2019: A Year of Forward Movement

As we wrap up 2019, we look back at our very impactful year of moving forward on many fronts! As your community foundation, Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) is grateful for the support of and partnerships with our donors, nonprofit partners and community stakeholders to bring about a more equitable future for everyone in our region.

  • We offered an expanded schedule of Racial Equity Matters equity education events throughout 2019, including four half-day Groundwater sessions and six two-day Phase 1 workshops. To date, over 700 community members — including business leaders, nonprofit employees, GCF donors and regional stakeholders — have attended the impactful events. Read Racial Equity Matters Sessions Engage Over 700 Participants for the 2020 schedule.

  • GCF convened a February symposium exploring the growing focus on social impact investing that brought together about 200 professional advisors, their clients, GCF donors and community members. Jean Case, a national philanthropic leader — as chairman of the National Geographic Society and founder/CEO of the Case Foundation — delivered the inspiring keynote address. GCF also convened a continuing education seminar in June, attended by more than 80 professional advisors, which featured Bryan Clontz, a national expert on charitable gifts of non-cash assets.
  • GCF’s NEXT Fund has been empowering future generations of generosity with events throughout the year geared to engaging young people. They included a Cincinnati Cyclones hockey game in February, a Cincinnati Reds baseball game in August and a series of NEXT Up events exploring impact efforts of local organizations: Quality Jobs and Economic Self-Sufficiency in March, Cradle to Career Pipeline in June and Affordable Housing and Neighborhood Safety in September. The NEXT Giving Circle awarded its first grant of $5,000 to Lincoln Grant Scholar House at this month’s GCF Holiday House Party.
  • The Women’s Fund (WF) hosted its annual signature event, “A Conversation With … Soledad O’Brien,” in April with the groundbreaking journalist and CEO of Starfish Media Group. Save the date for the upcoming WF 2020 event, “A Conversation With … Nikki Giovanni,” on April 29. Supported by WF research, Cincinnati City Council passed a salary ban ordinance in March, banning employers from asking job applicants about their salary or wage history. WF also was a partner in commissioning the Jobs Outlook 2028 report in August.
  • We moved into our new offices in the Sawyer Point Building at the end of July. In a few short months, the new Haile Community Hub has become a powerful convening place for our community partners.

  • We celebrated our new office space with our Bridge Forward — A Celebration of Connections party in September. We introduced GCF’s Sawyer Point Building location to more than 600 donors, nonprofit partners and community and business stakeholders. The festive evening showcased our shared vision for a more vibrant Greater Cincinnati community.

  • GCF was a major supporter of Philanthropy Ohio’s 2019 Philanthropy Forward conference in Cincinnati in September. We sponsored a keynote address by Andrew Plumley, Senior Program Manager at Equity at the Center; and a conference session of Racial Equity Matters Groundwater training. GCF staff members Dora Anim, Harold Brown and Robert Killins, Jr., along with HealthPath staff member Christine Mulvin, participated in conference panels.
  • HealthPath Foundation of Ohio celebrated its 20th anniversary in Columbus in September with a Community Connections workshop featuring keynote speaker Dr. Gail C. Christopher, creator of the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Initiative at the Kellogg Foundation. HealthPath also convened the state-wide Oral Health Ohio 2019 Symposium in May, and hosted three Storytelling Series workshops throughout Ohio in November.
  • We launched Giving Connection, our new donor portal, in October. With its interactive features and enhanced platform, Giving Connection provides donors with an enriched, easy-to-use online experience.
  • Among the events that GCF hosted this year: A welcome reception in October for Eddie Koen, the new President/CEO of the Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio; and an After-Party saluting the 2019 Men of Honor in November.