Greater Cincinnati Foundation grants support learning programs for at-risk kids

Twenty-two schools, colleges, and other nonprofit organizations will share nearly a half-million dollars in grants from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to support educational programs.

The foundation recently awarded $457,000 in Supporting Educational Success grants, which will support in- and out-of-school efforts that reduce disparities in educational achievement for students of color and those of low socioeconomic status.

The grants also support programs that increase social-emotional learning and health, and that improve educational outcomes in math and science through increased access to STEM learning opportunities for at-risk students in grades 1-12.

“Nothing can be more important than ensuring that every child has the tools needed to succeed and reach his or her full potential,” says Ellen M. Katz, Greater Cincinnati Foundation president and CEO.

The grantees and their awarded amounts are: Bellevue Board of Education, $15,000 for T.H.E. Space; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati, $25,000 for site-based mentoring; Brighton Center, Inc., $25,000 for youth leadership development and case management; Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio, $25,000 for its Vacaciones Útiles (Productive Vacations) program; Catholic Schools Office, $25,000 for the Price Hill Summer Learning Camp.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, $25,000 for Parents on Point: Supporting the Healthy Socioemotional and Behavioral Development of Young Children; Cincinnati Museum Center, $10,000 for Engaging Girls in STEM; Cincinnati Union Bethel, $25,000 for early childhood education; Dohn Community High School, $25,000 for its Remedial Road to Enrichment program; Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road, $10,000 for the Girl Scout STEM program; iSPACE, Inc., $10,000 for STEM programs for low income K-12 students.

Kenton County Public Schools, $15,000 for the its PreK-5 STEM Plan; Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati, $25,000 for the Children’s Literacy Services Program; Madisonville Education and Assistance Center, $25,000 for the Expanded Early Literacy Program; Mount St. Joseph University, $17,000 for Project Ready: An Early Learning Program to Close the Readiness Gap for Children Living in Poverty; Notre Dame Urban Education Center, $15,000 for its Education Center programming; Redwood School & Rehabilitation Center, Inc., $25,000 for its Early Care and Education Program.

Rothenberg School, $20,000 for its rooftop garden; School for Creative and Performing Arts, $25,000 for private music lessons for economically disadvantaged students; The Gaskins Foundation, $20,000 for STEMulation Zones: STEMulating Underrepresented Students in the Greater Cincinnati Area; University of Cincinnati Foundation – Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative, $25,000 for Mathletics; UpSpring, $25,000 for its Summer 360° program.

“We are thrilled to be able to support these Greater Cincinnati organizations,” says Katz, “as they challenge educational disparities and provide enrichment that can be life-changing for at-risk students.”