Brentwood Foundation

The Brentwood Foundation is a Cleveland-area private grantmaking foundation with one of the most concentrated giving strategies in Northeast Ohio: a $23.3 million endowment deploying approximately $1 million per year through just one or two grants, all directed to osteopathic medicine and healthcare institutions. Established in December 1994 and headquartered at 30799 Pinetree Road, Pepper Pike (ZIP 44124), the foundation is not a broad community funder — it is a strategic, relationship-driven partner to a single institutional grantee over an extended period.

The board composition signals the strategy explicitly. At least three Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine — Michael McClain DO, Jeffrey Stanley Do, and David Krahe DO — sit as trustees alongside a Vice Chair (Raymond J. Grabow), Treasurer (George A. Kappos Jr.), Secretary (Michael F. Killeen), and additional lay trustees including Richard Barone, Martin J. Burke Jr., Thomas D. Rooney, Gregory P. Kurtz, Michael Merriman, and Michael Brent Classen. This physician-led board effectively functions as a peer-review committee for proposals. Applicants from osteopathic medical institutions, hospitals with active DO training programs, and organizations advancing osteopathic philosophy will find the strongest structural resonance.

The only documented grantee across all available 990 data is South Pointe Hospital in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which received four grants totaling $4,015,516 for a 'Center of Excellence' and 'Osteopathic Programs.' This single-grantee profile confirms the foundation operates as a committed long-term partner, not a broad portfolio funder. A new organization seeking a first grant will need to demonstrate exceptional programmatic alignment with osteopathic medicine, clear Northeast Ohio impact, and a relationship that earned the board's confidence.

First-time applicants must begin with a Grant Inquiry, not a full proposal. Once the foundation confirms eligibility, applicants prepare their proposal in the order specified at brentwood-foundation.org/grant — with no standard form, the presentation structure itself signals applicant sophistication. Director Christine Gibbons ($50,000 annual compensation) is the primary staff contact. A pre-application phone call to (216) 328-9294 to gauge fit before investing in a full proposal is strongly advisable given the extremely limited annual grant count.

The Brentwood Foundation maintains a stable, investment-income-driven endowment model with annual giving that has clustered near $1 million over the past five fiscal years. Assets totaled $23,275,933 as of fiscal year 2024, up from $22,071,405 in 2019, reflecting modest endowment growth. The foundation receives no external contributions — reported contributions received were $0 in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 — making investment income the sole revenue source.

Annual giving by year (from IRS 990 filings and Instrumentl analysis): - 2024: approximately $1,076,414 (2 grants reported) - 2023: $1,063,148 (1 grant) - 2022: approximately $1,011,938 (1 grant) - 2021: approximately $863,838 (1 grant) - 2020: approximately $1,127,802 (1 grant) - 2014: $10,854,941 (major capital/endowment-style commitment)

The five-year average (2020-2024) of approximately $1.03 million represents roughly a 4.4% annual distribution rate on assets — slightly below the standard 5% private foundation threshold but within permissible range when administrative expenses (Director salary $50,000) are factored in. Net investment income has ranged from $570,162 in 2023 to $2,472,024 in 2021, reflecting significant year-to-year market volatility in the endowment portfolio. Notably, the foundation maintained its ~$1M giving pace in 2023 despite net investment income of only $570K, indicating willingness to modestly draw on assets to preserve grant continuity.

The only documented grantee, South Pointe Hospital, received $4,015,516 across 4 grants for osteopathic programs — an average of approximately $1,003,879 per grant. The 2014 anomaly ($10.85M paid) almost certainly reflects a one-time transformational capital commitment, likely tied to South Pointe's Center of Excellence buildout. No geographic diversification is evident; all documented grants are in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Grant count is consistently 1-4 awards per year, making this among the most selective mid-size private foundations in the region.

The Brentwood Foundation occupies a specialized niche as a mid-size osteopathic medicine and healthcare private foundation in Northeast Ohio. The table below compares it to regional and thematic peers (peer figures are approximate from publicly available 990 data and may not reflect the most recent fiscal year):

Brentwood Foundation is significantly smaller than Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation but punches above its weight in per-grant award size: its typical single grant of $800K-$1.1M dwarfs the Ohio Osteopathic Foundation's capacity and rivals the per-grant output of much larger funders. Compared to Sisters of Charity, Brentwood is half the asset size but equally concentrated in healthcare. The key differentiator is exclusivity: Brentwood issues 1-2 grants per year versus the dozens issued by larger peers, making relationship quality and mission alignment — specifically osteopathic medicine — the decisive factors for any applicant.

No news coverage, press releases, or public announcements specific to the Brentwood Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio (EIN 34-1783117) were identified in searches conducted in June 2026. The foundation's public digital footprint is minimal — the brentwood-foundation.org website returned no accessible content, and the foundation does not appear in regional philanthropy publications or grant announcement databases.

Based on 990 filings analyzed through Instrumentl, the most recent documented grantmaking activity is approximately $1,076,414 distributed in fiscal year 2024 via two grants, consistent with the prior four-year pattern of $863K-$1.13M annually. The sole documented grantee, South Pointe Hospital, is a Cleveland Clinic-affiliated facility in Warrensville Heights, OH, which has historically operated osteopathic residency and training programs. The foundation's documented relationship with South Pointe spans multiple grant cycles with 4 total grants and $4,015,516 in cumulative giving.

Board and staff stability is a consistent feature: Christine Gibbons has served as paid Director at $50,000 annually through at least 2023. Raymond J. Grabow (Vice Chair), George A. Kappos Jr. (Treasurer), and Michael F. Killeen (Secretary) have maintained their positions across multiple filing periods. No leadership transitions, new program announcements, or strategic pivots were identified in available public records. The foundation's maintaining of its ~$1M annual giving level across varying investment income years (from $570K to $2.5M) suggests a deliberate, board-directed payout policy rather than income-reactive grantmaking.

Engaging the Brentwood Foundation requires understanding that this is not a competitive open grants program — it is a relationship-driven funder with an 11-trustee board of mostly volunteer physicians who have sustained a decade-long commitment to a single institution. These tips are specific to this funder:

Lead with osteopathic medicine, not general healthcare. Three DO-credentialed trustees sit on this board. Proposals must use osteopathic-specific language: whole-person care, neuromusculoskeletal medicine, DO training pipelines, osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), clinical excellence aligned with osteopathic principles. Generic 'healthcare access' language will not differentiate your proposal from non-starters.

Submit the Grant Inquiry first — always. The foundation explicitly requires this screening step. An unsolicited full proposal is likely to be disregarded. Keep the inquiry concise: one to two pages covering your organization, the proposed project, the funding amount requested, and your osteopathic mission alignment.

Northeast Ohio geography is a hard requirement. Every documented grant is in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Organizations outside Northeast Ohio face structural disadvantage regardless of program quality.

Request capital or program infrastructure, not operating support. The known grants — Center of Excellence buildout, Osteopathic Programs — are project-specific, not operational. Frame requests around measurable infrastructure: residency slots added, simulation lab equipment purchased, clinical training hours expanded.

Use the foundation's specified information order. Since no standard form exists, how you organize the proposal signals whether you read the instructions. Follow the sequence described at brentwood-foundation.org/grant exactly.

Respect the 5:00 p.m. hard deadline. Late submissions are not accepted. Weekend/holiday deadline falls to the following Monday. Build in a 48-hour buffer.

Call first. Contact Director Christine Gibbons at (216) 328-9294 before submitting your inquiry. A brief phone conversation can confirm current priorities, the live application deadline, and whether the foundation is actively seeking new grantees — information that is not reliably available online.