OVERVIEW: The Greater Cincinnati Foundation supports youth, arts and culture, health, women and girls, safety net, environmental sustainability, inclusivity and other community needs in eight counties surrounding Cincinnati, Ohio.
IP TAKE: The Greater Cincinnati Foundation has many different funding opportunities and grantseekers will want to take some time to learn about them. The foundation’s grant programs are not all active at the same time and some may skip a funding cycle or two until their turn comes around again, so keep an eye on the website to make sure you do not miss the window. This is an accessible funder, so reach out to the staff to determine what the most relevant opportunities are for a nonprofit’s needs.
PROFILE: Established in 1963, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation is a community foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio. The foundation was established by local business leaders in collaboration with the Fresh Air and Convalescent Society. Early leaders included attorney and bank trust officer William E. Anderson, Procter & Gamble retiree Mark Upson and Kroger’s Jacob E. Davis. GCF aims to “inspire generous people to invest in a more equitable and vibrant region, now and for generations to come.” The foundation supports local efforts for community needs, youth, arts and culture, health, women and girls, safety net, environmental sustainability, inclusivity, and more.
Grants for Community Development, Women and Girls, LGBTQ, and Animal Welfare
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation supports a broad range of local causes and runs an exclusive grantmaking opportunity for children’s and youth programs. The foundation also administers grants for private local foundations. Its nonprofit affiliates include Women’s Fund, HealthPath, and All-In Cincinnati Coalition. Nonprofits with urgent needs may contact the foundation for emergency grants.
Grant Programs:
Community Leadership grants support projects that have been “informed by community voice” and include traditionally underserved populations.
Does not accept unsolicited proposals, but it invites inquiries.
Priority areas include: Economic Mobility, Affordable Housing, and Racial Justice.
In addition to the above, the Request for Proposals page lists which grant opportunities are currently available, as well as those that will soon be available. This list changes with each funding cycle, but it has included opportunities related to education, LGBTQ, animal welfare, environmental stability, arts and culture, and accessible communities.
Previous grantees in the community development space include United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Corporation for Findlay Market, Cincinnati Marathon, Heights Movement, Tikkun Farm, Changing Gears, and Working In Neighborhoods. Look through the list of Recent Grants to see what other types of organizations the foundation supports.
Nonprofits with urgent needs may contact the foundation for emergency grants.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
The foundation supports education through the Educational Success program offered on its Request for Proposals page each year and through the Learning Links program, which is announced less frequently.
Its Mini-Grants for Kids program makes grants to groups that provide educational opportunities during the summer and to traditional learning spaces like schools, classrooms, and community spaces.
Past grant recipients include both institutions of higher education and K-12 organizations. Some of these are University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, Miami University, Denison University, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati Country Day School, Crayons to Computers, Miami Valley Christian Academy, The Seven Hills School, and Learning Through Art. Look through the list of Recent Grants to see what other types of organizations the foundation supports.
The foundation also offers a series of scholarships for local students, including to students of Italian descent and to women returning to school after a prolonged absence.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation supports local artists and arts organizations through its Vibrant Arts and Culture and Arts and Culture programs that are offered on its Request for Proposals page at different times. Most grants for arts and culture support music and theater in the performing arts and historical and culture museums.
Past grantees include ArtsWave, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, The Scripps Howard Foundation, Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Kennedy Heights Art Center, Cincinnati Museum Association, The Contemporary Arts Center, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Cincinnati Music Theatre, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Look through the list of Recent Grants to see what other types of organizations the foundation supports.
Important Grant Details
Overall, grants typically range between about $500 and $8 million. Regular RFP cycle grants range from $10,000 to $40,000. The foundation gave over $110 million in grants in a recent year and held more than $820 million in assets.
Grantmaking focuses on the eight-county region around Cincinnati, Ohio, which includes portions of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Ohio counties of interest are Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren. Kentucky counties are Boone, Campbell and Kenton. Dearborn County in Indiana is also a geographic interest of GCF.
This foundation accepts unsolicited funding inquiries from nonprofits and posts requests for specific types of proposals on its website each spring and fall.
GCF has a centralized inquiry portal to accept and review these requests.
The guidelines for GCF’s private foundation clients are different for each foundation.
Direct general questions to the staff at info@gcfdn.org or 513-241-2880.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
