Now is the Time
Greater Cincinnati Foundation is committed to ensuring we all rise together to shape a new reality where everyone thrives.
Learn MoreOur Story
We Amplify the Power of Your Giving
As your leading community foundation, we believe the greatest changes happen with people come together – in partnership, collaboration and generosity. Our role is to align the right players and then coordinate their efforts and contributions to make the biggest impact. Together, we all rise.
Connecting People with Purpose
Individuals, Families and Businesses
Whether you’re a seasoned donor or just getting started, we help you discover the right charitable plan so your generosity can reach its full potential.
HOW WE HELPNonprofits
When our communities lack the resources needed to prosper, nonprofits answer the call. We provide grants to nonprofits to meet their greatest needs.
Learn MoreAdvisors
You play an important role in your clients’ financial plans, including their charitable giving. Working with a community foundation offers your client tax advantages while making the greatest impact. We work with you to formulate a plan to meet your clients’ passions and charitable goals.
GCF Advantage: Flexibility. Service. Impact.
Read MoreOur Racial Equity Approach
Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s Community Leadership is our community change strategy. Specifically, this is the area where GCF serves as a community leader by acting as a catalyzing force that creates a better future for all by addressing our region’s most critical or persistent challenges.
As a foundation – part of our mission is to build a community where everyone can thrive and fulfill their full potential. Racial equity is the overarching goal for our community leadership work because we believe that a racially equitable community is the ideal state for our region.
Now is the time to address the racial divide and we're doing so by targeting investments in the black community.
News & Events
Greater Cincinnati Foundation Invests in Talent to Advance Racial Equity Mission
Connecting 7,000 Students, Virtually
Last summer, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) was able to secure laptop devices for each student needing a way…
Read MoreDisrupting Cycles
With each inciting event, the cycle begins again. Dialogue resurfaces, people gather and plan, donations flood in –…
Read MoreOJPC, Cincinnati groups focused on issues of safety and justice
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and several others in 2020 highlighted a long history of community…
Read MoreMeet Donisha
“Life’s situations will either be a lesson or a blessing. Stay committed to growth, learning, and change. Make…
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The First 28 Series, in collaboration with The Voice of Black Cincinnati, celebrates Black Cincinnatians who were the first in their fields. Cincinnati native Jennie Porter established the Harriet Beecher Stowe school in 1914 and was the first Black woman principal in Cincinnati. Porter was also the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. from University of Cincinnati. Read below for more of Porter's many accomplishments. #BlackHistoryMonth
Reminder: The Request for Proposal applications for the Summertime Kids grants are due on Monday, March 1. These grants are made possible through generous support of GCF’s donors and continued support from the Charles H. Dater Foundation. Summer programs featuring creative educational content or events for students are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit: http://ow.ly/uJ6n50DJ6pp
We honor Black History every day but especially during Black History Month. GCF is partnering with The Voice of Black Cincinnati to highlight Black individuals who have made a true difference in their respective fields. Today, we celebrate Wendell Dabney Jr. (1865-1952). Originally from Virginia, Dabney moved to Cincinnati in 1894 and was the first Black city paymaster and first president of the Cincinnati NAACP. Read below for more of Dabney's achievements. #BlackHistoryMonth
The First 28 Series, in collaboration with The Voice of Black Cincinnati, celebrates Black Cincinnatians who were the first in their fields. Loretta C. Manggrum was the first African American to earn a degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music - CCM. She graduated at the age of 57 with a Master of Music. Read below to learn more about Manggrum’s accomplishments. #BlackHistoryMonth
The First 28 series, in collaboration with The Voice of Black Cincinnati, celebrates Black Cincinnatians who were the first in their fields. Theodore M. Berry (1904-2000) was the first Black mayor of Cincinnati. He was elected in 1972 and served for four years. There are several monuments to Berry throughout Cincinnati. Read below to learn more about Mayor Berry's many accomplishments. #BlackHistoryMonth
Looking for a rewarding career fueled by purpose?
As the region's leading community foundation, we are hiring a Receptionist to manage the Foundation’s initial point of contact and provide a key welcoming and stewardship role for GCF.
You can apply online at www.gcfdn.org/careers
#StrongerTogether
The First 28 series, in collaboration with The Voice of Black Cincinnati, celebrates Black Cincinnatians who were the first in their fields. Dr. Lucy Oxley is the first Black woman to graduate from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The Pennsylvania native moved to Cincinnati as a toddler and graduated from Woodward Career Technical High School at 16. #BlackHistoryMonth
Racial Equity Matters, presented by bi3, would not be possible without our generous sponsors. Thank you to bi3, Flip and Sheila Cohen, The E.W. Scripps Company, Fifth Third Private Bank , The Kroger Co. Foundation and Ohio National Financial Services for helping us bring this important work to our community.
For more information, visit: www.gcfdn.org/REM
Local business leaders, including Ellen Katz, President and CEO of Greater Cincinnati Foundation, discussed systemic racism and racial equity in America on February 11 at Cincinnati Business Courier's "The Path from Diversity to Racial Equity". Panelists emphasized the importance of inclusion in our local businesses and how to accelerate the pace of change for an equitable region. Watch the panel discussion here: http://ow.ly/UxUV50DBFeO
The First 28 series, in collaboration with The Voice of Black Cincinnati, celebrates Black Cincinnatians who were the first in their fields. More than 1,000 men served on the Black Brigade of Cincinnati, a home guard made up of residents offering to defend the city during the Civil War. The Black Brigade was believed to be the first case of African Americans being organized and utilized for military purposes in the North. In 2012, a resolution was passed within the U.S. Senate recognizing members of the Cincinnati Black Brigade as veterans. The Black Brigade monument, located in Smale Riverfront Park, pays tribute to this significant moment in Cincinnati’s history.