Warren Bicknell, Jr., the eldest son of Warren and Anne Guthrie Bicknell, was born in September 1902 and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He married Kate Hanna Bicknell in 1931 and raised their family both in Cleveland and Thomasville, Georgia.
For a number of years, Mr. and Mrs. Bicknell had been regularly supporting several charitable and educational organizations. In the Fall of 1949, they established the Bicknell Fund to formalize and continue the philanthropic tradition of their families. The first grants of the Bicknell Fund were:
| 1949 | Boy Scouts of America | $500 |
| 1950 | Thomasville Community Fund | $200 |
| 1950 | Cleveland Museum of Natural History for Holden Arboretum | $1,500 |
| 1950 | Boy Scouts of America – Greater Cleveland Council |
$500 |
| 1950 | Maternal Health Association | $100 |
Mr. Bicknell passed away in 1975 and Mrs. Bicknell passed away in 1993. Over the years, other funding interests have been added reflecting the priorities of the Trustees.
Please note that a given grant may not be easily classified with these generic Support and Category types. However, we hope this information is useful.
Support Type
In recent years, grant types have been approximately:
- 2/3 for Annual Operating,
- 1/4 for Program Support and
- the rest for Special Projects (i.e., Capital).
Most Annual Operating is for schools/organizations with an established relationship with the Bicknell Fund.
Category Type
The Bicknell Fund distributes roughly:
- 65% of their grants to Health and Human Services,
- 20% to Secondary, Vocational and Special Education,
- 10% to Arts/Humanities, and
- the rest to Public Affairs and Social Services.