The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation was established by William O. Purdy, Jr. in 1988. Mr. Purdy died in 1998 and the Foundation was the beneficiary of virtually all of his assets. He served as Senior Vice President of American Money Management Corporation, a subsidiary of American Financial Group until he retired in 1995. He was a graduate of Iowa State University and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. An enthusiastic patron of the arts, Mr. Purdy at one time served as a trustee of the Hartford Ballet. The Trustees of the Foundation have resolved to focus the charitable endeavors of the Foundation on arts organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area, particularly the performing arts, in the belief that the Foundation would be continuing the charitable activities undertaken by Mr. Purdy during his lifetime.
Purpose of The Foundation The Foundation supports small nonprofit organizations whose performing arts programs enrich the cultural environment of the Greater Cincinnati area. Generally, the Foundation defines "small organizations" as those with annualized revenues under $1.5 million.
Policies and Restrictions:
Applicant must have an IRS determination as a 501(c)(3) organization. While assuming the Greater Cincinnati area to include Hamilton, Butler, Clermont and Warren counties in Ohio and Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Kentucky, the Foundation generally gives preference to organizations in Hamilton County, Ohio and Northern Kentucky.
Grants will not be made to individuals or endowments, or for loans.
The Foundation prefers to participate with other donors in the support of a project.
An organization must wait 24 months after final payment of a grant or decline of a request before it is eligible to reapply.
As a grantseeker, if you believe that your organization qualifies for applying to the Foundation, please complete and submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) as found on the link below.
The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation Letter of Inquiry
LOI Deadline
Proposal Deadline
Notice of Decision
December 15
February 1
March 31
June 15
August 2
November 30
Grant Evaluation Form
The Foundation Trustees require a report at the end of a grant period. Click on the Word icon on the left to access the Grant Evaluation Form. Please complete this form and mail to Jennie Geisheimer at 200 West Fourth St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 or e-mail the form to geisheimerj@gcfdn.org.
