August grants included a $15,000 grant to the Kennedy Heights Art Center for its Teen Artists for Change program, which will empower young people to identify, plan and implement creative projects that matter to them and make an impact on the community.  

Diverse students in grades 7-12 will meet weekly on Saturdays at Kennedy Heights Arts Center.  Mentored by professional artists, youth will develop art and media-making skills to communicate the stories they want to tell through projects such as short films, animations and an online 'zine (self-published magazine).  In choosing subjects they care deeply about and presenting their work to public audiences, youth develop a sense of their own power as learners and contributors.

Grants made in August:

Adopt A Class Foundation, $15,000.  Employee groups at companies and other organizations adopt a class/classroom and provide students with mentoring support and field trips.

Cancer Family Care, $10,000.  Treehouse Children's Services, a core program for youth ages four through 18 who are coping with their own diagnosis, a loved one’s cancer diagnosis or the death of a loved one from cancer.

Cincinnati Observatory Center, $15,000.  Staffing support for education department ‘s docent program, allowing for expanded hours to accommodate several thousand additional visitors each year and continued support to the recently expanded youth outreach program. 

Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding & Horsemanship, $10,000.  Riderships (scholarships for those unable to afford the program) that allow young persons with a wide variety of disabilities to enjoy the benefit of an accredited therapeutic riding experience.

Down Syndrome Association, $15,000.  

Support for Early Matters Quarterly Classes in which children from infancy to age five enhance their development in areas of communication, motor skills and social skills. 

Friends of Sunrock Farm, $10,000.  A scholarship fund allows children from low-income families to experience the joys of nature through field trips and day camps at an educational farm in Wilder, Ky.

Hearing Speech & Deaf Center, $15,000.  Children’s programming provides access for deaf and hard of hearing young people from kindergarten to high school to experience educational, cultural and social activities in the Greater Cincinnati area.   

Kennedy Heights Art Center, $15,000.  The Teen Artists for Change program allows young people ages 12 to 17 to explore how they can come together and make a difference by focusing their own communication and advocacy efforts on issues they determine are important.

Mayerson Academy, $25,000.  A summer practicum for teachers includes one-on-one tutoring to help dyslexic children in grades K-3 with reading, writing and spelling. Teachers take their new knowledge back to their classroom, benefiting their students throughout the school year.

Music Resource Center-Cincinnati, $15,000.  Operating support to provide staffing and a facility for after-school music education and recording resources to teenagers, thereby creating a sense of empowerment and accomplishment.

Society of St. Vincent DePaul Cincinnati, $15,000.  As volunteers make home visits to families in need, some 870 beds will be provided to children who are sleeping on the floor.

Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, $10,000.  Mindful that diaper need can be more stressful than food insecurity, a largely volunteer organization works to leverage in-kind support and provide diapers to low income families who cannot afford one of life’s most basic needs.

YMCA – Great Miami Valley YMCA, $5,000.  Support to reduce the participation cost for children with special needs in an eight-week baseball program at the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Field in Fairfield.

All grants made in fiscal year 2016-17 ... click here.

The Dater Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area to carry out programs that benefit young people and focus in the areas of arts/culture, education, healthcare, social services and other community needs.  Information about the grantmaking process and guidelines and links to an online grant application website are available at www.DaterFoundation.org.

The private foundation was established by fourth-generation Cincinnatian, businessman and philanthropist Charles Dater (1912-1993) to ensure that his resources would continue to fund worthwhile community programs after his death. The foundation has made more than 2,800 grants totaling over $43 million since its inception in 1985. 

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For additional information regarding this news release, contact Roger Ruhl (513/598-1141).

The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. is located at 602 Main Street, Suite 302, Cincinnati, OH 45202.