Helen C. Cole Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: ~$1,466,312 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: Up to ~$82,637 (average); 15 grants made
• Geographic Focus: Primarily Greater Cleveland, OH; also California and Massachusetts
• Total Assets: ~$24.6 million (2024)

Contact Details

• Address: 600 Superior Ave E, Suite 1701, Cleveland, OH 44114
• Phone: 216-382-2000
• Website: No public-facing website identified
• Trustee: Mark F. Swary (primary contact)

Overview

The Helen C. Cole Charitable Trust is a private independent foundation established in 2004 in Ohio and headquartered in Cleveland. It holds approximately $24.6 million in total assets (2024) and distributes around $1.47 million annually in charitable grants. The trust received its 501(c)(3) designation in June 2015 and files as a private foundation (Form 990-PF) with the IRS.

The trust's giving philosophy is centered on supporting arts and culture, education, community foundations, and social services — specifically including hearing and speech centers and services for the blind. Funding is concentrated primarily in Greater Cleveland but extends to recipients in California and Massachusetts, suggesting connections to the founder's personal or family interests beyond Ohio. The trust is managed by a single trustee, Mark F. Swary, who oversees a portfolio of approximately 15 grants per cycle. There is no public application process; grantmaking appears to be conducted at trustee discretion.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The trust does not operate named, publicly described grant programs. Funding is distributed as one-off or recurring grants to selected organizations across the following areas:

• Arts and Culture / Museums: Support for major cultural institutions, including the Cleveland Museum of Art
• Education: Elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions (both Ohio-based and out-of-state, including Wellesley and Claremont)
• Community Foundation: Contributions to the Cleveland Foundation
• Human Services: Including hearing and speech services (Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center) and services for the blind

Average grant size is approximately $82,637, and approximately 15 grants are made per year, suggesting a concentrated portfolio of established relationships rather than open competitive grantmaking.

Priority Areas

• Arts, culture, and museums in Greater Cleveland
• Elementary, secondary, and higher education
• Community foundations (specifically the Cleveland Foundation)
• Social services, including services for hearing/speech impaired and visually impaired individuals
• Organizations in Cleveland, Shaker Heights, Claremont (CA), and Wellesley (MA)

What They Don't Fund

No formal exclusions list has been published. As a private foundation with no open application process, unsolicited requests from organizations outside the trustee's existing network are unlikely to be considered. There is no evidence the trust funds:

• International organizations
• Political or lobbying activities
• Individuals

Governance and Leadership

• Trustee: Mark F. Swary — sole named trustee and manager of the foundation. Compensation reported at $124,038 (2024). As the sole trustee, Swary holds full discretion over grant decisions.

The trust is named for Helen C. Cole, suggesting it was established to carry out the philanthropic wishes of an individual donor. No board of directors or advisory committee is publicly listed. The concentration of decision-making in a single trustee is characteristic of a private trust operating without external oversight or open applications.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Helen C. Cole Charitable Trust is a private charitable trust managed at the sole discretion of trustee Mark F. Swary. There is no application portal, published grant deadline, or publicly available request for proposals. Grants appear to be awarded to organizations with which the trustee has pre-existing relationships or that fall within the well-established areas identified in the trust's mission.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available. As a private trust without open applications, there is no disclosed review cycle or decision timeline.

Success Rates

Not publicly available. The trust makes approximately 15 grants per year; the total number of requests considered (if any) is not disclosed.

Reapplication Policy

No reapplication policy has been published. Given the nature of private trust grantmaking, repeat funding of existing grantees is common and new relationships are likely built over time rather than through repeated applications.

Application Success Factors

As there is no public application process, the following insights are drawn from the trust's documented giving patterns and structural characteristics:

• Establish a presence in Cleveland's civic and cultural networks: The trust's known grantees — Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center, Cleveland Foundation — are all major civic anchors in Greater Cleveland. Organizations embedded in these networks are more likely to come to the trustee's attention.
• Align with specific service areas documented in the trust's mission: The trust explicitly focuses on "hearing and speech center" and "services for the blind" as focus areas, alongside arts, education, and community foundations. Organizations in these specific niches have the clearest alignment.
• Do not send unsolicited grant applications: There is no evidence the trust reviews unsolicited requests. Cold outreach is unlikely to be productive and may be counterproductive.
• Focus on academic institution connections: If your organization has ties to Wellesley College or the Claremont Colleges (given the trust's known out-of-state giving to those cities), there may be a natural bridge through shared networks.
• Long-term relationship building is key: The trust's concentrated, recurring grant portfolio suggests grantees are long-standing partners rather than new entrants. Grant writers should approach this funder with a multi-year relationship strategy.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• The Helen C. Cole Charitable Trust is a private discretionary trust with approximately $24.6 million in assets and ~$1.47 million in annual giving, focused on arts, education, and human services in Greater Cleveland.
• There is no public application process — grants are awarded at sole trustee (Mark F. Swary) discretion to organizations within his existing network.
• The trust funds approximately 15 organizations per year, with an average grant of ~$82,637, indicating a concentrated and stable portfolio.
• Known beneficiaries include the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center, and the Cleveland Foundation — all major civic institutions.
• The trust also gives to out-of-state recipients in Claremont, CA and Wellesley, MA, suggesting possible links to specific academic institutions.
• Cold grant applications are unlikely to be considered. Relationship-building through Cleveland's civic, cultural, and philanthropic ecosystem is the most viable route to engagement.
• Grant writers representing organizations in the trust's documented focus areas (especially hearing/speech services, services for the blind, arts/museums, and education) should prioritize indirect network connections to the trustee rather than direct unsolicited outreach.

References

• Candid Foundation Directory — Helen C Cole Charitable Trust profile: Accessed February 2026
• Cause IQ — Helen C Cole Trust profile (EIN 34-7178399): Accessed February 2026
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer — 990-PF filings: Accessed February 2026
• Cleveland Museum of Art — Honor Roll Fiscal Year 2024 and 2025: Accessed February 2026
• Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center — Donors page: Accessed February 2026
• Cleveland Foundation — 2011 New Gifts report: Accessed February 2026