This foundation concentrates its giving in central Ohio (Columbus and surrounding communities), funding a mix of conservation/animal-welfare projects and human services that serve children, families, and vulnerable populations. Its portfolio blends a few very large, place-based conservation gifts with steady support for local education (especially Ohio State and area schools), food/security and health access programs, and neighborhood-strengthening initiatives. Many grantees are repeat recipients, indicating long-term partnerships with local institutions and service providers.
A $1,000,000 grant to Columbus Humane stands out as the foundation’s largest recent award and a clear signal of how strongly it backs place-based work in central Ohio. The William H Davis Dorothy M Davis and William C Davis Foundation pairs that kind of large institutional support with steady funding for local education, health access, human services, and neighborhood-focused projects. Its recent grants include major gifts to Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, The Ohio State University Foundation, Directions for Youth & Families, and the Arthur G James Cancer Hospital and the Richard J Solove Research Institute. The portfolio also reaches community-serving organizations such as Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Lifecare Alliance, Habitat for Humanity MidOhio, and Canine Companions for Independence. Across the grants list, the foundation appears to favor organizations rooted in Columbus and nearby communities, with awards that range from large capital-style commitments to repeated operating support for local nonprofits. Conservation and animal welfare sit alongside youth services, food security, health access, and local education, giving the foundation a multi-sector profile anchored in one region.
Conservation is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s recent giving. In 2025, it awarded $532,500 to Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and in 2024 it gave $100,000 to Wilds. Animal welfare is another visible area: Columbus Humane received $75,000 in 2025 after a $1,000,000 grant in 2023. Education support also appears in several forms. The foundation gave $319,000 in 2025 and $50,000 in 2023 to The Ohio State University Foundation, while smaller education grants went to 2nd & 7 and Seeds of Caring in 2025. Health and access programs are also part of the mix, including $160,000 to Mid-Ohio Foodbank Dba Mid-Ohio Food Collective and $100,000 to Lifecare Alliance.
Typical grants cluster around a middle range of $25,000, with a lower quartile of $10,000 and an upper quartile of $52,162. The grant list shows both large, one-time awards and repeated support to the same organizations over multiple years, including Columbus Humane, The Ohio State University Foundation, Habitat for Humanity MidOhio, Kid Again Inc, and Columbus Foundation. That pattern points to ongoing institutional relationships rather than isolated grants. The foundation is not a funder of individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its grants are overwhelmingly local, with nearly all awards going to recipients in Ohio.
$2.1M
$45.2M
$3.7M
$2.2M
Most grants fall between $10K and $52K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$52K
DOUGLAS F KRIDLER
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Regionally concentrated, combining a few very large flagship grants (notably to conservation/animal welfare) with multiple mid-size, repeat grants to local nonprofits; favors multi-year/recurring support to established community institutions over one-off national grants.
Notable grantees: Columbus Humane, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, The Ohio State University Foundation, Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Directions for Youth & Families
Grantmaking is concentrated in Ohio, which accounts for 94% of recipients in the foundation’s home state. Columbus appears most often, with additional grants reaching Hilliard, Dublin, Grove City, Powell, New Albany, Westerville, Cumberland, and Nelsonville. Outside Ohio, the grants list includes a smaller number of out-of-state recipients such as The Ohio State University Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, and Big Green Scholarship Foundation in Huntington, West Virginia. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
The recent grants list shows support for conservation and animal welfare, education, health access, social services, and neighborhood-focused work. Examples include grants to Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus Humane, The Ohio State University Foundation, Mid-Ohio Foodbank Dba Mid-Ohio Food Collective, and Habitat for Humanity MidOhio.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Columbus Humane, The Ohio State University Foundation, Habitat for Humanity MidOhio, Kid Again Inc, and Columbus Foundation. That pattern suggests recurring relationships rather than only one-off gifts.
The typical grant size is $25,000 at the median, with a lower quartile of $10,000 and an upper quartile of $52,162. The recent grant list also includes larger awards, such as $1,000,000 and $532,500, showing that the foundation makes both standard-size grants and major gifts.
Its giving is heavily centered in Ohio, with 94% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Columbus is the most common recipient city, and other Ohio recipients include Hilliard, Dublin, Grove City, Powell, New Albany, Westerville, Cumberland, and Nelsonville.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS | COLUMBUS, OH | $532,500 | 2025 | CONSERVATION |
| THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $319,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| THE ARTHUR G JAMES CANCER HOSPITAL AND THE RICHARD J SOLOVE RESEARCH INST | COLUMBUS, OH | $210,000 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| MID-OHIO FOODBANK DBA MID-OHIO FOOD COLLECTIVE | GROVE CITY, OH | $160,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| COLUMBUS HUMANE | HILLIARD, OH | $75,000 | 2025 | CONSERVATION |
| FOUNDATION FOR APPALACHIAN OHIO | NELSONVILLE, OH | $37,500 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| SPECIAL OLYMPICS OHIO | WESTERVILLE, OH | $35,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| HUCKLEBERRY HOUSE INC | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| THE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| THE HUMAN SERVICE CHAMBER FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| CANINE COMPANIONS NORTH CENTRAL REGION | NEW ALBANY, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - MIDOHIO | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | NEIGHBORHOOD |
| NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION AND COLLEGE HALL OF FAME INC COLUMBUS CHAPTE | DUBLIN, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| SIMON KENTON COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| CHARITABLE PHARMACY OF CENTRAL OHIO | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| LOWER LIGHTS MINISTRIES | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| HOPE HOLLOW | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS GREATER COLUMBUSCENTRAL-SOUTHERN OHIO REGION | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| HONOR FLIGHT COLUMBUS INC | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| A KID AGAIN INC | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| FRANKLINTON FARMS | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | NEIGHBORHOOD |
| SEEDS OF CARING | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| 2ND & 7 | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY WOMEN'S SUSTAINING BOARD | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | CONSERVATION |
| LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD | SILVER SPRING, MD | $30,000 | 2025 | NEIGHBORHOOD |
| STAR HOUSE | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| THE WILDS | CUMBERLAND, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | CONSERVATION |
| CORNERSTONE OF HOPE | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| YMCA OF CENTRAL OHIO | COLUMBUS, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| GREATER COLUMBUS SPORTS FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $24,000 | 2025 | NEIGHBORHOOD |
| THE COLUMBUS FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $22,050 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| HEARTLAND HIGH SCHOOL | COLUMBUS, OH | $20,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| LOGAN FAMILY FOUNDATION | DUBLIN, OH | $15,000 | 2025 | ADVANCING PHILANTHROPY |
| CONGREGATION TIFERETH ISRAEL | COLUMBUS, OH | $10,000 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| COLUMBUS FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $130,000 | 2024 | ADVANCING PHILANTHROPY |
| WILDS | CUMBERLAND, OH | $100,000 | 2024 | CONSERVATION |
| LIFECARE ALLIANCE | COLUMBUS, OH | $100,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| CANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE | NEW ALBANY, OH | $100,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $59,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| CHARITABLE PHARMACY OF CENTRAL OHIO | COLUMBUS, OH | $50,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY MIDOHIO | COLUMBUS, OH | $50,000 | 2024 | NEIGHBORHOOD |
| KID AGAIN INC | DUBLIN, OH | $50,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| BIG GREEN SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION | HUNTINGTON, WV | $30,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| FLYING HORSE FARMS | MT GILEAD, OH | $25,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| YWCA COLUMBUS | COLUMBUS, OH | $25,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| STAR HOUSE | COLUMBUS, OH | $25,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| 2ND & 7 FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $25,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| ALVIS INC | COLUMBUS, OH | $25,000 | 2024 | NEIGHBORHOOD |
| REEB AVENUE CENTER | COLUMBUS, OH | $25,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| LICKING COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY | HEATH, OH | $25,000 | 2024 | CONSERVATION |
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
$319,000EDUCATION
HEALTH
SOCIAL SERVICES
THE HUMAN SERVICE CHAMBER FOUNDATION
$30,000SOCIAL SERVICES
NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION AND COLLEGE HALL OF FAME INC COLUMBUS CHAPTE
$30,000EDUCATION
SIMON KENTON COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
$30,000SOCIAL SERVICES
HOPE HOLLOW
$30,000HEALTH
SOCIAL SERVICES
FRANKLINTON FARMS
$30,000NEIGHBORHOOD
2ND & 7
$30,000EDUCATION
FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY WOMEN'S SUSTAINING BOARD
$30,000CONSERVATION
GREATER COLUMBUS SPORTS FOUNDATION
$24,000NEIGHBORHOOD
LOGAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
$15,000ADVANCING PHILANTHROPY
CONGREGATION TIFERETH ISRAEL
$10,000HEALTH
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
$59,000HEALTH
BIG GREEN SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
$30,000EDUCATION
2ND & 7 FOUNDATION
$25,000EDUCATION
LICKING COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY
$25,000CONSERVATION