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
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Kimberly Cutlip
Accepts unsolicited proposals
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Scioto County Area Foundation?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime