American Red Cross Central-Southeast Ohio Region awarded $78,231 to help purchase new Bloodmobile; $100,000 grant supports the re-opening of COSI’s Planetarium; and a $500,000 grant to Lutheran Social Services will support construction of the new Faith Mission
COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 1, 2014)—The Columbus Foundation and Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Capital Improvement Initiative Funding Partnership announced today it has approved 28 grants totaling $3,973,941 to support capital needs for local nonprofit organizations during 2014.
The partnership is a three-year collaboration that launched in 2014 to jointly prioritize and respond to capital needs in the community, in addition to each foundation’s individual investments. Through this effort, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and The Columbus Foundation jointly solicit, review, and fund capital grants in support of established and effective local nonprofit organizations.
Grants approved through the partnership in 2014 include:
A $78,231 grant to the American Red Cross Central-Southeast Ohio Region will help purchase a new Bloodmobile coach, a specially built vehicle equipped to be a blood drive on wheels—often traveling to the site of emergencies to gather donations. In 2013, 30 percent of donations to the American Red Cross Central-Southeast Ohio Region were conducted using a Bloodmobile coach.
A $100,000 grant to COSI supports the re-opening of the COSI Planetarium. The 211-seat Planetarium has been closed for a number of years, and improvements were necessary. The renovated Planetarium provides state-of-the-art digital projection technology providing visual realism, color, and texture. In addition to the night sky, it is able to display a variety of scenes, including underwater volcanoes and the human heart.
A $100,000 grant to The Childhood League Center (CLC) will support the relocation and construction of a new facility on the campus of Fort Hayes Metropolitan Career Center. CLC serves some of the youngest and most vulnerable children in the community because of their physical or developmental barriers, and demand for programs and services provided by CLC has increased significantly since its current facility opened 24 years ago. The new facility will allow for a 20-200 percent expansion of services, depending on the program.
Other nonprofit organizations receiving capital improvement grants through the partnership are:
Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio Inc.—$17,668 to purchase computer workstations, tablets, and software to improve client services and pharmacy efficiency.
Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resource Center—$17,500 to support a feasibility study of the Glen Echo Ravine Urban-Ecological Green Space project.
Columbus Area Integrated Health Services—$85,000 for lighting and electrical updates at the Columbus Area Integrated Health Services main building at 1515 East Broad Street.
Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA)—$100,000 to support renovations of the Ohio Theatre.
Columbus Downtown Development Corporation—$500,000 to support the Ohio Veterans Memorial and Museum project.
Columbus Metropolitan Library Foundation—$100,000 to support the transformation and renovation of the Parsons Avenue branch.
Columbus Recreation and Parks Department—$40,000 to support the construction of an inclusive playground at Franklin Park.
Community Shelter Board—$250,000 to renovate the new Van Buren shelter building.
Gladden Community House—$32,565 to purchase a new HVAC unit.
HandsOn Central Ohio—$30,000 to purchase a new phone system to better serve Franklin County residents by increasing the number of calls received, significantly decreasing call wait time, and ultimately connecting more families with critical community resources.
KidSMILES Pediatric Dental Clinic—$8,100 to purchase and install dental-specific, pull-down lighting in the six-chair open hygiene bay.
LifeCare Alliance—$130,000 to support capital improvements to the administrative and program office building.
Lower Lights Christian Health Center—$37,377 to construct a hallway connecting integral areas of the agency.
Lutheran Social Services—$500,000 to support construction of the new Faith Mission.
Maryhaven, Inc.—$500,000 to support capital expansion of the existing main hospital and Women’s Center, which includes increased programming and bed space.
National Church Residences Foundation—$100,000 to improve facilities that will be used to house the Poindexter Village Intergenerational Care Center, a hub for education, primary care, and programs for vulnerable children and seniors.
Netcare Access—$150,000 to support capital improvements to three crisis units at Netcare.
Ohio State University Foundation—$100,000 to support the purchase and installation of a universally accessible playground for the Nisonger Center preschool program, and $135,000 to purchase dental equipment for a new mobile dental coach designed to provide basic oral healthcare to local elementary school age children who have difficulty accessing care.
Southeast, Inc.—$100,000 to create a new, integrated primary and behavioral healthcare treatment center for residents of Franklin Station and the surrounding community.
The Homeless Families Foundation—$105,000 to renovate the gymnasium and install permanent safety mulch around playground equipment at the Dowd Education Center.
WARM—$50,000 to expand the choice pantry, food storage warehouse, and employment resource center.
YMCA—$7,500 to support reconstruction and repair of the wetlands boardwalk at the Jerry L. Garver branch.
YWCA Columbus—$500,000 to sustain Family Center operations, and $100,000 for infrastructure in support of the Believe in Women Campaign.
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. Now 70 years strong, 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.
About The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation
The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville (the Foundations) support community health and quality of life programs in central and southeast Ohio, as well as advancing, on a national level, osteopathic medical care, biomedical research, and osteopathic medical education. The mission of the Foundations is to improve health and quality of life through education, research, and service consistent with the principles of osteopathic medical care. For more information about the Foundations, visit www.osteopathicheritage.org.