Anne Kilcawley Christman Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $2,400,000 - $4,500,000
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: $400,000+ (based on recent grants)
• Geographic Focus: Youngstown, Ohio and surrounding Mahoning Valley region

Contact Details

Address: C/O Farmers Trust Co, 42 McClurg Road, Youngstown, OH 44512

Phone: (330) 743-7000

Trustee: Farmers Trust Company

Note: This foundation does not have a public website or published application guidelines.

Overview

The Anne Kilcawley Christman Foundation was established in 2003 following the death of Anne Kilcawley Christman in 2002. As a private independent foundation, it manages assets of over $50 million and has distributed more than $14 million in grants since 2016. The foundation continues the Kilcawley family's legacy of philanthropy in the Youngstown area, which began with Anne's parents, William and Mattie Kilcawley. Anne was deeply involved in Youngstown's cultural community, serving as a trustee of the Stambaugh Auditorium Association and on the board of the Butler Institute of American Art. The foundation is professionally managed by Farmers Trust Company, a Youngstown-based trust and wealth management firm that specializes in charitable endowments and foundation administration. The foundation's giving pattern reflects Anne Christman's personal interests in arts, culture, education, and local history.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with published guidelines. Grants are made through trustee discretion. Recent grants (2023) have been substantial, with awards of approximately $401,501 to multiple recipients.

Application Method: No public application process; grants awarded by trustee discretion

Priority Areas

Based on documented grants and the foundation's legacy, priority areas include:

• Arts and Culture: Support for performing arts venues (Stambaugh Auditorium), museums, and cultural institutions
• Higher Education: Significant ongoing support for Youngstown State University (over $1 million to date)
• Local History: Support for the Mahoning Valley Historical Society and related historical preservation efforts
• Regional Organizations: Focus on institutions serving the Youngstown and Mahoning Valley communities

Recent Grant Recipients (2023):

• Henry H. Stambaugh Auditorium Association: $401,501
• Lake Erie College: $401,501
• Mahoning Valley Historical Society: $401,501

What They Don't Fund

As a private foundation without public guidelines, exclusions are not explicitly published. However, the foundation's giving pattern suggests a focus on established cultural, educational, and historical institutions in the Youngstown area rather than individual grants, direct services, or organizations outside their geographic region.

Governance and Leadership

Trustee: Farmers Trust Company (compensation: $424,564 in 2024)

Farmers Trust Company, chartered by the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions, has served as trustee since the foundation's inception. The company specializes in investment management, trust administration, and charitable endowments. Farmers Trust manages foundation assets through professional investment strategies, generating revenue through dividends and asset sales. The company has extensive experience with charitable foundations, distributing nearly $7 million annually across the foundations and charitable funds it manages.

Historical Leadership: The foundation honors Anne Kilcawley Christman (died 2002), daughter of William and Mattie Kilcawley, who was active on boards of cultural institutions including the Stambaugh Auditorium Association and the Butler Institute of American Art.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process.

The Anne Kilcawley Christman Foundation operates as a private foundation managed by Farmers Trust Company, which awards grants through trustee discretion rather than soliciting applications. Grant decisions are made internally by the corporate trustee based on the foundation's mission and the legacy priorities of Anne Kilcawley Christman.

Organizations interested in support should not submit unsolicited grant applications, as the foundation does not accept them.

Getting on Their Radar

Based on the foundation's giving pattern, organizations most likely to receive consideration share these characteristics:

• Established relationship with the Kilcawley family legacy: The foundation has continued multi-year support to institutions where Anne Christman or her family were personally involved, including the Stambaugh Auditorium (where Anne served as a trustee), the Mahoning Valley Historical Society (which houses multiple Anne Kilcawley Christman-named spaces including the Decorative Arts Gallery and Educational Resource Center), and Youngstown State University (where her mother Mattie served on the Board of Trustees)

• Geographic connection: All documented grants support organizations serving the Youngstown and Mahoning Valley region, reflecting the family's deep roots in the community

• Mission alignment: Organizations focused on arts, culture, education, and historical preservation align with Anne Christman's documented interests and board service

The foundation's support appears to be based on perpetual relationships with specific institutions that were important to the Christman and Kilcawley families rather than competitive grant cycles.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As grants are awarded through trustee discretion rather than application cycles, there are no published decision timelines.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not have a public application process. Grant relationships appear to be ongoing and perpetual with selected institutions.

Application Success Factors

As this foundation does not accept applications, traditional success factors do not apply. However, analysis of the foundation's giving pattern reveals:

Institutions receiving support typically have:

• Direct historical connection to Anne Kilcawley Christman or her family: The Stambaugh Auditorium where Anne served as a trustee, Youngstown State University where her mother served on the Board of Trustees and which houses Kilcawley Center (the student center named after the family), and the Mahoning Valley Historical Society which has dedicated multiple spaces in Anne's honor

• Long-term presence in the Youngstown community: All documented recipients are established, well-known institutions with deep roots in the region

• Focus on cultural enrichment and education: The foundation's grants reflect Anne Christman's personal interests in the performing arts (Stambaugh Auditorium), visual arts (her service on the Butler Institute board), higher education (Youngstown State), and preservation of local history (Historical Society)

• Professional management and stability: Recipients are established organizations with professional staff and governance structures

Grant amounts: Recent grants show a pattern of equal distribution ($401,501 to three recipients in 2023), suggesting planned, strategic giving rather than responsive grant-making.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process exists - this foundation awards grants through trustee discretion only and does not accept unsolicited proposals

• Geographic focus is highly localized - all documented giving supports Youngstown and Mahoning Valley institutions; organizations outside this region are unlikely to receive consideration

• Relationship-based giving - the foundation maintains ongoing support for institutions with historical connections to the Christman and Kilcawley families

• Substantial grant amounts - recent grants exceed $400,000, indicating this is a significant funder for institutions within its giving circle

• Professional trustee management - Farmers Trust Company handles all foundation operations; there is no staff to contact directly about potential funding

• Legacy-driven mission - giving reflects Anne Christman's documented interests in arts, culture, higher education, and local history rather than emerging needs or trends

• Consider alternative funders - organizations seeking support should explore other Youngstown-area funders with public application processes, such as The Youngstown Foundation or the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, unless they have an established historical connection to the Christman family

References

• Cause IQ. "Anne Kilcawley Christman Foundation." https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/anne-kilcawley-christman-foundation,356735706/ (Accessed January 2026)

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. "Anne Kilcawley Christman Foundation - Form 990 Filings." https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/356735706 (Accessed January 2026)

• Bob on Books. "Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown - William H. and Mattie Kilcawley." https://bobonbooks.com/2019/08/10/growing-up-in-working-class-youngstown-william-h-and-mattie-kilcawley/ (Accessed January 2026)

• Mahoning Valley Historical Society. "Arms Family Museum." https://mahoninghistory.org/arms-family-museum/ (Accessed January 2026)

• Explore Mahoning. "Visit The Arms Family Museum." https://exploremahoning.com/visits/arms-family-museum/ (Accessed January 2026)

• Stambaugh Auditorium. "Christman Hall." https://www.stambaughauditorium.com/christman-hall/ (Accessed January 2026)

• The Youngstown Foundation. "Explore Our Funds." https://www.youngstownfoundation.org/explore-our-funds/ (Accessed January 2026)

• Business Journal Daily. "Farmers' Dastoli Builds Trust Managing Wealth." https://businessjournaldaily.com/article/dastoli-builds-trust-managing-wealth/ (Accessed January 2026)