The Michael Francis Zalla Memorial Foundation concentrates support in its local community in and around Edgewood, KY, with a strong emphasis on higher education, faith-based organizations, and health/social service providers. The largest, recurring beneficiary is Northern Kentucky University (NKU), while other grants fund local churches, hospital foundations, pregnancy-support services, and community shelters—indicating a preference for faith-aligned and regional institutions that deliver direct community services.
A recurring $50,000 grant to the Nku Foundation Lucas Administrative Center anchors the Michael Francis Zalla Memorial Foun’s giving pattern. That support appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, making Northern Kentucky University a clear centerpiece of the foundation’s recent grantmaking. The foundation also gives at a meaningful scale to local faith and service organizations, including Madison Avenue Christian Church and Care Net, alongside health and housing-related charities serving the same regional network. The foundation’s grants suggest a closely held local approach rather than a broad thematic portfolio. Higher education is the most visible thread, but it sits alongside religious institutions and direct-service nonprofits that work with vulnerable individuals and families. Awards in the recent record include support for church-based ministry, pregnancy-support services, hospital philanthropy, and a community shelter provider, all within a Kentucky-Ohio corridor centered on northern Kentucky. The pattern points to funders who prioritize institutions with direct local presence and established community roles.
Higher education is the strongest cause area in the recent record. The foundation gave $50,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025 to the Nku Foundation Lucas Administrative Center in Highland Heights, KY, showing sustained support for Northern Kentucky University. Religious and church-based giving is another visible lane. In 2024, Michael Francis Zalla Memorial Foun awarded $30,000 to Madison Avenue Christian Church in Covington, KY, following a smaller $5,000 grant to the same church in 2023. The foundation also supports social and health services. It gave $20,000 in 2024 to Care Net in Covington, KY, $20,000 in 2025 to Mercy Health Foundation in Cincinnati, OH, and $10,000 in 2025 to Welcome House in Covington, KY.
Typical grant size sits at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record shows repeat support to the same recipients across multiple years, especially the Nku Foundation Lucas Administrative Center and Madison Avenue Christian Church, which indicates an ongoing relationship model rather than one-off giving. The foundation is not a fund for individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its local scope and recipient mix point to direct institutional grants rather than open-ended or national competition.
$240K
$968K
$58K
$93K
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 89% of grants go to recipients in OH.
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Concentrated, regionally focused giving with one dominant grantee (repeated multi-year support to NKU) and smaller, targeted gifts to local faith-based and health/social service organizations.
Notable grantees: NKU Foundation Lucas Administrative Center, Madison Avenue Christian Church, Mercy Health Foundation, Care Net, Welcome House
Grant dollars stay close to home: 89% of grants go to recipients in Kentucky. The most frequent giving state is Ohio, which reflects the nearby Cincinnati area in the recipient list rather than the foundation’s headquarters in Edgewood, KY. Recent recipient cities include Highland Heights, Covington, Cincinnati, and Edgewood. All recent grants in the provided record went to U.S. organizations.
Typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $20,000 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record includes both smaller awards and larger recurring grants, but the center of the distribution is in the $20,000 range.
The recent grants show support for higher education, religious congregations, social services, and health-related philanthropy. Named recipients include a university foundation, a church, a pregnancy-support organization, a hospital foundation, and a community shelter provider.
Yes. The Nku Foundation Lucas Administrative Center received $50,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Madison Avenue Christian Church also appears more than once, with grants of $5,000 in 2023 and $30,000 in 2024.
Most grants go to Kentucky recipients, with 89% of grants in the HQ state. The recipient list also includes Ohio, and the top state by grant count is Ohio, showing a regional footprint that reaches into the Cincinnati area.
Recent recipients include Nku Foundation Lucas Administrative Center in Highland Heights, KY; Madison Avenue Christian Church in Covington, KY; Care Net in Covington, KY; Mercy Health Foundation in Cincinnati, OH; Welcome House in Covington, KY; and New Perceptions Incs in Edgewood, KY.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NKU FOUNDATION LUCAS ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER | HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| MERCY HEALTH FOUNDATION | CINCINNATI, OH | $20,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| WELCOME HOUSE | COVINGTON, KY | $10,000 | 2025 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| NKU FOUNDATION LUCAS ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER | HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY | $50,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| MADISON AVENUE CHRISTIAN CHURCH | COVINGTON, KY | $30,000 | 2024 | RELIGIOUS |
| CARE NET | COVINGTON, KY | $20,000 | 2024 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
| NKU FOUNDATION LUCAS ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER | HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY | $50,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| MADISON AVENUE CHRISTIAN CHURCH | COVINGTON, KY | $5,000 | 2023 | RELIGIOUS |
| NEW PERCEPTIONS INCS | EDGEWOOD, KY | $5,000 | 2023 | SOCIAL SERVICES |
NKU FOUNDATION LUCAS ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER
$50,000EDUCATION
MERCY HEALTH FOUNDATION
$20,000MEDICAL
WELCOME HOUSE
$10,000SOCIAL SERVICES
NKU FOUNDATION LUCAS ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER
$50,000EDUCATION
MADISON AVENUE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
$30,000RELIGIOUS
CARE NET
$20,000SOCIAL SERVICES
NKU FOUNDATION LUCAS ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER
EDUCATION
MADISON AVENUE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
$5,000RELIGIOUS
NEW PERCEPTIONS INCS
$5,000SOCIAL SERVICES