Small grants make big differences at Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Small but mighty. That is how the Greater Cincinnati Foundation describes its Grants for Kids program and the astounding impact just a few dollars can make in the lives of children and their teachers.

For two decades, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation has offered Cincinnati schools and non-profit organizations grants of up to $1,000 for special projects. “What the foundation was learning 20 years ago was that teachers were paying for material out of their own pockets,” says Beth Reiter Benson of the GCF. "Seven hundred and fifty dollars is just a drop in the bucket for some of the larger projects we fund, but for a teacher who has to pay for a learning experience out of his or her own pocket or for a district where the parents or children can’t afford a field trip, it makes a big difference.” These grants were meant to fill that gap.

Learning Links and Summertime Kids are two programs that benefit thousands of children in Greater Cincinnati each year.

With $1,000 from Summertime Kids, Lincoln Heights Elementary School provided its students transportation for summertime trips to Coney Island, the Cincinnati Zoo and a riverboat ride – places these kids would not get to on their own. Children with disabilities sport new uniforms on game days for their growing baseball league in Butler County. For only $561, the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Northern Kentucky provided fun outings for the homeless children in its church shelters last summer.

Learning Links grants allowed the Lower School at the Children’s Home of Cincinnati to produce a theater project for children with behavioral or emotional problems. Campbell Ridge Elementary School in Alexandria, Kentucky, provided its students with a service learning project about children in Haiti, all the while spreading GCF dollars not just across state lines but around the world.

Do Good:

• Spread the word: to educators or summer programs that may benefit from these grants.

• Make a contribution: Every dollar contributed means more grants can be made.

By Becky Johnson