Sam J Frankino Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Sam J Frankino Foundation
The Sam J Frankino Foundation focuses on a small number of sizable, locally concentrated gifts in Greater Cleveland that support major cultural, health, emergency relief, and private education institutions. Grants skew toward operating and capital/endowment support rather than many small awards, and the foundation repeatedly funds several flagship organizations. Their giving emphasizes institutional sustainability (museum operating, hospital cancer care, school endowment/building) and community wellbeing through health and emergency-response partners.
Focus Areas
Major Cleveland cultural institution operating support (e.g., Cleveland Museum of Art)Local hospital-based cancer care and specialty health funding (University Hospitals — Siedman Cancer)Cardiovascular health advocacy and programming (American Heart Association — Go Red initiatives)Local disaster relief and community sponsorships (American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland)Catholic/independent secondary education endowment, capital projects, and scholarships (Gilmour Academy)
Who They Fund
women (including women-focused health programs)
About Sam J Frankino Foundation
The Sam J Frankino Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by large, repeated operating grants to Cleveland institutions and by multi-year support for health and education partners. Its largest recent gifts include $500,000 to the Cleveland Museum of Art in both 2024 and 2025, and $460,700 and $400,000 to University Hospitals of Cleveland for Siedman Cancer. Those awards sit within a pattern of local, institutional support rather than a broad scatter of small grants. The foundation also backs community health and civic response work, with significant funding to the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland and the American Heart Association Ne Ohio. Alongside those priorities, it supports Catholic and independent education through Gilmour Academy and the Catholic Community Foundation. The recent record shows a funder that uses operating support, sponsorships, endowment support, research funding, and capital-related awards to sustain organizations that serve Greater Cleveland.
What Sam J Frankino Foundation Funds
In arts and culture, The Sam J Frankino Foundation gave $500,000 in 2025 to the Cleveland Museum of Art for operating support, matching a $500,000 operating grant the prior year. In health, it gave $305,230 in 2025 to American Heart Association Ne Ohio for the Go Red for Women Fund, and $162,043 in 2024 for the same fund. Medical giving also includes $200,000 in 2023 to University Hospitals of Cleveland for research. In education, it gave $253,950 in 2025 to Gilmour Academy for endowment, building fund, and the SJF Scholarship Fund. The foundation also supported Catholic Community Foundation with $130,000 for scholarship and $143,612 for operating support.
How Sam J Frankino Foundation Gives
Typical grant size clusters around $10,000 at the median, with the 25th percentile at $5,000 and the 75th percentile at $25,000. The recent record also includes much larger institutional gifts, showing that the foundation uses a small number of sizable awards alongside many smaller ones. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, University Hospitals of Cleveland, American Heart Association Ne Ohio, Gilmour Academy, and American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland. The foundation’s active programs include both unsolicited and competitive channels, with two application cycles each year in the general grantmaking program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3M
Total Assets
$48.6M
Total Revenue
$3.8M
Total Expenses
$4.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $25K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
Local11 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Sam J Frankino Foundation Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Sam J Frankino Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 262 | $8.3M | 99.2% |
| 2 | Other Countries |
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