Ingram-White Castle Foundation

The grantmaking of the Ingram-White Castle Foundation (IWCF) reflects the interests of both the Ingram Family and White Castle System, Inc., as its name suggests. Although IWCF is primarily interested in supporting projects in the field of education, the Foundation’s mission is much broader.

The Foundation supports programs that:

• Serve disadvantaged students and help them achieve academic success;
• Help prepare students for the world of work;
• Strengthen educational institutions; and
• Address critical human service needs.

Priority is given to those projects that:

• Encourage matching gifts or additional funding from other donors;
• Yield substantial benefits to the community for the resources invested; and
• Promote cooperation among agencies without duplicating services.

Generally, grants are not made for religious purposes, budget deficits, conferences, or projects that are normally the responsibility of a public agency. Support is generally given for one year. Grants are made primarily in the central Ohio area.

The Ingram-White Castle Foundation has two grantmaking deadlines per year: January 15 and August 1. 

Organizations are asked to review the Foundation’s mission, values and grantmaking focus to determine whether their Letter of Intent (LOI) is aligned with the Foundation’s grantmaking interests. Only those LOIs that best fit the IWCF’s grantmaking interests will be forwarded to the full proposal stage. The applicants that move to this phase of the proposal process will be notified of the full-application deadline via email. Decisions for grant awards are announced by the end of June and December.

For those unfamiliar with the Foundation’s application process, you are encouraged to attend one of the Grant Opportunity Open House events that are held throughout the year. These events provide an opportunity for nonprofit organizations to meet the staff managing grant processes for Supporting Foundations and The Columbus Foundation. View Deadlines for specific dates.

• Columbus Literacy Council: $25,000 to support the Families Involved Together literacy program.
• Alvis, Inc.: $40,000 to support the GED program.
• Gladden Community House: $10,000 to support the preschool program serving Franklinton and the near west side communities.
• New Directions Career Center: $20,000 to support core programs.
• Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM): $15,000 to support the Child Nutrition Program.

All grantees must submit an online Final Report. Final reports are generally due 30 days following the project grant period; the report deadline is noted in the grant agreement. If a grantee applies for a new grant from IWCF before a previous grant’s final report deadline, they will be expected either to submit an interim report if the previous grant has not been expended in full, or to submit their final report early.

IWCF asks all nonprofit organizations receiving funding to help promote the vital role philanthropy plays in strengthening our community, and the importance of charitable giving to your organization’s effort to carry out its mission. The IWCF logo is available in the Nonprofit Toolkit.

If you have questions or are experiencing technical problems with your grant application, please contact the Ingram-White Castle Foundation at 614/545-0855 or by email.