Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation
ActiveMutual & Membership BenefitFunds Individuals
About Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation
The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation concentrates philanthropic support in Greater Cleveland, prioritizing major cultural institutions, capital projects, and community health and hunger relief. Their gifts are large, often capital or campaign-focused grants to well-established organizations (museums, performing arts, hospitals, and food banks), and they frequently make repeat grants to flagship local institutions to advance expansion, endowment, or program launches. The foundation’s giving emphasizes place-based impact through signature initiatives that build physical capacity and specialized programs (e.g., expressive therapy, community kitchens).
Focus Areas
Major arts and cultural institutions in Cleveland (e.g., museums and performing arts capital campaigns)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame expansion and music heritage projectsOrchestral and classical music support (campaigns and leadership funding)Community food security and kitchen infrastructure in Cleveland neighborhoodsHospital-based programmatic health initiatives (expressive therapy and clinical program funding)
Who They Fund
arts and cultural institutions (museums, performance groups)
About Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation
A defining feature of The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation is its repeated support for major Cleveland cultural institutions through large, multi-year gifts. In recent giving, the foundation backed The Cleveland Museum of Art with grants for decorative arts curatorship, special exhibits, and general support, while also funding the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Museum 2.0 expansion project. Those awards sit alongside substantial commitments to orchestral leadership and museum capital needs, suggesting a grantmaker that favors visible, place-based institutions with long planning horizons. The foundation’s portfolio also reaches beyond the arts into health, hunger relief, and civic life. University Hospitals received support for an expressive therapy program, and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank was funded for a new community kitchen on Coit Road. Elsewhere, grants have supported a manufacturing innovation and tech-and-job center, a free speech campaign, and neighborhood-serving recreation projects. The pattern points to a funder investing in the infrastructure, programs, and public assets that shape daily life in Cleveland. Recurring awards to the same organizations indicate continuity rather than one-off experimentation. Major recipients include institutions with broad public visibility, but the foundation also funds smaller local organizations that serve specific community needs.
What Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation Funds
Arts and culture are central to the foundation’s giving. The Cleveland Museum of Art received $3,005,000 for decorative arts curatorial work, special exhibits, and general support, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History received $1,000,000 for capital support. The foundation also backed the Musical Arts Association with $1,200,000 for the “We Believe” campaign and general operating support. Health and human services appear in both institutional and community forms. University Hospitals received $1,000,000 for the UH Expressive Therapy Program, linking arts-based care to health programming. Food access is another clear thread: the Greater Cleveland Food Bank was awarded $2,000,000 for a new community kitchen on Coit Road. Community infrastructure extends into civic and neighborhood projects. Magnet received $500,000 for manufacturing innovation, tech, and a job center, while City Club of Cleveland was granted $110,000 for the Guardians of Free Speech campaign. These awards show support for public-facing institutions that combine services, education, and local capacity.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$9.3M
Total Assets
$158.8M
Total Revenue
$6.1M
Total Expenses
$10.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $49K, with a median of $26K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$26K
75th Percentile
$49K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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