Giving Circles 2019 Impact: $252,000 in Grants

In keeping with our mission of connecting people with purpose, Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) ramped up our commitment to offering Giving Circle opportunities this year. It’s an interactive game plan that brings like-minded people together to pool their resources, explore together how to support the causes they care about and, as a group, decide how to allocate their combined contributions with amplified impact.

GCF’s 2019 Giving Circles included:

• The NKY Giving Circle, which included eight members, awarded grants totaling $60,000 to six Northern Kentucky-based nonprofit organizations supporting safety net services and substance abuse treatment programs.
• The Animal Welfare Giving Circle, inspired by an earlier GCF grant review committee, brought together seven people who granted a total of $92,500 to nine nonprofit organizations with initiatives and projects protecting, respecting and nurturing the entire animal kingdom, including the well-being of pets and neglected animals.
• The Arts and Culture Giving Circle, which included nine members, awarded a total of $95,000 in grants to nine nonprofit organizations with “Creative Placemaking” projects, programming and cultural events to transform communities with inclusive arts.
• GCF’s NEXT Fund’s first Giving Circle engaged 23 young people to pool their resources for a $5,000 grant to Lincoln Grant Scholar House.
• The Giving Black: Cincinnati Giving Circle, still in process, is seeking additional members and contributions. Its focus is on youth under age 17 who have been emancipated by the courts, youth who have aged out of foster care and single mothers of children facing a variety of challenges, from affordable housing to child care. The Giving Circle will host a presentation by nonprofit organizations in January, and will announce grants in February. For further information, contact Robert Killins, Jr., at 513-768-6151 or robert.killins@gcfdn.org.

The NEXT and Giving Black: Cincinnati Giving Circles will return next year. Stay tuned for updates on our 2020 Giving Circle opportunities.

Also, in a partnership with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, GCF has created a “Giving Challenge” for the 50 members of the Leadership NKY Class of 2020 with a $25,000 contribution. Members are also donating to the challenge to further amplify the grants they’ll collectively award to Northern Kentucky nonprofit organizations.