Free funder guide · Ohio · Last checked 27 September 2026
Which Ohio environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in Ohio have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 13 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in Ohio that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Many of Ohio's larger open foundations that fund conservation, in Cleveland and Cincinnati especially, also gave to a church, a Catholic school, a YMCA or another religious charity in their latest filing, so they are not listed. The list leans on state programs, Great Lakes money and community foundations instead.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In Ohio, 925 of the 1,470 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets that I could check tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 63%.
That leaves 545 larger Ohio foundations that say they will read an application. It is a lower share of closed doors than in Virginia (71%, 586 of 820) and Maryland (76%, 559 of 739), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with an Ohio address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (tax years 2023 to 2026, almost all 2024 or 2025). There are 1,471; 1 had no e-filed return I could find, so it is left out of the count. Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for Virginia and Maryland. Counting them too gives 65% (1,058 of 1,635).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
13 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in Ohio.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 27 Sept 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedRolling applications any timeFiling only no website; from the tax return, confirm firstCheck site next date not posted; open their page
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
Ohio EPA: Ohio Environmental Education Fund
Columbus · statewide
Environmental education for the public, the regulated community and students, paid for from half of Ohio's air and water pollution fines. The current agenda favors habitat and ecological restoration, nutrient pollution in rivers and streams, and environmental careers for students. 501(c)(3) nonprofits based in Ohio can apply.
Typical grant
Mini grants $500 to $5,000; general grants up to $50,000, though most are awarded for substantially less (its guidelines).
Next deadline
Letter of intent January 8, 2027, 5 p.m.; application January 15, 2027, 5 p.m. Verified. Then a July round: letter of intent July 8, application July 15 Expected.
How to apply
Electronic letter of intent, then the full application online through Ohio EPA's eBusiness Center. Grant coordinators will advise on eligibility before the deadline.
Ohio Lake Erie Commission: Lake Erie Community Grant and Lake Erie Protection Fund
Cleveland · Ohio's Lake Erie watershed
Two programs. The Community Grant (federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative money) pays for streambank repair, invasive plant removal, habitat restoration in parks, stormwater work and outdoor education anywhere in the watershed, and staff help applicants plan projects. The Protection Fund (Lake Erie license plate money) funds research and restoration tied to the state's Lake Erie plan. Nonprofits can apply to both.
Typical grant
Community Grant $150,000 to $350,000 this round. Protection Fund $45,000 to $50,000; recent grants include Chagrin River Watershed Partners $49,970 and West Creek Conservancy $50,000 (its site).
Next deadline
Community Grant: December 16, 2026 Verified. Protection Fund: the 2026 round has closed; the next call is likely about November 2026, since the last one opened November 5, 2025 Expected.
How to apply
Download the 2027 request for applications and form from the program page; the Commission encourages applicants to contact it with project ideas first.
Ohio Public Works Commission: Clean Ohio Conservation Program
Columbus · statewide, run by 19 district committees
State bond money to buy and protect open space, sensitive ecological areas and stream corridors. Nonprofit land trusts and conservation groups are eligible alongside local governments. Each district's Natural Resources Assistance Council sets its own deadline and scoring.
Typical grant
Central Ohio's District 17 had about $3 million for fiscal year 2027, and Cuyahoga County about $3.2 million (district pages).
Next deadline
The fiscal 2027 round has closed in the districts I checked (Central Ohio's District 17 was due September 18, 2026). Dates for the next round are not posted yet Check site.
How to apply
Find your district on the OPWC map, then apply through OPWC's WorksWise portal with the district's supplement.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Sustain Our Great Lakes
Washington, DC · Great Lakes basin, including northern Ohio
On-the-ground habitat and water quality work in the Great Lakes basin: stream and riparian restoration, nature-based stormwater infrastructure, invasive species control on restored land, and projects that bring people into restored natural areas. NFWF's Five Star program (grants of $30,000 to $150,000) also names Cleveland as a priority location.
Typical grant
$200,000 to $1,000,000; about 30 grants a year, and 23% of applications were funded over the last three years (2026 request for proposals). Ohio grants in NFWF's latest filing, which does not name the program: Chagrin River Watershed Partners $198,799 (Dugway Brook stream restoration design), Western Reserve Land Conservancy $247,841 (urban trees and water quality).
Next deadline
Pre-proposals about late May 2027 Expected. The 2026 round took pre-proposals by May 28 and full proposals by August 6, 2026; the 2027 request for proposals is not posted yet.
How to apply
Pre-proposal in NFWF's Easygrants system; full proposals by invitation.
Foundation for Appalachian Ohio: Ora E. Anderson Conservation Fund and Environmental Stewardship grants
Nelsonville · Appalachian Ohio's 32 counties
The Ora E. Anderson fund supports watershed restoration, sustainable forest practices and the region's environmental history. The larger Environmental Stewardship fund, backed by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, makes community, innovation and research grants each summer and also covers seven more counties in the Muskingum watershed.
Typical grant
Ora E. Anderson requests of $500 to $5,000, with larger ones considered (its site); Environmental Stewardship had up to $250,000 in total for 2026. Environmental grants in its 2024 filing: Western Reserve Land Conservancy $18,000, Holmes Soil and Water Conservation District $8,000, Sunday Creek Associates $6,900.
Next deadline
Ora E. Anderson Conservation Fund: the 2026 round closed September 29, 2026; next round expected fall 2027 Expected. Environmental Stewardship grants: about August 2027 Expected; the 2026 round ran June 30 to August 11.
How to apply
Online through FAO's Foundation Cloud community portal (register first if new). Questions to [email protected].
The Dayton Foundation: Greater Dayton Conservation Fund and competitive grants
Dayton · Greater Dayton; the Conservation Fund covers 19 southwest Ohio counties
The Greater Dayton Conservation Fund makes grants for education, restoration and research that protect the Great Miami and Little Miami River watersheds. Conservation groups can also use the Foundation's Discretionary Grants and small Greenlight Grants for projects, program expansions and equipment.
Typical grant
Greenlight Grants $500 to $7,500; the Conservation Fund awarded $100,000 in total for 2026 (its site). Environmental grants in its filing for the year to June 2025: Arc of Appalachia $10,000, Tecumseh Land Trust $9,100, B-W Greenway Community Land Trust $8,114, Beaver Creek Wetlands Association $7,250.
Next deadline
Discretionary Grants October 2, 2026, 4 p.m. Verified. Greenlight Grants December 1, 2026, 4 p.m. Verified. Greater Dayton Conservation Fund: about August 2027 Expected; the 2026 deadline was August 7.
How to apply
The Foundation's online grants portal. For the Conservation Fund, contact Kate Spencer ([email protected]).
The Columbus Foundation: Green Funds (Conservation and Environment)
Columbus · Columbus and central Ohio
A Focused Funds category built from donors' conservation and environment funds, open to nonprofits once a year. The Foundation also holds open houses for Franklin County nonprofits new to its grants.
Typical grant
Mostly $1,000 to $10,000, up to $25,000 when funds allow (its site). Environmental grants in its 2024 filing include Green Columbus $122,474 and the Ohio Environmental Council $128,472.
Next deadline
First Friday in May, so about May 7, 2027 Expected. The category was closed for 2026 because its money was already committed; the list is updated each February.
How to apply
Online application through the Foundation's grant portal, available a month before the deadline.
A standard application open all year for programs, operations and capital, plus donor funds with their own rounds. The NOPEC Foundation Fund lists environment, including nonprofit conservancies and tree canopy work, for groups in NOPEC member communities, and the Lake Geauga Fund makes larger project grants in those two counties.
Typical grant
No set funding levels (its site); NOPEC fund $10,000 to $40,000; Lake Geauga Fund up to $75,000. Environmental grants in its 2024 filing: Western Reserve Land Conservancy $168,920, Nature Center at Shaker Lakes $134,541 (strategic planning and nature-based science programming).
Next deadline
Standard application: open year-round; late applications roll into the next cycle Rolling. NOPEC Foundation Fund August 1 and Lake Geauga Fund June 8, next in 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Register in the Foundation's Grants Gateway at least two weeks before applying, complete the organization profile, then submit.
Community Fund grants in Civic Affairs cover programs that "improve our environment, promote recreation" and strengthen neighborhoods. Nonprofits may apply for one Community Fund grant a year.
Typical grant
Environmental grants in its filing for the year to March 2025: Western Reserve Land Conservancy $31,500 (Summit County operating support), Crown Point Ecology Center $15,185, Akron Parks Collaborative $8,500.
Next deadline
Applications June 1 to July 1 each year; next June 1 to July 1, 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Online application through the Foundation's grant portal; application questions are posted on its site.
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. Operating support, mostly for Cleveland-area arts, education and conservation groups.
Typical grant
17 grants in 2025, from $5,000 to $1,000,000. Environmental: Western Reserve Land Conservancy $500,000, Alliance for the Great Lakes $10,000, Nature Center at Shaker Lakes $5,000.
Next deadline
None stated; the filing lists no deadlines and no restrictions Filing only.
How to apply
Its filing says the application form is "open". Write to its sole director, Jeffrey P. Consolo, 600 Superior Avenue East, Suite 2100, Cleveland, OH 44114 ([email protected]).
Milford · Greater Cincinnati, plus some Colorado and Wyoming
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. General charitable grants, mostly in Greater Cincinnati, including nature and land conservation. Recipients must be public charities.
Typical grant
24 grants in 2025, from $1,000 to $55,000. Environmental: Cincinnati Nature Center $30,000, Cardinal Land Conservancy $10,000, Ohio River Foundation $5,000.
Next deadline
None Filing only.
How to apply
Send your IRS determination letter and a statement of the charitable purpose of the request to Laura Beckman Sheldon, PO Box 225, Milford, OH 45150.
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. It prefers "to limit grants to the Greater Cincinnati area and the field of education", so environmental education is the likely fit.
Typical grant
13 grants in 2025. Environmental: Cincinnati Nature Center Association $10,000.
Next deadline
None Filing only.
How to apply
A letter to the Dudley Taft Charitable Foundation, 312 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513-241-8880).
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. Its purpose is to help residents of Jackson and Jackson County, and it gives small unrestricted grants to local groups, including a lake friends group.
Typical grant
8 grants in 2025, from $3,000 to $35,000. Environmental: Friends of Lake Katherine $5,000.
Next deadline
October 15 of each grant year, per its filing Filing only.
How to apply
A letter with your name, address, contact details and the reason for the request, to William C. Martin, PO Box 926, Jackson, OH 45640 ([email protected]).
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
The full version
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