Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation

About Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation

The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation has made postsecondary access in Cleveland its defining giving pattern, with repeated support for the Say Yes to Cleveland Scholarship program at $400,000 in both 2023 and 2024. That recurring scholarship funding sits at the center of a broader place-based portfolio that also includes education, youth services, arts, health care, and community organizations in Northeast Ohio. Across the recent grant list, the foundation’s support reaches both large institutions and local nonprofits, often in amounts that suggest multi-month or multi-year commitments rather than one-off gifts. Examples include University Hospitals, Flying Horse Farms, and The Marshall Project, alongside several Cleveland-based community organizations. The pattern points to a funder that uses a mix of operating support, capital support, and program-specific funding while staying anchored to Cleveland-area needs. Its work is tightly tied to local students and families, but the grant list also shows interest in civic journalism, arts access, and adolescent and young adult cancer support. For researchers, the most distinctive feature is not just the size of the grants, but the way the foundation repeatedly backs the same education pathway for Cleveland students while extending into other nearby priorities.

What Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation Funds

Education is the clearest through line. In 2023 and 2024, the foundation gave $400,000 each year to Say Yes to Cleveland Scholarship for general support, reinforcing its commitment to postsecondary access for Cleveland students. Beyond that flagship scholarship effort, it has also funded out-of-school-time education in Cuyahoga County through its education focus area grants. Health care and patient support are another visible thread. The foundation gave $150,000 in 2024 to University Hospitals for general support and another $150,000 in 2025 for UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital payment 2 of 2. Arts and civic life also appear in the portfolio: Beck Center for the Arts received $280,000 for the Creating Our Future campaign, and The Marshall Project received $100,000 for elevating criminal justice through local journalism. These grants show a funder that supports both direct services and institutions serving the Cleveland region.

How Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation Gives