How does The Scioto County Area Foundation distribute grant sizes?

Its typical award size is modest relative to a few very large institutional gifts: the 25th percentile is $8,583, the median is $14,246, and the 75th percentile is $24,696. That suggests many grants cluster in the low tens of thousands, with some much larger exceptions.

Does The Scioto County Area Foundation fund the same organizations more than once?

Yes. The Southern Ohio Museum appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Shawnee State University also appears in multiple years. That repeated pattern points to ongoing support for selected local institutions rather than exclusively one-time awards.

What kinds of organizations does the foundation support?

Recent grants show support for museums, universities, churches, schools, a health center, an animal welfare group, and downtown revitalization organizations. Examples include the Southern Ohio Museum, Shawnee State University, Sciotoville Christian Church, Portsmouth City School District, Shawnee Family Health Center, and Main Street Portsmouth.

Can organizations apply for grants?

Yes. The General Grant Program, Scioto 365, Scioto Gives, and UCAN Scholarships are all marked as accepting unsolicited applications. The General Grant Program lists a Foundation grant application and Grant Guidelines.

Scioto County Area Foundation

Name: Scioto County Area Foundation — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActivePhilanthropy & Voluntarism

Portsmouth, OHWebsite7403544612

About Scioto County Area Foundation

The Scioto County Area Foundation makes concentrated, place-based investments in Portsmouth and the surrounding region, prioritizing cultural institutions, higher education, and local faith congregations. Large, multi-million dollar gifts to a small set of repeat grantees (notably the Southern Ohio Museum and Shawnee State University) are balanced by support for downtown revitalization, community health, and local social services. The foundation’s pattern suggests a focus on long-term capital and capacity-building for institutions seen as anchors of community life.

Focus Areas

Museum capital and cultural infrastructure in Portsmouth (Southern Ohio Museum)Regional higher education and campus support (Shawnee State University; public universities in the region)Local congregations and faith-based community services (Catholic and Protestant parishes in Scioto County)Downtown/Main Street revitalization and public art (Main Street Portsmouth; Portsmouth Murals)Community health and social services including community health center and animal welfare

Who They Fund

not specified

About Scioto County Area Foundation

A single place-based portfolio stands out in the Scioto County Area Foundation’s recent grantmaking: a $27,893,517 grant to the Southern Ohio Museum in Portsmouth to further the organization’s exempt purpose. That scale is matched by another major gift in the same year, $24,798,623 to Shawnee State University, also in Portsmouth, showing that the foundation concentrates substantial resources on institutions that anchor civic, educational, and cultural life in Scioto County. Its recent awards also reach local churches, schools, museums, and community organizations, with recurring support visible across 2023 through 2025. The pattern is not limited to one sector. The foundation has funded cultural infrastructure, higher education, faith-based congregations, downtown revitalization, public art, health services, and local social support. Portsmouth organizations appear repeatedly, including the museum, the university, Portsmouth Murals Inc, Main Street Portsmouth, and several congregations and service groups. The result is a grantmaking profile centered on long-term institutional support rather than a broad, dispersed portfolio.

What Scioto County Area Foundation Funds

Cultural infrastructure is one of the clearest priorities in the recent grants. The foundation gave $2,887,673 to Portsmouth Murals Inc for furthering the organization’s exempt purpose, alongside support for other Portsmouth-based cultural institutions. Higher education is another major lane: $4,233,804 went to Ohio University & Branches in Athens, and $1,919,816 went to Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, both for exempt-purpose support. Faith-based and community-serving organizations also receive substantial funding. Examples include $4,357,801 to Sciotoville Christian Church in Sciotoville and $793,289 to St Mary Church in Portsmouth. Community health and social services are present as well, including $687,358 to the Animal Welfare League of Scioto County and $647,522 to Shawnee Family Health Center, both in Portsmouth.

How Scioto County Area Foundation Gives

Typical grant size sits in a fairly tight middle band: p25 is $8,583, median is $14,246, and p75 is $24,696. The recent record also shows some very large, repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, especially the Southern Ohio Museum and Shawnee State University, indicating continuing support rather than one-off gifts. The foundation is an operating community foundation with local grant programs and scholarships, and the recent grants align with a place-based model. Unsolicited applications are accepted through the General Grant Program and related community programs.

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$90.8M

Total Assets

$65.4M

Total Revenue

$5.7M

Total Expenses

$2.3M

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $9K and $25K, with a median of $14K.

25th Percentile

$9K

Median

$14K

75th Percentile

$25K

Geographic Reach

Local7 states funded

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

Leadership

Kimberly Cutlip

Accepts unsolicited proposals

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
Southern Ohio Museum	Portsmouth, OH	$27,893,517	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Shawnee State University	Portsmouth, OH	$24,798,623	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Sciotoville Christian Church	Sciotoville, OH	$4,357,801	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Ohio University & Branches	Athens, OH	$4,233,804	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Marshall University	Huntington, WV	$4,065,894	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Portsmouth Murals Inc	Portsmouth, OH	$2,887,673	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Notre Dame Schools	Portsmouth, OH	$2,593,515	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Morehead State University	Morehead, KY	$1,919,816	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
University of Cincinnati	Cincinnati, OH	$1,811,633	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Steven A Hunter Hope Fund INC	Portsmouth, OH	$1,678,904	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
South Central Ohio ESC	New Boston, OH	$1,653,458	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
University of Rio Grande	Rio Grande, OH	$1,550,733	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Main Street Portsmouth	Portsmouth, OH	$1,395,041	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Otterbein University	Westerville, OH	$1,052,283	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
University of Kentucky	Lexington, KY	$828,832	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Portsmouth City School District	Portsmouth, OH	$828,641	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
St Alban's Episcopal Church	Bexley, OH	$816,229	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
St Mary Church	Portsmouth, OH	$793,289	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Hill View Retirement Center	Portsmouth, OH	$767,729	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
All Saints Episcopal Church	Portsmouth, OH	$748,332	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Animal Welfare League of Scioto County	Portsmouth, OH	$687,358	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Shawnee Family Health Center	Portsmouth, OH	$647,522	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Cornerston Church of Portsmouth	Portsmouth, OH	$646,523	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery Foundation	Portsmouth, OH	$579,959	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Scioto Christian Ministry	Portsmouth, OH	$530,909	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Ohio Northern University	Ada, OH	$523,716	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Sierra's Haven	Portsmouth, OH	$83,800	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Portsmouth Athletic Complex Project	Portsmouth, OH	$82,500	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Ohio State University	Columbus, OH	$75,732	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
First Presbyterian Church	Portsmouth, OH	$64,825	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Friends of Adams Co 4H and Extension	Peebles, OH	$30,000	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
City of Portsmouth	Portsmouth, OH	$25,000	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Miami University	Oxford, OH	$22,850	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Mount Vernon Nazarene University	Mount Vernon, OH	$21,675	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Portsmouth Area Arts Council	Portsmouth, OH	$16,000	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Rarden Daily Bread Inc	Rarden, OH	$15,000	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Growing Lucasville Opportunities	Lucasville, OH	$15,000	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Kent State University	Kent, OH	$12,485	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Eastern Kentucky University	Richmond, KY	$11,452	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Otway Historical Society	Otway, OH	$9,500	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Potters House Ministries	Portsmouth, OH	$9,500	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Ohio Wesleyan University	Delaware, OH	$9,000	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Baldwin Wallace University	Berea, OH	$8,000	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Crown College of the Bible	Powell, TN	$7,267	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Capital University	Columbus, OH	$7,000	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
University of Pikeville	Pikeville, KY	$6,693	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Cedarville University	Cedarville, OH	$6,500	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
University of Northwestern Ohio	Lima, OH	$6,356	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Alice Lloyd College	Pippa Passes, KY	$5,250	2025	To further the exempt purpose of the organization
Southern Ohio Museum	Portsmouth, OH	$253,386	2024	To further the exempt purpose of the organization

Recipient

Location

Amount

Year

Purpose

Southern Ohio Museum

Portsmouth, OH

$27,893,517

2025