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Farmer Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$44.1M
Grant Range
$1K - $11.2M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $44,058,309 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: $500 - $11,156,384
  • Total Assets: $160,988,351
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily Cincinnati/Ohio, also Florida and Michigan
  • Number of Grants: 109 awards (2023)

Contact Details

Address: 8044 Montgomery Road, Suite 480, Cincinnati, OH 45236

Phone: (513) 459-1085

Executive Director: Mary Beth Martin

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website or email for grant inquiries.

Overview

Established in 1988 by Richard T. Farmer (founder and Chairman Emeritus of Cintas Corporation) and Joyce Farmer, along with their children, the Farmer Family Foundation is one of Cincinnati's most significant philanthropic institutions. With assets exceeding $160 million and annual giving of approximately $44 million, the foundation supports organizations across Ohio, Florida, and Michigan. Originally focused on assisting children through education, healthcare, and services for the handicapped, the foundation shifted its strategic priorities in 2006 to emphasize support for veterans, investments in education for at-risk populations, programs promoting economic self-sufficiency, and healthcare research. The foundation has received national recognition for its transformational gifts, including the largest philanthropic commitment to the arts in Cincinnati history—a $60 million gift for The Farmer Music Center announced in 2025.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

Education: The foundation has made substantial investments in K-12 education for at-risk students, including establishing Accelerate Great Schools, which provides funding to recruit, launch, create, and replicate great kindergarten through 12th grade schools in Cincinnati. The foundation has supported the Catholic Inner-City School Education Fund since 1989 and has made historic gifts to higher education, including a $40 million gift to Miami University's Farmer School of Business in 2016.

Healthcare Research: Significant support for neuroscience and medical innovation, including $11 million in total grants to Cincinnati Children's Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM), support for the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute (including renovations of the neuro-ICU and creation of an outpatient building), and a $2.35 million gift to UC Health targeting nursing shortages in high-skill areas such as neurology and neuroscience.

Veterans Support: Early and ongoing support for veterans' causes, including assistance with construction of medical centers across the United States to treat injured military members. Richard Farmer served on the board of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Economic Self-Sufficiency: Programs that assist individuals to enter the workforce and achieve economic independence.

Arts and Culture: Major support for cultural institutions, including the $60 million gift for The Farmer Music Center (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra venue, scheduled to open Spring 2027) and longstanding support for Cincinnati Museum Center since helping to open The Children's Museum in 1998.

Recent Grant Examples

  • $60 million to Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for The Farmer Music Center (2025)
  • $5 million challenge grant to Cincinnati Children's CuSTOM Accelerator Lab (2023)
  • $2.35 million to UC Health for nursing and neuroscience programs (2025)
  • Support for Accelerate Great Schools initiative ($25 million, five-year fund established 2015)
  • $40 million to Miami University Farmer School of Business (2016)

Geographic Focus

Primarily supports nonprofit organizations in the Cincinnati, OH area, with additional grantmaking in Florida and Michigan.

Types of Support

  • Capital support
  • Programmatic support
  • Challenge grants
  • Multi-year commitments

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

  • Joyce E. Farmer
  • Scott D. Farmer (Executive Chairman of Cintas Corporation)
  • Amy F. Joseph
  • George R. Joseph
  • Mary J. Farmer
  • Brynne F. Coletti
  • Robert E. Coletti
  • Richard L. Roeding, Jr. (Treasurer)
  • Regina L. Estenfelder (Assistant Secretary)
  • Jennifer P. Wilson

Staff

  • Mary Beth Martin, Executive Director: Responsible for executing the foundation's philanthropic goals and objectives, overseeing all grant investments, and serving as the spokesperson of the foundation. Martin has served in this role since 2005 and holds a BSBA double major in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Cincinnati.

Leadership Philosophy

As Richard Farmer stated about their philanthropic approach: "Our support of Cincinnati Museum Center will help unlock minds with new experiences and hopefully inspire young people to pursuit their own dreams."

Scott D. Farmer, reflecting the foundation's commitment to community impact, stated regarding The Farmer Music Center gift: "Music and live entertainment have long played an important role in bringing people together."

Note: All trustees and key personnel work on a voluntary basis without compensation, except the executive director.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Farmer Family Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation operates through trustee discretion, identifying and supporting organizations aligned with its strategic priorities. Grants appear to be awarded based on the trustees' knowledge of community needs and strategic relationships rather than through an open, competitive application process.

The foundation made 109 grants in 2023 and 107 grants in 2022, suggesting active grantmaking despite the absence of a public application portal.

Application Success Factors

While there is no public application process, organizations that have received funding from the Farmer Family Foundation typically align with these characteristics:

Strategic Alignment with Priority Areas: Successful grantees clearly advance one or more of the foundation's core priorities established in 2006: veterans support, education for at-risk populations, economic self-sufficiency programs, and healthcare research.

Cincinnati/Regional Connection: The foundation shows strong preference for organizations serving the Greater Cincinnati area, though they also support initiatives in Florida and Michigan.

Transformational Impact Potential: The foundation has demonstrated willingness to make large, catalytic gifts that enable major institutional advancement or new program creation (e.g., $60 million for The Farmer Music Center, $40 million to Miami University, $11 million total for organoid research).

Focus on Children and Youth: Despite the 2006 strategic shift, the foundation maintains its original commitment to assisting and protecting children, particularly through education and healthcare.

Institutional Capacity: Recipients include major institutions with established track records (Cincinnati Children's Hospital, UC Health, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Miami University) as well as focused initiatives like Accelerate Great Schools.

Innovation and Excellence: The foundation supports cutting-edge work, such as organoid medicine research and programs that recruit, launch, and replicate high-performing schools.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists – this foundation operates through trustee discretion and identifies its own grantees
  • Significant geographic preference for Greater Cincinnati organizations, with secondary focus on Florida and Michigan
  • Large grant capacity – capable of transformational gifts ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars
  • Long-term relationships matter – many grantees have received multiple grants over many years (e.g., Cincinnati Museum Center since 1998, UC Health/neuroscience support over multiple decades)
  • Strategic focus areas are clear and consistent: veterans, education for at-risk students, healthcare research (especially neuroscience), economic self-sufficiency, and arts/culture
  • Challenge grant structure used for major initiatives, encouraging matching support from other funders
  • Family foundation values emphasize concern for those less fortunate, commitment to hard work, honesty, integrity, and making the community a better place

References

Accessed: January 2026

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