As educators, we know you are passionate about creating a kinder community—for your students, their families, and their neighborhoods. Your daily work is empowering the next generation to embrace kindness, nurture compassion, and be an agent for change. We are here to support you!

As a college student, Doug Probst thought it was fun to serve as a big brother with NCAA Volunteers for Youth. It wasn’t until years later, however, that his little brother caught up with him and told him how much the experience had meant.

The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio continues to be a force for change—awarding grants, hosting events, providing research and tools, and giving a voice to women and girls through advocacy efforts. The Columbus Foundation is proud to honor these founders with The Harrison M. Sayre Award, as they paved a way for thousands of others to learn, grow, and lead.

The Big Give, The Columbus Foundation’s signature community giving event, was held on October 10–11 to support area nonprofits. The 26-hour online event leveraged an incredible $18,003,826 to support 906 central Ohio nonprofits.

The Columbus Foundation is proud to honor Joe and Linda Chlapaty with the Harrison M. Sayre Award for their ongoing service to our community and beyond.

For her creation of this valuable fund, inspiring as it was in its imagination and hopefulness during one of the darkest days in United States history, and for the kind and generous spirit that Shirley brings to everyone around her, we honor the Lewisporte Area Flight 15 Scholarship Fund and its leading advisor and advocate, Shirley Brooks-Jones, as the inaugural winner of the Acorn Award.

A passionate advocate for enriching lives through education, Catherine Willis’ love for our community radiates through her enduring service to it. The Columbus Foundation is proud to honor Catherine's extraordinary service by presenting her with the 2020 Harrison M. Sayre Award.

Local meteorologist Chris Bradley was revered by his loyal viewers, who were taken by his warm spirit and joy for life. After his courageous battle with cancer, Bradley's husband Jason Bradley-Krauss was overwhelmed thinking about the generosity of the community and finding a way for those who loved his husband to honor his life. In 2019, Jason Bradley-Krauss established the Chris Bradley Memorial Fund, a Donor Advised Fund at the Foundation, to carry on his legacy of giving.

Born and raised near Boch Hollow, nature preservation was a passion for Dr. Francis Kessler and his wife, Joyce. The couple wanted to make sure it would be protected and maintained after their deaths. The Kesslers donated land to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and established the Francis W. and Joyce D. Kessler Fund in 2007, an endowment that would maintain the land and offer educational opportunities for schoolchildren.

The Harmony Project was established in 2010 as a way to bring neighbors and neighborhoods together to sing, serve, and share.