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 17 and August 1. The online application will be accessible approximately six weeks in advance of each deadline, and decisions for grant awards are announced in late June and December. Please note that only those applications that are closely aligned with the Foundation’s mission, values, and grantmaking focus will be considered.

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.

To provide an update on a past grant, log in under “GRANTSEEKERS” using the same username and password you have established to complete grant applications or to view grant details. 

• If a report has been requested and assigned to you, you will be able to access the report form directly from your dashboard. In the column labeled "Assigned to You," there will be a list of items awaiting your attention together with due dates; where a report is listed, clicking "Start" will take you to the report form. Alternatively, the column headed "Action Needed" will display 'cards' for each item due, together with some basic information about the grant and due date; clicking the report link on the 'card' will take you to the report form.
• If you are unsure of whether a report has been requested, you can review the history of grants for your organization by clicking on "Organization History", then "Request History." Clicking any project name will take you to the records associated with that project.

If you have additional questions, or if a report needs to be assigned to a different staff member at your organization, please contact InfoSupporting@columbusfoundation.org.

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.