Become a Member

Philanthropy Ohio membership is open to philanthropic organizations and Professional Partners throughout the state. Foundations and grantmaking organizations that are eligible to join Philanthropy Ohio must have been created for charitable purposes with the principal function to make grants to eligible exempt organizations; are tax-exempt, as defined by the IRS; receive the majority of their annual revenue from the general public or public sources; and award the majority of their grants to external 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.

Philanthropy Ohio currently has the following organization types within our membership:

Community Foundations are tax-exempt charitable organizations that provide grant support – primarily for the needs of the geographic community or region where they are based – from funds that it maintains and administers on behalf of multiple donors.

Component Funds are established and administered by a parent foundation to help individual donors, groups and families fund nonprofit community organizations and interest areas. 

Corporate Funders are companies with an active grantmaking program. They may have a company-sponsored private foundation, corporate operating foundation, a corporate direct giving program, a separate legal entity for their giving, an endowment, an employee-driven giving program or a combination of these.

Federated Funds are cooperatively owned and managed by their members who develop a fund's criteria for giving and then make grants or other donations to nonprofits whose missions fulfill those criteria. Federated funds use workplace fundraising and community giving programs to support a broad range of missions through a variety of nonprofits and other recipients. 

Government Grantmaker staff are employed by a government agency. This grantmaker type does not file a 990 and does not hold a 501(c)3. 

Grantmaking Public Charities are nonprofit organizations that give grants to other public charities. As defined by the IRS, grantmaking public charities seek support from the general public and must pass the public support test. Charitable organizations fall under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Tax Code, and the IRS divides charitable organizations into two groups: private foundations and public charities.

Individual Members are charitable individuals who are not employed by an eligible funder. 

Operating Foundations are a unique form of private foundation which uses the bulk of its income to actively run its own charitable programs or services. 

Private (Family) Foundations are independent legal entities set up for solely charitable purposes. The funding for a private foundation typically comes from a single individual, a family or a corporation, which receives a tax deduction for donations. 

Professional Partner Members are for-profit businesses that provide services or products to philanthropic organizations. 

Supporting Organizations are charities that carry out their exempt purposes by supporting other exempt organizations, usually other public charities. 

United Ways are local public charities that raise funds through individual contributions and allocate them to benefit charitable programs and organizations. They often use workplace fundraising and community giving programs to support their mission through a variety of nonprofits.

Philanthropy Ohio does not make grants. Those seeking grants can find more information on the Candid website.

Key values and benefits available exclusively to Philanthropy Ohio members include:
 

Staff and organizational development

• Learning programs, trainings, cohorts and webinars (many are free or deeply discounted) that will increase your knowledge and skills around core competencies and beyond
• Lead programs as a speaker or moderator or serve on a planning committee to help develop a program’s content
• Access to the latest data, reports, best practices and sample documents we compile in our Resource Center from your peers throughout the state
• Newsletters that include the latest philanthropy trends, ideas and best practices delivered to your inbox

Networking with peers

• Connect with your peers at our annual convenings, regional events and convenings by funder type
• Participate in or initiate a member peer group convening, such as the equity peer groups, scholarship managers, Blacks in Ohio Philanthropy, Community Foundation Leaders Network, Appalachia Ohio Funders and more
• Serve on our Board or one of its committees

Policy development

• Get involved in special policy projects that aim to increase public dialogue on issues of particular concern to the philanthropic community, including the Education Initiative, Health Initiative and Housing Stability affinity group
• Suggest issues that Philanthropy Ohio’s Public Policy Committee should explore, which might lead to the creation of an issue guide on the topic and/or Philanthropy Ohio taking an official position
• Connect with state and federal policymakers, through Philanthropy Ohio, where we also represent you on the Ohio Charitable Advisory Committee
• Join Philanthropy Ohio staff in meetings with Ohio’s congressional delegation during Foundations on the Hill

Information sharing

• Submit your organizational news for Ohio Philanthropy News, our newsletters and social media
• Write a guest blog or article for the Philanthropy Review magazine
• Submit your organization’s research, reports and other sample documents for the Resource Center
• Enrollment in the listserv for your funder type to pose questions, share ideas and seek the advice of your peers

Philanthropy Ohio services

• Free hour of legal consulting
• Annual Salary & Benefits Report – Ohio data updated annually on grantmaker compensation at professional levels throughout the philanthropic field
• Top-line foundation data in our annual Ohio Gives report
• Staff expertise – timely responses to member questions and access to other experts
• Unlimited, free job listings on our online Job Board and in our monthly NewsLine
• Access to the Philanthropy Ohio Membership Directory
• Peer sample documents, reports, listserv discussions, archived webinars and other program resources in the Resource Center
• Access to Consultancy Collective expert consultants to address your core operational needs
• Philanthropy Ohio staff can support your convenings by facilitating conversations, supporting common objectives and guiding groups to plan to achieve goals
• Fiscal sponsorship of member-driven projects
• Access to Back Office Services – finance and administrative duties to release organizations to focus on their mission (additional costs apply)
• Free use of our Columbus and Cleveland conference rooms for meetings up to 25 people

Additional Discounts

• Alliance Magazine – save 20% on social sector news and analysis
• Amalgamated Bank – offers free or discounted socially responsible banking and investment products designed for funders
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy – save 10% on a site license to the philanthropy news and reporting publication
• ClickTime – receive a discount on the time and expense management software
• Cybersecurity discounts for IT, technology and services with Tech Impact, CGNET and Information Ecology
• The Foundation Review – receive a 20% discount on a subscription to the peer-reviewed journal of philanthropy
• Great American Insurance Group – access premium pricing on D&O Liability, fiduciary liability, employment practices liability, cyber liability insurance and more
• Inside Philanthropy – save 25% on a subscription to the philanthropy news publication
• RingCentral – save 15% on the phone, webinar, audio and video conferencing software
• Standford Social Innovation Review – save on a subscription to the research and practice-based knowledge publication

For questions or assistance in accessing any of your membership benefits, please contact Mary Dunbar.

Join Philanthropy Ohio as a Professional Partner and connect with our statewide network of individuals, foundations, corporate giving programs and organizations actively involved in philanthropy throughout Ohio. Professional Partner members are for-profit businesses that provide services or products to philanthropic organizations, such as:

• Accounting/Auditing
• Consulting
• Insurance
• Investment/Financial Advising
• Information Technology (IT)/Software
• Legal 

Benefits of becoming a Professional Partner

• Share your expertise with our members by submitting articles for our print and digital publications
• Attend the Philanthropy Forward conference a discounted rate to build your network  
• Access the Membership Directory and other members-only resources
• Subscriptions to weekly, monthly and quarterly news and knowledge publications
• Free job postings on the Job Board
• Discounted exhibitor rate at the Philanthropy Forward conference 

Professional Partner membership support is $1,500. Ready to join? Complete the membership form and email it to Mary Dunbar. Want us to contact you? Complete the contact form and a membership team member will be in touch!