News & Event
The Northern Kentucky Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary with Impact Grants totaling $125,000 for workforce development efforts in Northern Kentucky.
“These Impact Grants reflect our continued commitment to invest significantly in Northern Kentucky,” said Ellen M. Katz, President & CEO of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF). “These grants, which represent a key targeted investment, align with GCF’s grantmaking strategy. By concentrating our investments in supporting Economic Mobility and Housing Stability across our region, GCF is deeply committed to ensuring that everyone in our community can thrive. Workforce development is an integral part of that mission.”
The grants have been awarded to:
In partnership with the Charles H. Dater Foundation and donors, GCF also recently issued a record 39 “Learning Links” grants, totaling $35,642, to schools in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties.
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation and its donors have granted $40 million to Northern Kentucky organizations since the Northern Kentucky Fund’s launch in 1998.
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About the Greater Cincinnati Foundation
As the region’s leading community foundation, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation connects people with purpose in an eight-county region in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. GCF is leading the charge toward a more vibrant Greater Cincinnati for everyone – now, and for generations to come. As of 2017, GCF is the 35th largest U.S. community foundation with net assets of $649 million.
CINCINNATI (January 31, 2018)—The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) has provided $25,000 in funding to support The Cincinnati Project, a community-engaged research initiative at the University of Cincinnati (UC). The funding will go to support projects that offer clear and direct benefit to women of color in Cincinnati.
“As GCF goes deeper on the complex issues of equity, we are intentionally investing in projects that support women of color in our community,” said Ellen M. Katz, president/CEO of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. “By partnering with The Cincinnati Project, we can support the many innovative projects they are tackling, and we are inspired by what they are doing.”
The Cincinnati Project was launched in 2013 by faculty researchers in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences. More than 12 University of Cincinnati faculty and students from their classes will be involved in these upcoming projects.
Funding will support:
“We are thrilled to partner with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation,” said Dr. Jennifer Malat, UC College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean of Social Sciences and co-founder of The Cincinnati Project. “With their support, and the continued support and collaboration of our other community partners, The Cincinnati Project will raise the voices of women of color and collaborate to recommend policies that will improve lives.”
“The support from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation is an important validation of the work that The Cincinnati Project has been doing for the last several years” said Dr. Ken Petren, Dean of the UC College of Arts and Sciences, “I’m confident that this partnership will not only help improve the lives of women in color in Cincinnati, but also provide hope and assistance to our other partners and organizations who are working for equity in Cincinnati.”
One of the nation’s leading community foundations, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation helps people make the most of their giving to build a better community. We believe in the power of philanthropy to change the lives of people and communities. As a community foundation, GCF creates a prosperous Greater Cincinnati by investing in thriving people and vibrant places. An effective steward of the community’s charitable resources since 1963, the Foundation inspires philanthropy in eight counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. At the end of 2016, GCF had net assets of $563 million.
CINCINNATI (August 14, 2017) —The Greenlight Fund, in partnership with The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, announced today a multi-million-dollar initiative to fight family poverty in our region. Together, they are investing $2.4 million to bring the Family Independence Initiative—and its innovative model of trusting and investing in family solutions—to Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. This includes a $1.8 million grant from The Greater Cincinnati Foundation and its donors, the single largest grant in the history of the Foundation.
“We know that thousands of families are struggling with poverty, and we need to rethink how we invest in families and their upward mobility,” said Tara Noland, Executive Director of GreenLight Cincinnati. “We are excited to have the Family Independence Initiative bring their model to our region and learn from their data on what Cincinnati families in our community need to escape poverty.”
“As our region’s community foundation, our role is to create a community where everyone can thrive,” said Ellen M. Katz, president and CEO of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation. “Our region is literally bursting with new energy and progress, yet we still have many in need. GCF and its donors are seeking new and innovative programs to help families in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky who have yet to benefit from that progress. FII is one such program and we’re excited to ensure we can rapidly deploy FII in our community.”
Founded in 2001, The Family Independence Initiative brings a new approach to fighting poverty by trusting and investing directly in low-income families across the nation so they can work individually and collectively to achieve prosperity. Families that partner with FII set goals they want to achieve, such as purchasing a home or continuing their education, and work together to help each other meet those goals. FII provides them with the technology platform to track their progress and then gives them access to resources, including cash, to accelerate the solutions that they’ve discovered themselves.
With sites in seven cities across the country, FII has partnered with more than 2,000 families investing in their solutions to escaping poverty. On average, during two years of engagement with FII, families report: a 23 percent increase in monthly income, 60 percent decrease in subsidies such as TANF and SNAP, a doubling of their annual income and assets, and increased education outcomes from their children.
Over the next four years, FII will work with community based organizations and other partners to reach 500 families in multiple neighborhoods across Cincinnati. They will be convening a launch team to help identify the neighborhoods they should focus on as well as families they should recruit.
“All families across America should have access to the resources and opportunities needed to achieve their dreams and we look forward to doing just that right here in the region,” said Jesús Gerena, Chief Executive Officer of The Family Independence Initiative. “While our initial goal is to reach 500 families, we hope to find more partners to double or triple that goal. Cincinnati benefits when all its families are economically thriving.”
In addition to the multi-year investment made by the Greenlight Fund and The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, FII’s expansion to Cincinnati is also supported by contributions from The Mayerson Foundation and SC Ministry.
Learn more about GCF's investment in the Family Independence Initiative
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The GreenLight Fund transforms the lives of children, youth and families in high-poverty urban areas by creating local infrastructure and a consistent annual process to: identify critical needs; import innovative, entrepreneurial programs that have a significant, measurable impact; and galvanize local support to help programs reach and sustain impact in the new city. Working in Boston since 2003, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area since 2012, Cincinnati since 2015 and most recently Charlotte in 2017, GreenLight aims to grow a national network of GreenLight sites that learn and work collaboratively to find and spread proven nonprofit solutions that achieve meaningful and measurable impact in our communities on the issues that matter most. Founding investors in GreenLight Cincinnati include the Deaconess Associations Foundation, Bethesda Inc., the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, Interact for Health, Procter and Gamble, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s, Duke Energy Foundation, the Cincinnati Business Committee, Bank of America and a number of individual investors.
One of the nation’s leading community foundations, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation helps people make the most of their giving to build a better community. We believe in the power of philanthropy to change the lives of people and communities. As an accredited community foundation, GCF creates a prosperous Greater Cincinnati by investing in thriving people and vibrant places. An effective steward of the community’s charitable resources since 1963, the Foundation inspires philanthropy in eight counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. At the end of 2016, GCF had net assets of $563 million.
Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF), in partnership with the Cincinnati Enquirer, is pleased to announce the 2018 Women of the Year:
Judith Harmony is the first female faculty member of Indiana University’s chemistry department. She was instrumental in the development of The Women’s Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s first PULSE study in 2004. Harmony founded the Harmony Garden, an education center that strives to bring communities together to promote the health of young girls from underserved and disadvantaged communities.
Maria Ahmed Munir is the inaugural co-chair of the Festival of Faiths, a day of inclusion, education, understanding and building community. She established a scholarship fund at International Academy of Cincinnati for deserving students to get financial assistance. Munir was the first female PTO president at International Academy of Cincinnati and is a board member of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati.
Nancy Eigel-Miller has dedicated her life to erasing the stigma of mental illness by founding 1N5, an organization that increases awareness and education about mental health. Through 1N5, she created the Brain Health Network as a braintrust around the successes and challenges of mental health programs. Eigel-Miller also created the first Youth Mental Health Innovation Challenge at the University of Cincinnati, a two-day workshop fostering a unique learning experience and professional development opportunity for high school students.
Kelly Dolan founded Thrive Impact Sourcing with the sole intent of bringing Cincinnati out of un/underemployment and into IT careers. Thrive is a business incubator dedicated to creating opportunity for diverse individuals to enter the IT industry, notorious for its lack of diversity. Dolan also founded Ingage Partners, Cincinnati’s first Certified B Corporation. She is an involved volunteer with Freeset USA, which sells clothes and bags made by women in India who were formerly working in the sex trade industry.
Mary Burke Rivers has been the executive director of Over the Rhine Community Housing since 1993, where she has excelled in creating and advocating for equitable access to housing for the past 25 years. She is a board member of The Finance Fund, Community Development Association of Greater Cincinnati, Affordable Housing Advocates, Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio.
Alandes Powell is the chair of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, where she has served as a board member and volunteer for eight years. She has been a board member of the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati since 2014 and was a YWCA Cincinnati Career Woman of Achievement recipient in 2013. Powell is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati Class 41 and Leadership Northern Kentucky. As Senior Vice President, Operations & Relationship Director of Citi Retail Services, she has also served as a mentor to colleagues and received the Citigroup Chairman’s Leadership Award in 2007. Powell is a board member of the Brighton Center and serves on the Elder Board of the Inspirational Baptist Church.
Mary Welsh Schlueter is the founr and CEO of Partnership for Innovation in Education, in partnership with Harvard University, which focuses on elevating student academic achievement, workforce readiness and experiential learning pathways in emerging careers. She is on the Harvard Business School Board of Directors (Ohio) and the Allegheny College, Alumni Board of Directors and teaching staff. Schlueter is an awardee of the Direct Energy Citizen of the Year, USA Chamber of Commerce WE Empowerment & New Business, Deloitte & Touche “100 Wise Women,” National Diversity Council Leadership Excellence, Venue Magazine Civic Leadership and STEM Difference Maker (Duke Energy).
Maureen France is a member of the West McMicken Improvement Association and was instrumental in re-opening the long-closed Warner Street steps leading to Fairview Park. She also has helped replace dilapidated playground equipment in the community. France was a key leader in the prevention of the destruction of part of her neighborhood during the reconstruction of I-75. She has used her photography, in collaboration with the Cincinnati Preservation Association and the Hillside Trust, to present ODOT and City Council with a book showing the vibrancy and closeness of her neighborhood.
Tillie Hidalgo Lima is a co-chair of the YMCA Academy of Career Women of Achievement. She was named Hispanic Woman of the Year in 2010 by the Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan in 2015 by the Ohio Commission on Hispanic-Latino Affairs and the Latino Empowerment Outreach Network. Her current board memberships include: United Way of Greater Cincinnati Board of Directors and Executive Committee, St. Elizabeth Healthcare Board of Trustees, Child Poverty Steering Committee and Cincinnati Women Executive Forum. Lima has been the CEO of Best Upon Request since 2003, where she co-created a groundbreaking new service, Maternity Concierge, to help new working mothers balance their quality of life.
Chandra Mathews-Smith is the chair of the Community Action Agency board. Dedicated to the improvement of the foster care system, she led the initiative to design the Hamilton County Department of Jobs and Family Services Emergency Therapeutic Foster Care Program, which served as the emergency shelter provider for some of the county’s most difficult-to-serve children and adolescents. Mathews-Smith worked with Cincinnati Public Schools to institute their Ujima program, which provided wraparound and day treatment services for CPS students with the special education designation of Severely Behaviorally Handicapped.
The Women of the Year award is given to 10 women in the community who have dedicated their lives to giving back. This award is among the oldest and most significant honors one can receive in Greater Cincinnati.
“These exceptional women are the embodiment of dedication, community service and compassion for their fellow citizens,” said Ellen M. Katz, GCF President/CEO. “We look forward to sharing their inspirational stories, but even more so, we look forward to watching our community prosper due to their passion and drive.”
The honorees will be recognized at the 50th annual Women of the Year Awards Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Friday, October 26, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati. To purchase tickets to the luncheon or learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.gcfdn.org/woy.
Cincinnati Public Schools is aiming to increase third grade reading proficiency of students’ district-wide from 45 percent to 90 percent by 2020.
CINCINNATI (April 25, 2018) — The Greater Cincinnati Foundation recently awarded $255,000 in grants to 17 local nonprofits to drive greater belonging, independence and authorship with and for people with disabilities. All grants awarded were made in partnership with GCF donors past and present.
GCF is hosting these organizations for a year-long learning journey and challenging them to seek collaborative solutions to maximize impact. In partnership with the nonprofit social innovation firm, Design Impact, organizations are participating in 1,334 hours of training and dialogue to change their approaches and learn from one another.
“The idea of a person with a disability fully belonging to their community, we have big barriers to that,” said Dan Connors, CEO, St. Joseph Home. “We need to think differently about how we’re going to solve this problem.”
The priorities for this funding cycle include strengthening partnerships, building a community of belonging and redefining the way things have always been done. The priorities were created in conjunction with the participating organizations. Each nonprofit received a $15,000 in support to test their innovative concepts as well as a series of trainings throughout the year.
Examples include:
“We’re always asked to show the efficacy of what we’re doing when we need funding,” said Rob Seideman, CTRH’s executive director. “So we rely on those things that we do well. But if we’re going to work with people in new ways, we need to change what we’re doing. And that’s what’s so great about this opportunity.”
More than $25,000 awarded in this grant cycle represent donor co-investments.
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“It is an honor to work side by side with these experts in their field who are so passionate about figuring out new ways to create even more meaningful lives for those they exist to serve,” said Molly Robertshaw, GCF program officer.
“This funding effort represents GCF’s interest in being a nimble and innovative partner for nonprofits,” said Ellen M. Katz, president/CEO. “We want to help our community to build a region where everyone can thrive.”
As the region’s leading community foundation, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation connects people with purpose in an eight-county region in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. GCF is leading the charge toward a more vibrant Greater Cincinnati for everyone – now, and for generations to come. As of 2017, GCF is the 35th largest U.S. community foundation with net assets of $636 million.
View full list of nonprofits receiving grants [PDF]
CINCINNATI (May 15, 2019) – Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) has awarded $752,600 in Safety Net grants to 20 nonprofit organizations throughout our tri-state community. These funds will help the region’s most vulnerable residents have better access to food, shelter and behavioral health services. In response to the shift in funding available to the community in this critical sector, grants were increased from $35,000 to $50,000 this year.
“Without community partnerships, this type of support to our region’s most vulnerable wouldn’t be possible,” said Harold Brown, GCF’s Vice President, Community Strategies. “We are excited to partner with organizations in these efforts to make Greater Cincinnati a more equitable region.”
Grantees and their awarded amounts are:
BLOC Ministries, Inc.: $43,000 for Second Chance Live and Work Program
Central Clinic Behavioral Health: $30,600 for Child & Family Treatment Center: Eradicating Barriers to Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health Treatment
Childhood Food Solutions: $50,000 for Food Support for Children and Families in Four Low-Income Cincinnati Zip Codes during July 2019
Children’s Hunger Alliance: $25,000 for Afterschool Meals for Underserved Children in Cincinnati
CityLink Center: $50,000 for Shoring Foundations for Future Success
Community Matters: $30,000 for Food and Housing Support for Families in the Lower Price Hill Neighborhood
Dearborn County Clearinghouse for Emergency Aid: $20,000 for Right-2-U Resources, Mobile Pantry
Erlanger Elsmere School District: $19,000 for Lloyd Memorial High School Safety Net
Family Nurturing Center: $25,000 for Child Abuse Treatment Services
Freestore Foodbank: $50,000 for School Pantry: Bringing Wholesome Food to Children and Their Families
Holly Hill Child & Family Solutions: $50,000 for Behavioral Health Services Outreach
Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati*: $50,000 for Kinship Care
Mental Health America of NKY and SW Ohio: $50,000 for Pro Bono Counseling
Milford Miami Ministry: $15,000 for Safety Net Programs for Food Insecure and At-Risk Families
Over-the-Rhine Community Housing*: $50,000 for Preserving Permanent Supportive Housing
Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses: $50,000 for Findlay Street Neighborhood House
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Council of Northern Kentucky: $25,000 for Emergency Assistance Conference Support
Tender Mercies, Inc.**: $50,000 for Making Independence Possible Through Affordable Housing and Nutrition
Valley Interfaith Community Resource Center: $35,000 for Valley Interfaith Safety Net Proposal
Women’s Crisis Center: $35,000 for Safe Shelter
*Fully funded by anonymous foundation partner
**Funded in part by anonymous foundation partner
About Greater Cincinnati Foundation
As the region’s leading community foundation, Greater Cincinnati Foundation connects people with purpose in an eight-county region in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. GCF is leading the charge toward a more vibrant Greater Cincinnati for everyone — now, and for generations to come.