36 nonprofits receive $1.1 million in grants from Greater Cincinnati Foundation to support basic needs

CINCINNATI (April 19, 2018) — The Greater Cincinnati Foundation recently awarded $1.1 million in grants to 36 local nonprofits to support the provision of food, shelter and behavioral health services for some the region’s most vulnerable residents, as part of GCF’s annual Providing a Safety Net funding round. All grants awarded were made in partnership with GCF donors.

“We care about this community and want to help people in need,” said Andrea Siefring-Robbins, a GCF donor who, along with her husband, Scott Robbins, co-invested in this funding round. “We appreciate the opportunity to partner in GCF’s grantmaking and help increase these grants. We believe in the power of collective giving.”

The priorities for this responsive funding cycle include ensuring access to food and shelter and increasing access to well-integrated or trauma-informed behavioral health services. Each nonprofit received up to $35,000 in support.

From homeless shelter beds, to food pantry access, to emergency services for at-risk seniors and at-risk youth, the community needs are great, and the requests for funding were numerous. Of the 36 nonprofits funded, 27 are located in Greater Cincinnati and 9 in Northern Kentucky.

Examples include:

• Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky received support to expand outpatient addiction treatment programming for youth.
• Clermont County Community Services received funding to undertake a comprehensive planning effort to better serve the homeless in their county.
• Envision received support to expand clinical mental health services for developmentally disabled individuals in eastern Cincinnati.
• Faith Community Pharmacy received support to ensure that adults under age 60 have access to prescribed mental health medications ahead of the likely shifts in Kentucky’s Medicaid coverage.
• Madisonville Education and Assistance Center received support to expand pantry hours into the evening to better serve the working poor.
• St. Joseph Orphanage received funding for new efforts to house and support foster children recently removed from their family home and awaiting a more permanent, stable placement.
• Women Helping Women received support to respond to rising demand for crisis response for women experiencing abuse.

“We live in a region with sizable disparities where many of our neighbors struggle to make ends meet,” said Molly Robertshaw, GCF program officer. “When basic needs go unmet by many, our region is unable to truly thrive. These awards represent a continued commitment on the part of GCF to our region’s social safety net.”

More than $400,000 awarded in this grant cycle represent donor co-investments.

“It is our privilege to connect the generosity of donors with the pressing needs of our region,” said Ellen M. Katz, president/CEO. “GCF is proud to support our nonprofit partners, who are working hard to fill gaps in services, and we are excited to help our community invest in a more equitable region.”

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 $636 million.