Three grants target revitalization efforts in Weinland Park
Columbus, Ohio (February 20, 2014)—The Columbus Foundation, the community’s trusted philanthropic advisor®, announced five grants that will provide valuable support to central Ohio organizations. One grant will tackle the community challenge of infant mortality, one will help fund a study on our growing city, and three will back ongoing efforts in the Weinland Park neighborhood. The grants, totaling $253,000, were approved at the January and February meetings of the Foundation’s Governing Committee.
“These recent investments will enable local nonprofits to address community-wide challenges and provide valuable programs and resources—efforts that will continue to strengthen and improve our city and help neighborhood youth succeed,” said Lisa S. Courtice, Ph.D., executive vice president for Community Research and Grants Management at The Columbus Foundation.
Major Community Initiatives
An $85,000 grant to the Health Collaborative of Greater Columbus, serving as a fiscal agent for the project, funds the start-up of the Greater Columbus Infant Mortality Task Force. The task force is working towards the goal of developing a community plan to reduce the Franklin County infant mortality rate by nearly 40 percent and cut the racial disparity gap in half by December 2020. Columbus’ infant mortality rate is the eighth worst in the nation, with close to eight infant deaths per 1,000 live births—and African-American babies are two-and-a-half times more likely to die than white babies.
Community Improvement
A $75,000 grant to the Ohio State University Foundation will support the Moms2B program in Weinland Park. Now in its fourth year, Moms2B serves pregnant and parenting women in poverty in three communities, including Weinland Park. Goals for the program are to increase knowledge about healthy lifestyle and nutrition choices. Since inception, the Moms2B program has improved health outcomes for both mother and child, and reduced disparities and premature births in Weinland Park, increasing the average birth weight by almost two pounds.
A $25,000 grant to the Ohio State University Foundation/College of Education and Human Ecology will support The Ohio State University Schoenbaum Family Center (SFC), by providing funds for staffing, equipment, supplies, educational materials, and food. The SFC opened in Weinland Park in 2007 and houses the A. Sophie Rogers Laboratory School, which provides high-quality education and care for 100 children ages six weeks to five years in a full-day, year-round setting.
A $48,000 grant to the University Area Enrichment Association will help implement the University District Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools. This summer, the University District Freedom School (UDFS) will operate in two locations just north of Weinland Park. The sites plan to serve a total of 130 children in grades K-12, with the majority of them coming from Weinland Park. The six-week program will run Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and provide breakfast, lunch, and a daily snack. It offers a safe alternative for many young children who are left unattended during the day throughout the summer.
Civic and Community Leadership
A $20,000 grant to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) will help fund an analysis of growth scenarios for the central Ohio region. The ULI has taken the lead role in forming a partnership with Columbus 2020 and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission in this effort. Columbus 2050 will form the basis for this analysis to develop and explicitly test the fiscal, environmental, and public health impacts of alternative land use and transportation scenarios.
About The Columbus Foundation
The Columbus Foundation is the trusted philanthropic advisor® to more than 2,000 individuals, families, businesses, and communities that have created unique funds to make a difference in the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible. Serving the region for 70 years, The Columbus Foundation is the seventh largest community foundation in the United States. The Foundation’s online giving marketplace, PowerPhilanthropy®, makes it possible for everyone to access valuable information about nonprofit organizations in central Ohio.