Cincinnati, Ohio, July 7, 2025 – The Charles H. Dater Foundation awarded 19 grants in June totaling $590,000, including $25,000 to the Art Academy of Cincinnati for its Artist & Writer in Residence program.

The free outreach and curriculum enrichment program empowers educators and enhances the learning environment.  Students in K-12 grades are challenged to problem-solve through visual communication methods and develop their learning with a focus on the 21st Century skills of creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. 

Through sustained engagement with local and regional Middle and High Schools, staff enhances in-school studies in art, writing, foreign language, and social studies classes.  Each educator who joins the program is provided materials, curricular support, and partnership to create a transformational experience with a partnering Teaching Artist & Writer.  The program culminates in a field trip to the AAC to celebrate their development and growth in 21st Century skills.

Grants made in June:

Art Academy of Cincinnati, $25,000.  See above.  The Artist & Writer in Residence program provides free quality instruction in the visual and literary arts at 25 schools to over 2,000 students in grades 7-12, 74% of whom are economically disadvantaged.  

Beech Acres Parenting Center, $50,000. Beech Acres Parenting Center, $50,000.  Beyond the Classroom provides full, wrap-around mental health support as service providers work with school staff to understand the needs of each student and all school families.  The program will involve nine inner-city schools in the next school year.

Churches Active in Northside (CAIN), $25,000. The Market at CAIN food pantry provides healthy and nutritious food, personal care items, household cleaning supplies, and other necessities to anyone in need in the area.  Open three times a week, the pantry serves as an oasis in the 45223 food desert and surrounding areas. 

Cincinnati Association for the Blind, $25,000.  The Music Therapy Program for Youth serves 75 children and young adults and includes an Annual Music Recital and partial support of two board-certified music therapists.

Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation, $50,000.  A Charles H. Dater Scholarship Fund is held at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and administered by CSF.  Renewable $2,500 annual scholarships are awarded to five graduates of Cincinnati area high schools.

Community Matters, $25,000.  The Education Forward program provides wraparound support to empower lifelong learners in Lower Price Hill.  More than 1,000 participants have earned high school equivalent degrees through this unique educational model.  

Crayons to Computers, $35,000.  General Operating Support helps provide access to school supplies, which are incentive and enhancement items to teachers at schools where 55% or more of the student population benefit from the free or reduced-cost lunch program.  Teachers access supplies through a Teacher Resource Center, online ordering, and Hubbard’s Cupboards.

Crayons to Computer/Hubbard’s Cupboards, $25,000.  Hubbard’s Cupboards is a collaboration between Crayons and the Sam Hubbard Foundation allowing underserved students to access school supplies and healthy snacks on a “just in time” basis. 

Elementz, $25,000.  The Creative Features Initiative equips talented and ambitious minority students with skills, mentorship and opportunities necessary to succeed I n higher education and in building careers the creative industries.

Family Nurturing Center, $30,000.  Kids on the Block, Child Safety Matters and Teen Safety Matters are school-based prevention programs that equip children and teens with the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe and build healthy relationships.  The program reaches 5,000 students annually.

Found House Interfaith Housing Network, $30,000.  Family Emergency Shelter combines community support with professional services to provide emergency shelter to families experiencing homelessness.  A family’s average length of stay is about 70 days and includes overnight shelter, three meals a day, and a case plan to transition to permanent housing.

Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, $25,000.  Support Healthy Girls Cincinnati offers leadership experiences, the chance to get outdoors, and a balanced STEAM education to girls from every background.  

Karen Carns Foundation, $30,000.  Coats for Kids provides about 1,500 winter coats, hats and pairs of gloves to young people in need while strengthening the bond between teachers and the students they have nominated to receive a coat.

Milestones, $30,000.  The Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program teaches basic horsemanship skills and grooming to nurture emotional health and improve cognitive, physical and psychological function for young people with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome and other similar diagnoses.  

New Life Furniture Bank, $40,000. Beds for Kids is part of a program that provides up to 18 pieces of donated, gently-used furniture at no cost for low-income families living in bare or sparsely furnished housing.  When donated beds are not available, the organization purchases them. 

Ronald McDonald House Charities, $25,000.  The Family Performance and Activities Program provides games, arts and crafts, shows and entertainment – many of them held in the Charles H. Dater Performance Theatre -- for guests at Ronald McDonald House.  This grant will provide performer stipends and cover a portion of administrative costs.

School House Symphony, $30,000.  Teaching Tomorrow’s Audience Today brings over 200 live musical performances by members of a six-person ensemble to about 70 schools and 20,000 children throughout Greater Cincinnati.  Fees are kept low through contributions and grants, and part of the Dater grant funds programs at underserved inner-city schools. 

  

VIA Institute, $35,000.  Strong Workplace Solutions helps nonprofits in Greater Cincinnati meet the demands they face by expanding their capacity and deepening their impact through transformative professional learning, consulting, and peer-to-peer collaboration, all at no cost. The model is a comprehensive intervention – capacity building and culture change take time, so we partner with organizations throughout the process, not just at the beginning. 

The Dater Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area to carry out programs that benefit young people and focus in the areas of arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services and other community needs.  Information about the grantmaking process and guidelines and links to an online grant application website are available at www.DaterFoundation.org.

The private foundation was established by fourth-generation Cincinnatian, businessman and philanthropist Charles Dater (1912-1993) to ensure that his resources would continue to fund worthwhile community programs after his death.  The foundation has made more than 3,900 grants totaling over $82 million since its inception in 1985.

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For additional information regarding this news release, contact Roger Ruhl (513/598-1141).

The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. is located at 700 Walnut Street, Suite 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202.