Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation
Mission Statement
The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation is dedicated to assisting organizations, primarily in the fields of education and children's health, that seek to improve, transform, and enhance lives and communities.
Giving Focus
Our primary focus is on education and children's health, particularly in the Greater Cincinnati community, but we are also invested in supporting the arts and culture as well as human services. While our giving history reveals several focal points – the humanities, cancer survivorship, college scholarships, Cincinnati public education – other gifts speak to our objective of giving back to those organizations that have sustained and enhanced our lives.
History
The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation was started by Robert (Bob) and Adele Schiff in 2003, though earlier iterations of a family foundation, with a very slight variation in name, stretch back to 1983. Bob, who grew up in Price Hill, and Adele, raised in Fairview Heights, came from modest backgrounds and felt immensely fortunate about their success over the years. As a result, they established a foundation that could support organizations vital to their community. Their hope was mostly to give back, largely in thanks for all that the community had done for them during their lives. Since 2006, the Schiff Foundation has donated approximately $200 million to organizations, at a current rate of at least $15 million annually.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does the Schiff Foundation review grant proposals?
Yes. The Schiff Foundation provides a grant proposal submission process on this website, and annually reviews those submissions, which are due on August 1 of each year. The review process takes place in the fall and funding decisions are typically made by the end of November.
2. Does the Schiff Foundation conduct site visits or meet with potential grantees?
No. The Schiff Foundation does not have a staff, and its trustees have full-time jobs and/or other responsibilities, so such visits are not possible.
3. Does the Schiff Foundation provide guidance or suggestions regarding grant proposals?
No. Once again, because the foundation does not have a paid staff, we are unable to provide individual guidance or suggestions. That said, we encourage organizations to read our mission statement, consider which groups and projects we have supported in the past, and then, if the fit seems right, tell your story as effectively as you can.
4. Does the Schiff Foundation consider funding new organizations, or do they fund the same groups annually?
Yes, the Schiff Foundation typically funds a handful of new organizations each year. That said, the foundation has also, over the years, established a close relationship with many groups that we support on a regular or near regular basis. Going forward, we will likely continue this mix, though our hope is to fund new organizations whenever we can, and whenever the fit seems right.
Past Funding
Sample of projects funded
- Cancer Survivorship and Mental Health & Behavior at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
- Humanities Fund at Duke University
- Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Cincinnati
- Scholarship Program at Vanderbilt University
- Early Childhood Learning Centers at Oyler School and the Academy of World Languages
Abridged list of organizations recently funded
- Adopt a Class
- Beam Center
- Beech Acres
- Best Point
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati
- CET
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital
- Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
- CISE
- Community Learning Center Institute (CLCI)
- Crown Tri-State Trails
- Duke University
- Freestore Foodbank
- GRAD Cincinnati
- Habitat for Humanity
- Immigrant & Refugee Law Center
- International Rett Syndrome Foundation
- Internet Archive
- John Updike Society
- Learning Grove
- The Mercantile Library
- MindPeace
- The Seven Hills School
- Springer School
- St. Xavier High School
- Stepping Stones
- Summit Country Day School
- Taft Museum
- Talbert House
- University of Cincinnati
- Vanderbilt University
- WGUC
- Xavier University
- YMCA
Contact
We are unable to provide detailed guidance on submitting a proposal, but if you encounter technical issues or need to contact us for some other reason, you may email us at hello@schifffoundation.org.