338K
Most grants fall between $50K and $150K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$150K
SCOTT G HEITKAMP
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Concentrated, mid-to-large grants to a small set of core, mostly Ohio-based organizations with occasional repeat funding; funding is program- and operations-oriented rather than dispersed small grants, reflecting a preference for a few high-impact local grantees.
Notable grantees: The Buckeye Ranch, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Mental Health America of Ohio, Kaleidoscope Youth Center, CelebrateOne
Giving is entirely local and entirely in Ohio: 100% of grants in the recent list went to recipients in the HQ state. Columbus is the main recipient city, with grants to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Mental Health America of Ohio, Directions for Youth & Families, Kaleidoscope Youth Center Inc, Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus, Celebrateone, and Black Girl Rising Inc. Other Ohio recipients include Whitehall, New Albany, Cincinnati, and Westerville. The grant map shows a tight geographic footprint centered on central Ohio.
It supports child, youth, and mental health organizations in Ohio, including residential treatment providers, pediatric health systems, regional mental-health agencies, youth crisis and aftercare groups, and nonprofits serving LGBTQ youth and maternal/infant health initiatives.
The foundation’s recent giving clusters around larger awards: the 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $100,000, and the 75th percentile is $150,000. Recent grants also include a $500,000 award, showing that it can make much larger commitments.
No. The recent grant list shows 13 grants, and all 13 went to recipients in Ohio, making the recipient-country distribution entirely U.S. and the state distribution 100% Ohio.
There is evidence of recurring support. Mental Health America of Ohio appears twice in the recent grants list, with grants in 2025 and 2024, indicating that the foundation sometimes supports the same organization in multiple years.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH & FAMILIES | COLUMBUS, OH | $150,000 | 2026 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| BHUTANESE COMMUNITY OF CENTRAL OHIO | COLUMBUS, OH | $100,000 | 2026 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| OHIOGUIDESTONE | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2026 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| OHIO SUICIDE PREVENTION FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $20,000 | 2026 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| THE BUCKEYE RANCH | WHITEHALL, OH | $500,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF OHIO | COLUMBUS, OH | $162,832 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH & FAMILIES | COLUMBUS, OH | $150,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| KALEIDOSCOPE YOUTH CENTER INC | COLUMBUS, OH | $146,010 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF OHIO | COLUMBUS, OH | $100,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| HUCKLEBERRY HOUSE INC | COLUMBUS, OH | $90,205 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| OSU CHABAD HOUSE INC DBA LIFETOWN | NEW ALBANY, OH | $50,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| BLACK GIRL RISING INC | COLUMBUS, OH | $35,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| OHIOGUIDESTONE | CINCINNATI, OH | $11,214 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| CORNERSTONE OF HOPE | WESTERVILLE, OH | $10,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | COLUMBUS, OH | $350,000 | 2023 | HEALTH |
| CELEBRATEONE | COLUMBUS, OH | $100,000 | 2023 | HEALTH |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF COLUMBUS | COLUMBUS, OH | $100,000 | 2023 | HEALTH |
BHUTANESE COMMUNITY OF CENTRAL OHIO
$100,000SOCIAL SERVICES
OHIO SUICIDE PREVENTION FOUNDATION
$20,000SOCIAL SERVICES
HEALTH
BLACK GIRL RISING INC
$35,000HEALTH
CELEBRATEONE
$100,000HEALTH