This month’s At the Table blog features Dr. David Harrison, Spirit of Columbus® Award honoree and President of Columbus State, reflecting on the power of partnerships, expanding opportunity, and preparing central Ohio for the future.

The back-to-school season is in full swing—but for many central Ohio nonprofits, the important work of supporting students both inside and outside the classroom is year-round. This month, we spotlight one central Ohio nonprofit’s efforts to boost educational outcomes by providing clothing assistance to families in need.

Scholarships provide life-changing financial support to students and empower the next generation to pursue their dreams. As students return to school, we’re dedicating this edition of Charitable Insights to Scholarship Funds—how they work, who should start a fund, and their benefits for students—as well as for you and your clients.

Charitable giving is an important element of financial, tax, and legal planning, but with so many paths to choose from, it can be easy to get lost along the way. Brad Britton, Director of Planned Giving and General Counsel at The Columbus Foundation, explains how to map out a successful charitable plan—and the many options to consider along the way.

As tax season draws to a close, we're reminded of the benefits of Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) that offer ease and flexibility for donors to maximize their impact and eliminate donation-tracking stress by streamlining their charitable contributions through one giving vehicle.

Lisa Jolley, JD, CAP®, Senior Director of Donor Services, lays out a number of scenarios that indicate it might be time to initiate the charitable conversation, as well as helpful approaches to consider.

Our staff is built of talented, educated, innovative, and passionate people, who like you, want to make our community better for everyone.

The Columbus Foundation has long invested in community research to help enhance community knowledge across a range of important issues, such as mental healthcare, digital equity and inclusion, youth services, aging populations, and homelessness. This research serves to educate the community, inform regional priorities, identify local assets and pain points, and help local nonprofits determine where to focus their programming.