The Nord Family Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 34-1595929 · since 1988nordff.org·Lorain County·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$10.1M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$750 to $75,000

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$25,000

Typical grant (median)

314 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Nord Family Foundation funds work in arts and culture, civic affairs, education, and health and social services, with Lorain County as its priority area.
Most grant writers should pitch for a modest sum: about 8 in 10 of its 968 grants fell between $750 and $75,000, and half were $20,000 or less, though it has made one much larger grant of $300,000 to the Community Foundation of Lorain County, an organisation it funds every year and which itself regrants to other organisations.
Applications are made through the foundation's online grant portal against fixed deadlines - 1 April for a June decision, 1 August for an October decision, and 1 December for a February decision - so build in time to meet these dates.
With 92% of its grant dollars going to organisations it had already funded in the previous two filings, this looks like a relationship-led funder where new applicants are competing for a smaller share of the funding; a first approach is best kept modest and well targeted, with the expectation that a track record may build over more than one cycle.

Overview

The Nord Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Amherst, OH.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The foundation grants to qualified non-profit organisations and selected public-sector activities, supporting general operations, programme-related activities and capital projects. Its four areas are arts and culture, civic affairs, education, and health and social services. Its work seeks to advance equity, expand access to opportunity and build thriving, inclusive communities, with a specific focus on racial equity. In the arts, it supports theatre and performing arts, visual arts and music, prioritising programmes that engage children and young people who might otherwise have limited access. Civic grantmaking includes community and economic development, revitalisation, workforce training, civic engagement and leadership development. In education, it supports public, charter and faith-based schools, and seeks innovative programmes with potential for replication.

Themes

Arts and Culture
Civic Affairs
Education
Health & Social Services

Geographic Focus

Priority: Lorain County.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online through the foundation's grant portal.

Deadlines:

The deadline for a June decision is 1 April.
The deadline for an October decision is 1 August.
The deadline for a February decision is 1 December.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 92% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 968 grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

Projects incorporating root cause analysis are of special interest.
The foundation seeks innovative educational programmes with potential for replication in other regions it serves.
It prioritises arts programmes engaging children and young people who might otherwise have limited access and exposure.
It funds organisations and programmes taking strategic risks and using novel approaches to address unmet needs.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Ohio70%

South Carolina11%

Colorado11%

Massachusetts3%

New York2%

District of Columbia<1%

6 other states: 2%

The largest single recipient received 2% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 92% of grant dollars went to organisations The Nord Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
5% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

314 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $25,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 314 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k7%

$1k–$2.5k14%

$2.5k–$5k4%

$5k–$10k10%

$10k–$25k13%

$25k–$50k21%

$50k–$100k25%

$100k–$250k7%

Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio · Continued support of increasing food resources to lorain county
$175,0002024 tax year
College Now Greater Cleveland · Continued support of the postsecondary initiative in lorain county
$160,0002024 tax year
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland · Continued support of legal assistance for lorain county residents, over two years
$150,0002024 tax year
El Centro de Servicios Sociales · Continued general operating support, over two years
$150,0002024 tax year
Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority · Land acquisition to support southside gateway transformation plan
$130,0002024 tax year
Common Ground—The Cindy Nord Center for Renewal · Continued general operating support, over two years
$105,0002024 tax year
United Way of Greater Lorain County · Support for continuum of care coordination, mobility management, and ucan initiatives, over two years
$104,5002024 tax year
El Centro de Servicios Sociales · Repair and replacement of elevator
$100,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Cindy Nord — Trustee
Tina Kimbrough — Executive Director
Alex Kosman — Trustee
Joanne Turnquist — Trustee
Todd Wandtke — Treasurer
Maggie Quinones — Vice President
Ethan Nord — Trustee
Tom McClintock — Trustee
Lisa Berk — Trustee
Katherine Berk — Trustee
Virginia Barbato — Trustee
Marcia Ballinger — Trustee
Elizabeth Bausch — Secretary
Brian Ignat — President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$12,117,602	$10,192,242	$186,955,615	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$11,665,869	$9,724,318	$198,037,055	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$12,397,917	$10,116,088	$178,258,671	Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.