OVERVIEW: The Paul Ogle Foundation supports economic prosperity, human needs, regional awareness and activities and preservation in Indiana.
IP TAKE: The Paul Ogle Foundation is an important source of funding for nonprofits in Southern Indiana and gives broadly for community needs and interests. This approachable foundation accepts unsolicited LOIs. Reach out to staff for further information.
PROFILE: Established in 1979, the Paul Ogle Foundation is a private foundation based in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Ogle was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who had no heirs and left most of his assets to the foundation. He is known for creating a company called Silgas after becoming involved in the propane fuel industry. The foundation aims to “give back to the community by strategically funding nonprofit organizations, activities and projects that directly improve the lives of the citizens in Southern Indiana.” It funds local efforts for economic prosperity, human needs, regional awareness and activities, and preservation.
Grants for Community Development
The Paul Ogle Foundation employs key funding areas to fulfill its mission of serving the people of Southern Indiana. It supports community development projects through its Regionalism grant area, which promotes regional cooperation between nonprofits and people for the betterment of the area.
Previous grantees in this space include over $2.2 million to River Heritage Conservancy since 2017. Other recipients include Friends of Borden Community Park, Jeffersonville Parks Department, Waterfront Park Foundation, and Friends of Borden Community Park.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Ogle’s Preservation priority area supports the region’s artistic, historical and cultural heritage. Tax records show that past grantees include The Filson Historical Society, Washington County Historical Society, Switzerland County Historical Society, and the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky
Grants for Economic Opportunity and Education
The foundation’s Economic focus area is perhaps the most broadly defined of the four. These grants support commerce, public works, education and special community projects. Past grantees include $400,000 to Endeavor Louisville over the years and $363,000 to Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana. Other grant recipients include The Kentucky Science Center, One Southern Indiana, Family Scholar House, University of the Cumberlands, and Bellarmine University.
The foundation also helped establish the Paul W. Ogle Cultural and Community Center at Indiana University Southeast.
Grants for Public Health and Access, Mental Health
The Ogle Foundation does its health and healthcare grantmaking through the Human Needs funding area, which supports the physical and mental wellbeing of local residents. Past grantees include The Healing Place, which received $300,000, and Family Ark, which was given $500,000. The foundation also gave $75,000 to St Elizabeth Catholic Charities to support reproductive health.
Important Grant Details
Grants range between about $100 and $1 million, with an average grant size of about $10,000. Ogle gave away over $2.6 million in grants in a recent year and held more than $55 million in assets.
Grantmaking focuses on Southern Indiana. Specific areas of interest include Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Scott, Switzerland and Washington counties. The foundation also supports nonprofits in Jefferson County, KY, but only to those that can demonstrate serving citizens of Southern Indiana.
This foundation accepts unsolicited LOIs from nonprofits.
Applicants’ letter should describe their organization, their project, and its impact.
Successful applicants will be invited by the foundation Board to submit an application.
Grantseekers should be sure to read the full grant process and guidelines—including eligibility requirements—before submitting a LOI.
It awards grants twice per year, in June and December.
Direct general questions to the staff at 812-280-8372 or the program director, Donna White Eswine, by email at deswine@ogle-fdn.org.
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