The Nord Family Foundation is a private family foundation located in Amherst Ohio, about thirty miles west of Cleveland. The foundation distributes approximately four million dollars per-year to qualified charitable organizations in Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties, Ohio. Additionally, trustees consider requests from nonprofit organizations in communities where voting members of the foundation reside. A very small number of grants are made to organizations of a national or international focus. Grants are made in response to formal proposals submitted online through this website. All grant decisios are made by the board of trustees. Virginia and Walter Nord

Our Mission:

The Nord Family Foundation, in the tradition of its founders, Walter and Virginia Nord, endeavors to build community through support of projects that bring opportunity to the disadvantaged, strengthen the bond of families, and improve the quality of people’s lives.

We welcome and encourage your feedback.  If you wish, please establish and account on the website by clicking on the LOGIN feature, to gain access to our public forums section which invites community discussions around topics of interest and concern as well as information on additional website resources.

Creating a new Proposal

Download the Guidelines on How to Apply
( PDF format)

Application steps:

1. Click on the: New Online Grant Application and complete the Eligibility Quiz.
2. Complete the online form in accordance with the guidelines.
3. You may click the “Save and Finish Later” button at the bottom of the page to return to your application for further review.
4. Upon completion of the application, click on the “Submit and Review” button on page 6.

Grant applications must be completed on line by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on the due date.

To complete the grant application process, the following documents must be postmarked by the appropriate deadline for which your organization is applying and mailed to the Foundation:

• A cover letter signed by the organization’s executive director and the board president
• A copy of the organization’s most recent audited financial statements (audit, or 990 if audit is not included)
• A copy of the organization’s letter from the Internal Revenue Service indicating tax exempt status
• Consider including supplemental items such as: organization’s annual report, newsletter, DVDs, videos and photographs

The Nord Family Foundation grants to non-profit organizations qualified under Section 501 c 3 of the Internal Revenue Code and to selected public sector activities. Grants are awarded in the fields of Arts and Culture, Civic Affairs, Education and Health and Social Services. Most grants are made for program related activities, with some grants to support capital improvements and capital campaigns when special criteria are met. Grant seekers are encouraged to review a copy of our annual report(s), the latest of which is available for download at the adjacent icon.

Projects that are directed at the root causes of social problems are of special interest.

In general, the Foundation does NOT award grants in support of:

• Debt reduction
• Research projects
• Tickets or advertising for fundraising activities
• Individuals

Grants are occasionally made for capital purposes when specific criteria are met.

The Foundation awards grants primarily in the environs of Lorain County, Ohio, with additional support in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Cleveland and the surrounding area).  Particular attention is given to Cuyahoga County non-profits that provide services to Lorain County residents. Additionally, the Foundation grants to non-profits located in areas where voting members of the Foundation reside. The Foundation makes occasional grants to organizations with a national or international focus. The staff of The Nord Family Foundation is available to discuss prospective proposal ideas, assist potential applicants during the preparation process, and answer questions. The Foundation also maintains a library of reference materials, annual reports, periodicals, and proposal-writing tools available for use by not-for-profit organizations. The library is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays for the purpose of conducting research on funding sources and program ideas.

The Board of Trustees meets three times per year and all grants are approved or ratified during one of those meetings. Proposals are accepted for consideration in accordance with the schedule printed above. Grant seekers are encouraged to read our annual reports to develop further understanding of the types of programs supported in the past. There are two libraries that also serve as local resources:

The Non-Profit Information Center

Elyria Public Library 1194 West River Road, North Elyria, OH 44035 Phone: (440) 324-9825

Cleveland’s Foundation Center Library

The Kent H. Smith Library 1422 Euclid Avenue, Suite 1356 Cleveland, OH 44115-2001 Phone: (216) 861-1933

For grant seekers located outside of the Northern Ohio area, many local public libraries have similar resources.

For additional information please contact the following:

Executive Director:

John Mullaney

Arts & Culture;  Education

Program Officer for Civic Affairs:

Joy Anderson

Program Officer for Health & Social Services:

Karen Cook

Controller:

Sharon White

Office Manager/Grants:

Ann Allison

Administrative Assistant:

Sharon Bennett

The Nord Family Foundation

747 Milan Avenue Amherst, OH 44001
Phone: (440) 984-3939 or 1-800-745-8946
Fax: (440) 984-3934
E-mail: Proposals
Website: http://www.nordff.org

The Foundation offices are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m Eastern time.