Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Cincinnati Black Giving Circle Award $155,000 in Grants to Drive Racial Equity

CINCINNATI (February 23, 2022) — Greater Cincinnati Foundation, in partnership with the Cincinnati Black Giving Circle, a coalition of Black Greater Cincinnatians pooling their dollars to accelerate social change, awarded $155,000 to five Black-led and/or Black-serving nonprofits. The 2022 award grantees are Envision Children, BYOC Camps and Clubs, Guiding Light Mentoring, Found Village and Law and Leadership, LLC.

The Cincinnati Black Giving Circle, which awarded its first grants in 2020, allows donors with shared cultural roots to direct their giving more purposefully. Through lived experiences, cultural connections and proximity to the local Black community, the Cincinnati Black Giving Circle is intensifying the collective influence of its donors. The steering committee, led by Beverly Grant, raised $155,000 – a 35 percent increase from last year.

The 2022 Cincinnati Black Giving Circle Awardees are as follow:

• Envision Children’s Catch Every Child Initiative Camp received a $40,000 grant to provide small group and private tutoring to under-served students who are not proficient in reading and/or math at grade level. Envision Children’s goal is to take the steps necessary to ensure minority students have equal opportunities to pursue future education and careers in the fields of their choosing.
• BYOC Camps and Clubs received a $35,000 grant to expand its capacity to educate African American youth in computer and engineering technologies. BYOC’s mission is to build a pipeline of extraordinary minority youth for exciting, lucrative STEM careers, igniting a passion for technology in students from age nine through high school graduation.
• Guiding Light Mentoring’s Youth Education Program received a $30,000 grant to fund its mentorship and volunteerism efforts. Guiding Light Mentoring takes a holistic approach by integrating community partners, parents and youth through collaboration to help youth recognize and reach their highest potential while looking toward a brighter future.
• Found Village received a $25,000 grant to support its Launch2Independence (L2I) program. L2I partners with young people facing emancipation from social support systems (Foster Care, JFS, Juvenile Court) to help them as they pursue healthy, independent adulthood.
• Law and Leadership, LLC received a $25,000 grant to expand its College Preparation Program for underserved students in Cincinnati. LLI seeks to close the educational opportunity gap for underserved high school students in Cincinnati by providing vision for what is possible academically and professionally in the future, creating a supportive community of like-minded peers and mentors, and developing the skills necessary to make their academic and professional goals a reality.

For more information about the Cincinnati Black Giving Circle and grant award opportunities, contact Robert Killins, Jr. at robert.killins@gcfdn.org.

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About the Cincinnati Black Giving Circle
Black philanthropy in Cincinnati is real but goes unnoticed as mainstream narratives tend to paint philanthropists as wealthy whites. More than $10 million black philanthropic dollars in Cincinnati are held at foundations and other charitable institutions as assets under management. Launched on the heels of the 2018 Giving Black Report, the Cincinnati Black Giving Circle provides strategic, sometimes niche, support for organizations routinely neglected by traditional philanthropy.

About Greater Cincinnati Foundation
As the region’s leading community foundation, 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 and equitable region for everyone – now, and for generations to come.

Media Contact
Felicity Tao
Senior Director, Marketing
513-762-6132
felicity.tao@gcfdn.org