One night, one pitch, $100,000 in grants

A sold-out crowd of hundreds gathered in late October to support and celebrate the work of 14 nonprofits working in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Northern Kentucky.

The nonprofits each took the stage for just three minutes to describe to the audience their work in the community. In the end, each organization walked out with a check.

The funds were pooled together through NKY Funders’ Grants, an ongoing program that brings together local community foundations and other funders to pitch in and create grants for Northern Kentucky nonprofits.

The funding partners selected seven first-place winners in six categories to receive $7,500, and a second-place winner in each to receive $5,000.

A popular vote among the audience determined an additional first and second place prize for two of the finalists. All told, $100,000 was awarded that evening to a variety of groups that support work in critical sectors of the community

This was the second year for the pitch competition.


Read about last year's event: Ten regional nonprofits benefit from $50,000 in funding


These organizations won first-place awards of $7,500 each in these categories:

• Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy (Addiction Services)
• Pones, Inc. (Arts, Culture, and Humanities)
• Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank (Early Childhood)
• Master Provisions (Health and Wellness: Durr Foundation cluster)
• Nurse Advocacy Center for the Underserved (Health and Wellness: Horizon Community Funds)
• Commonwealth Artists Student Theatre (K-12 Programming)
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Northern Kentucky (Reducing Barriers to Employment)

These organizations won second-place awards of $5,000 in their categories:

• Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky (Addiction Services)
• Kentucky Humanities (Arts, Culture, and Humanities)
• New Perceptions (Early Childhood)
• Northern Kentucky Education Council (Health and Wellness: Durr Foundation cluster)
• Women’s Crisis Center (Health and Wellness: Horizon Community Funds cluster)
• The Carnegie (K-12 Programming)
• Tattoo Removal Ink (Reducing Barriers to Employment)

Tattoo Removal Ink won first place in the popular votes and Master Provisions won second place.


"We were thrilled to have these eight foundations recognize the importance of partnership," says Nancy Grayson, president of Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky. "Northern Kentucky Funders Grants reflect the spirit of Northern Kentucky — we come together for the common good."

These funders supported and sponsored this year’s program:

• The Butler Foundation. A private foundation that supports direct service to charities, provides “Helping Hands” hardship grants, and awards “Butler Scholar” funds to select high schools and colleges in Northern Kentucky.

• The Charles H. Dater Foundation. It makes grants to non-profit organizations in Greater Cincinnati to carry out programs and projects that benefit young people in the areas of arts and culture, education, health care, social services, and other community needs.

• The R.C. Durr Foundation. It is dedicated providing support to improve the quality of life of the larger Northern Kentucky region and its people, with an emphasis on education, social services, and community development.

• The Greater Cincinnati Foundation. The region’s community foundation since 1963, it provides philanthropic support in an eight-county region in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

• Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky. It was established as a community foundation in 2017 by Northern Kentucky leaders to unite resources to raise the quality of life in the Northern Kentucky community.

• The Scripps Howard Foundation. The foundation is a leader in supporting journalism education, scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development, literacy, and First Amendment causes.

• The Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation. The foundation invests funds to provide opportunities in education, community and the arts to 501c3 organizations which provide programs in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

• United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Success By 6. Success By 6 is a regional movement to help prepare children for kindergarten and their parents and caregivers embrace their role in the success of their families.