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$17,881,256

Paid Year to Date in Grants & Scholarships
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Who We Are

Greater Toledo Community Foundation is the community foundation serving the Toledo region, including northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan with a particular emphasis on the greater Toledo area.  Greater Toledo Community Foundation is a collection of individual, family, organization and business funds that are used to accomplish the diverse philanthropic goals of our donors and meet the needs of the community.

The Foundation provides a variety of arrangements through which citizens may donate gifts in any amount to meet the changing needs of the community. In general, only the investment earnings are used for grantmaking purposes, leaving the principal intact in perpetuity. In this way, we are building a permanent endowment to support community needs in areas such as social services, the arts, education, neighborhood and urban affairs, natural resources, and physical and mental health.

In addition to that of responsive grantmaker, the Foundation plays a variety of other civic roles such as educator, catalyst or convener on key community issues and makes available the expertise of its professional staff to a wide range of community efforts.

Our Mission

Toledo Community Foundation, Inc., dba Greater Toledo Community Foundation, is a public, charitable foundation which exists to improve the quality of life in the region by:

  • Providing a flexible, informed, effective means for donors to achieve their charitable goals in perpetuity;
  • Addressing the changing needs of the region through efficient, prudent, high impact grantmaking;
  • Serving as a source of information about and as a catalyst in shaping the region’s response to those needs; and
  • Facilitating the work of other grantmaking organizations in order to achieve effective and efficient grantmaking practices.

For over 50 years, Greater Toledo Community Foundation has worked with individuals, families and businesses, assisting them in making effective choices that match their philanthropic interests and needs while creating a better community for generations to come.

The Foundation is governed by a 16-member Board of Trustees composed of community and business leaders, and managed by a staff recognized for its expertise in specific program areas.

Greater Toledo Community Foundation is made up of more than 900 funds created by individuals, families, organizations and businesses in our area. It offers donors of all means the opportunity to have a lasting impact on the community.

Our Staff and Board

Fact Sheet

  • Established in the late 1920s, representatives of local banks worked together to complete all of the legal work necessary to form a community foundation.
  • In 1973, $145,000 from Walter E. Terhune’s trust, following the death of his daughter, Alice Crosby Terhune – created 45 years earlier – established the Walter E. Terhune Fund, the first grantmaking endowment of Greater Toledo Community Foundation.
  • Fourth largest community foundation in Ohio and in the top 100 annually for community foundations around the nation (68th largest CF in the US by total asset size).
  • More than $417 million in assets (as of December 2023).
  • Made up of more than 900 funds started by individuals, families, organizations and businesses.
  • Awarded over $290 million in grants to our community since the Foundation’s formation.
  • Governed by 16-member Board of Trustees.
  • Led by President Kate Sommerfeld.
  • There is no minimum amount to start a fund at Greater Toledo Community Foundation, but cannot become active for grantmaking until the fund reaches $10,000 or, in the case of a scholarship fund, $25,000.
  • Funds established with Greater Toledo Community Foundation receive the maximum charitable deduction allowed by law.

For all media inquiries, please contact:

Sarah Ronau

Director of Marketing and Communications

419.241.5049

[email protected]

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