The Daniel and Susan Pfau Foundation

The Pfau Foundation was established in 1994 in Cincinnati by Daniel A. Pfau and Susan Laufer Pfau.

Mrs. Pfau, a community volunteer, and Mr. Pfau, a local businessman, have been actively involved in programs serving disabled and disadvantaged youth, and in organizations promoting the Greater Cincinnati area. The Foundation complements the Pfaus’ personal charitable efforts and will continue their support into the future.

Purpose of the Pfau Foundation

The Foundation’s primary focus is on the education, health, cultural experience, and social welfare of disabled children, adolescents, young adults (to age 30), and their families. A secondary focus is on disadvantaged children, adolescents, young adults (to age 30), and their families. There is a special interest in programs which help clients realize their full potential. 

An additional area of interest for the Foundation is the support of large regional arts and cultural organizations. The Foundation will consider small- and mid-size arts organizations that use the arts as a vehicle for achieving impact rather than the end goal and are able to share results of successful outcomes. (These outcomes must be aligned with the first two priorities of the Foundation). A fourth area of interest is recreation areas.

Policies & Restrictions

• Applicants must have an IRS determination as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

• Programs seeking support should benefit the Greater Cincinnati area (

• The Foundation will fund capital, operating and a limited number of endowment needs.

• The Daniel and Susan Pfau Foundation normally does not award grant funding to support schools, with the exception of:

  • Grants to nonprofits or foundations that provide services in multiple schools (or within a system of schools) serving a significant population of disadvantaged students
  • Individual schools with specified mission to serve disabled students.
• The Foundations usually prefers to participate along with other donors in the support of a specific project.
• In most cases, an organization must wait 24 months after final payment of a grant or decline of a request before it is eligible to reapply.

How to Apply

If you believe that your organization meets these qualifications, complete and submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) through our online system. New to our system? See our hints section below for more information.

**If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be the next business day.

Grants Evaluation

The Pfau Foundation requires a follow-up evaluation report to be completed in our on-line grant system at the end of the grant period. Applicants will receive an e-mail reminder one month prior to the evaluation due date.

Hints

Need help setting up a profile on our new online system? Please refer to the following help documents, provided by our vendor, Foundant:

Applicant Tutorial

Video Tutorials

Video 1 – Site Access & Account Creation

Video 2 – Applying for Funding

Video  3 – Your Applicant Dashboard

Apply for a Grant