Kept to be given.

Two students reading side by side at a long library table in afternoon sunlight

A private charitable foundation in Pickerington, Ohio, supporting education, youth and community initiatives.

The Compass Academy · Pickerington, OH

Our mission

We hold resources in trust so that teachers, young people and the organizations that serve their communities can do lasting work.

cellarius foundation is a privately funded charitable foundation. Its work is simple to describe and serious to carry out: to identify people and organizations doing patient, practical good, and to support them with care and consistency.

We believe the most durable change happens where people learn, grow up and belong. That is why our support is focused on education, on youth, and on the social and community initiatives that hold places together.

Three doors we keep open.

A teacher kneels beside a student's desk to look at her work

01 — Education

Education

Support for learning in and beyond the classroom: the teachers, tools and programs that help students thrive.

Education programs

Teenagers bent over a workshop table assembling a small robot

02 — Youth

Youth

Opportunities that help young people build confidence, skills and a sense of direction.

Youth programs

Volunteers filling cardboard boxes with groceries at a long table

03 — Community

Community

Backing for the charitable and civic organizations that serve their neighbors every day.

Community support

01
Listen first.
Every relationship begins with a conversation about the work, the people it serves and what it needs to grow. We learn before we fund.
02
Support what works.
We look for initiatives with clear purpose and committed people behind them, and we support them in ways that strengthen their core work.
03
Stay close.
Grants are the start of a relationship, not the end of one. We stay in touch, ask good questions and celebrate progress with our partners.
04
Account for every dollar.
As a 501(c)(3) private foundation, we hold ourselves to the standards of transparency and responsible stewardship that public trust requires.

Good work, given time to grow.

Impact is not a number we announce. It is a classroom that stays open later, a young person who finds a mentor, a local organization that can plan beyond next month. That is the kind of change we exist to support.

See our impact

Volunteers tending raised beds in a community garden as the sun goes down

What partners can expect.

Clarity.

Straightforward conversations about fit, expectations and timing.

Respect.

Your expertise leads. We support the work, not the other way around.

Consistency.

A steady partner who follows through on what it commits to.

Discretion.

A private foundation that values substance over publicity.

Let's talk.

If your organization works in education, youth development or community service, we would be glad to hear about it.