Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc.

What Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. does

The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. is an independent private philanthropic foundation established in 1985 by Charles H. Dater (1912–1993), a fourth-generation Cincinnatian, to preserve his family's legacy and ensure continued funding for community programs benefiting youth in Greater Cincinnati. The Foundation operates with no full-time staff; all operational work — including grant review, site visits, monitoring, and fiduciary oversight — is performed by an active Board of Directors (Bruce A. Krone, Amanda Prebble Lenhart, Roger L. Ruhl, and Stanley J. Frank, Jr.) that meets monthly. The Foundation makes grants to private nonprofit organizations and public agencies in an 8-county Greater Cincinnati region spanning Ohio (Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont), Northern Kentucky (Boone, Kenton, Campbell), and Indiana (Dearborn), targeting youth-focused programs in arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services, and other community needs.

The Foundation's sole product is grantmaking services, distributed through an online application system that will migrate to a Blackbaud platform effective July 28, 2026. There are no technology products, modules, or APIs beyond the application portal. Since inception, the Foundation has awarded over 3,800 grants totaling more than $80 million, with a current annual payout of approximately $5 million (167 grants totaling $5,275,000 in fiscal year 2020–21, median grant $25,000). The endowment has grown to over $100 million, making it one of the largest private foundations in Ohio.

The Foundation's revenue model is endowment-based rather than commercial: it generates investment returns on its $100M+ corpus and distributes a portion as grants, rather than selling products or services. The Foundation does not operate programs of its own; it funds programs run by grantee organizations. Distribution is regional and direct, with marketing and outreach handled through a website, email bulletins, news releases, television and radio announcements (CET, WGUC, WVXU), and annual reports. Recognized with the 2020 Governor's Award for the Arts and the 2023 Outstanding Foundation of the Year designation, the Foundation maintains deep, multi-decade relationships with anchor grantees including the University of Cincinnati, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and WGUC.

Name

Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc.

Legal name

Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://daterfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1985 in Cincinnati that makes grants to nonprofit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati region for youth-focused programs in arts/culture, education, healthcare, and social services. It operates with no full-time staff, governed by an active board, and manages an endowment exceeding $100 million with annual grantmaking of approximately $5 million.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Private philanthropic foundation
• Youth-focused grantmaking
• Community grant funding
• Nonprofit grantmaking services
• Greater Cincinnati philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment and Grant Disbursement: The Charles H. Dater Foundation operates as a private philanthropic foundation established in 1985. The Foundation manages an endowment of over $100 million and makes grants to non-profit organizations in Greater Cincinnati. The Foundation does not operate programs but makes grants to private, non-profit organizations and public agencies for their programs and projects. Revenue is generated from investment returns on the endowment rather than traditional business revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Charles H. Dater Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that makes grants to private, non-profit organizations and public agencies in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Foundation does not operate programs of its own; instead, it provides financial grants to other organizations to carry out projects that benefit young people, with focus areas in arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services, and other community needs.

Product overview

The Charles H. Dater Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that operates as a single grantmaking entity. The Foundation does not operate programs of its own but makes grants to private, non-profit organizations and public agencies for their programs and projects. Grantmaking services constitute the entirety of the Foundation's product offering, with no technology products, platforms, or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grantmaking Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $80 million in grants made to more than 400 organizations since 1985

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BlackbaudcoreTechnology or Integration · 28 July 2026The Dater Foundation's online grantmaking will migrate to a new Blackbaud platform. Grant seekers with existing Blackbaud IDs can sign in to access the Grant Application and Grant Evaluation Report/Requirement forms. Others will need to create a Blackbaud ID to access the platform.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Annie E. Casey Foundation: National private foundation focused on children and youth welfare. Comparable mission alignment on youth-focused grantmaking, but operates at vastly greater scale and geographic scope than the regionally restricted Dater Foundation.
• The William T. Grant Foundation: National foundation focused on youth development and research. Comparable youth-focused grantmaking orientation, though at national scale and with a research-driven program strategy rather than regional direct-service funding.
• Procter & Gamble Fund: Cincinnati-based corporate philanthropy arm of P&G. Comparable as a Cincinnati grantmaking entity, though operates at significantly larger scale and with a broader corporate-CSR mandate rather than a family-foundation youth focus.

Direct peers

• The Andrew Jergens Foundation: Private foundation established by the Jergens family in Cincinnati with a long history of local grantmaking. Comparable as another multi-generational, family-rooted Cincinnati foundation operating with similar scale and geographic scope.
• The Corbett Foundation: Cincinnati-area private foundation supporting arts, education, and human services. Comparable in mission scope and regional focus to the Dater Foundation.
• Spaulding Foundation: Private family foundation serving the Greater Cincinnati area with grants to local nonprofits. Comparable as another locally focused private foundation with similar community grantmaking activity.
• Greater Cincinnati Foundation: The largest community foundation serving the Greater Cincinnati region. Directly comparable as a Cincinnati-based grantmaking entity distributing funds to nonprofits across overlapping geographies and causes, though broader in mandate than the Dater Foundation's youth-only focus.
• Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation: Cincinnati-area private foundation funding arts, education, and community programs. Directly comparable as a regional private foundation with similar grantmaking to local nonprofits in overlapping sectors.
• SC Ministry Foundation: Cincinnati-based private foundation supporting health, education, and social service programs. Directly comparable in size, mission, and regional focus to the Dater Foundation's grantmaking profile.

Regional players

• The Scripps Howard Foundation: Cincinnati-rooted foundation supporting journalism, education, and community causes. Comparable as a heritage Cincinnati philanthropy but operates at a different sector focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charles-h-dater-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc.