2018-19 was The Charles H. Dater Foundation’s 34th year of grantmaking, awarding 147 grants totaling $3,907,446.
Since 1985-86, the Foundation has made over 3,000 grants totaling more than $50 million to over 450 organizations. In the fiscal/grant year (September to August) of 2018-2019, grants to nonprofit organizations ranged from $1,000 to $250,000. The average grant was $26,581 and the median grant was $25,000.
Grantmaking increased …
11% in 2018-19. The Foundation’s assets were in excess of $110 million in August 2019. Grantmaking is funded solely by the contributions of the late Charles Dater and the investment growth of assets. The Foundation does not generate revenues through programs or contributions. In general, the Foundation’s grantmaking is slightly above the required distribution level in keeping with its long-term goal of protecting and growing the asset base in order to exist in perpetuity. This also serves to preserve the philanthropic commitment and the memory of Charles Dater and four generations of the Dater family.
The Foundation’s focus …
remained on supporting many long-time grant recipients. Funding continued for the Family Performance and Activities Series at Ronald McDonald House. An additional grant of $60,000 grant for enhancements to the Charles H. Dater Theatre was part of a renovation and expansion project that makes the Cincinnati house the largest in the United States. The Foundation joined with other foundations to participate in the Northern Kentucky Funder’s Program, which allowed nonprofits to tell their stories and compete for grants of up to $6,000. Cancer Family Care recognized the Foundation’s support of Treehouse Children’s Services program at its annual Unsung Heroes Awards event.
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s mini-grants programs (Learning Links and Summertime Kids) received $250,000 from the Foundation and support over the years exceeds $2 million. Others above the $1 million level are Cincinnati Zoo (capital projects), Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation (scholarships to Gilbert Dater High School graduates), Cincinnati Public Radio (programming on WGUC and WVXU), Taft Museum of Art (youth education), Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (research), Children’s Theatre (school performances), and CISE (Catholic Inner-city Schools Education),
Twenty grants were made to first-time recipients. The largest was a $50,000 grant to the Library Foundation of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for its Homework Helpers program. Almost all grants supported cost-effective programs and projects, and they were often made to small organizations that leverage their resources well, make good use of volunteers, and benefit under-served populations.
Promoting its grant recipients …
and the work that they do remained a priority for the Foundation. Foundation grants to Cincinnati Public Radio (WGUC & WVXU) and CET (WCET-TV) provided the opportunity to use broadcast announcements to salute grant recipients, thereby helping increase their visibility and attract additional support. The Foundation’s web site continued to feature success stories and photos of grant recipients, helping to further spread the word about these nonprofit organizations. News releases announcing new grants were posted regularly. A new annual report section on the web site allowed for expanded descriptions of the grant recipients and the programs or projects funded by the Foundation.
Grant applicants continued to give high marks to the Foundation’s web-based, online grant application process. The user-friendly system is designed to reduce time spent by applicants in preparing and submitting requests and evaluation reports. The process also allows Foundation directors to be more thorough and effective in reviewing applications, evaluations and other documents, which applicants may attach to their submissions. The Foundation’s web site features detailed information about its grantmaking process.
Enriching Young Lives …
is what the Foundation is all about. The mission: to make grants to nonprofit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area to carry out projects and programs that benefit children, teens and young adults, focusing in the areas of arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services and other community needs.
Charles H. Dater (1912 to 1993) …
businessman, philanthropist a fourth generation Cincinnatian, established the Foundation in 1985 to ensure that funding for worthwhile community programs would continue after his death. The Foundation honors the memory and preserves the philanthropic commitment of Charles and his ancestors, whose hard work and business acumen over 150 years provided them with the opportunity to share their success with their community.
Directors and officers play an active role in the work of the Foundation, which has no full-time staff members. Besides typical board oversight duties, they perform the work of staff, which includes: reviewing hundreds of grant requests each year, making site visits to current and potential grant recipients, monitoring how grant dollars are spent, seeking new grant applicants whose goals coincide with those of the Foundation, and overseeing the management, growth and preservation of the Foundation’s assets.