The program serves children from low-income families because they are most likely to enter kindergarten without the early literacy skills necessary for success. The same tutor is paired with the same child year-round.  98% of program participants are from families with incomes at or below the poverty level and 10% are homeless. 

Whiz Kids began in 2005 with 3 locations and 125 students. The program's partnership model and ability to improve reading levels spurred growth across the city. Next school year, Whiz Kids will serve 400 children at 29 different locations, partnering with 26 public school districts. The program is offered free of charge to schools, children, and their families. City Gospel Mission raises the funds necessary to operate the program.  Read more at www.CityGospelMission.org.

Grants made in May:

Adopt A Class Foundation, $35,000.  Employee groups at companies and other organizations adopt a class/classroom and provide over 10,000 elementary students with monthly mentoring support and field trips.  More than 4,000 volunteers participate.

American Diabetes Association, $30,000.  Camp Korelitz makes a week at summer camp possible for about 100 young people ages 8-17 who struggle with Type 1 diabetes.

ArtWorks, $30,000.  The year-round Youth Employment Program employs diverse teams of youth, ages 14-24, and helps over 200 young people build 21st century career-readiness skills through hands-on, engaging projects. 

Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati, $30,000.  The Graduate education program provides over 2,000 underserved young people in Cincinnati’s poorest neighborhoods with tutoring, high-level activities and life skills to prepare them for trade school, military enlistment, community college or a four-year college/university.

Cincinnati Landmark Productions/Madcap Puppets, $30,000.  Madcap Puppets uses giant puppets and professional actors to create an innovative and exciting concept of puppetry that allows all the elements of theatre to be combined in an artistic and educational performance.  Over 25,000 students attended 90 performances at 72 schools last year and over 15,000 young people saw performances at community venues.

Cincinnati Museum Center, $40,000.  STEAMing Curiosity with Children’s Learning focuses on enhancing skills in high-demand areas through programs such as Programs on Wheels, museum camps, digital programming, STEM Girls, food science experiences, and onsite field trips.  

Cincinnati Observatory Center, $20,000.  A Youth Outreach Program reaches more than 14,000 students annually who visit on school field trips or at other times throughout the year.

Cincinnati ToolBank, $20,000.  A new, four-week summer camp program for middle school aged youth exposes them to career opportunities in the trades, construction, IT and the arts.  

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, $30,000.  The CYC Mentoring Program provides in-school and out-of-school supports that address disparities in educational and career attainment for students of color who are of low socioeconomic status while also increasing their social-emotional learning capacities. 

Circle Tail, $30,000.  A therapy dog program raises and trains dogs for two years and then places them in schools to assist with therapeutic interventions and provide overall benefits to students as well as staff.  Sixteen dogs were placed last year.

City Gospel Misson, $35,000.  See above.

Civic Garden Center, $30,000.  The Youth Education Program enables young people to foster an appreciation and respect for nature and the environment, understand where food comes from, and engage in healthy, outside activity.  Offsite programs at schools and during the summer at community gardens as well as a Growing Our Teachers Project are outreach components of the program.  

Contemporary Arts Center, $35,000.  Youth Education outreach features a robust menu of programs that encourage students, teachers and families to enjoy interactive and hands-on art experiences.  The sixth floor Creativity Center is dedicated to innovative learning and experimentation with an emphasis on STEAM subjects and concepts.

DePaul Cristo Rey High School, $35,000.  The Graduate Success Program provides DPCR alumni in college with emergency financial and emotional support to navigate the challenges that face low-income, first-generation college students.

Easter Seals Tristate (Easterseals Redwood), 40,000.  YouthBuild is a two-year program that supports young adults not only in attaining a high school diploma or equivalency, but provides credentialed training, practical experience and placement and apprenticeship opportunities in the construction trade. 

Ensemble Theatre, $50,000.  Education, Engagement and Inclusion programming takes place in school and at the Over the Rhine theatre. Programs include Prelude, By Heart, ETC Essentials, the ETC Studio Series, Meet-the-Artist discussions, Fairy Godmother performances, Teen Scene and Summer Camp.

Freestore Foodbank, $75,000. The Power Pack Childhood Hunger Prevention Program distributes over 200,000 carry-home meals at 109 sites for over 5,700 children in low-income families to ensure they will have food over weekends and during holidays when school meals are not available.

Girls on the Run, $35,000.  Scholarships make it possible for underserved girls to participate in this program that teaches life lessons and the importance of fitness using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.  More than 2,000 girls in Grades 3-8 will participate.

iSpace, $30,000.  Making Mathletes brings multi-month, hands on math learning experiences to underserved elementary classrooms.  Developed from iSpace’s Ignite Engineering initiative, the program will reach 500-600 students in over 400 in-class sessions led by trained educators in partnership with classroom teachers.  

Junior Achievement of OKI Partners, $30,000.  Adult volunteers participate in training and then take Junior Achievement’s time-tested financial and life success programs into classrooms, working with teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools to reach nearly 40,000 students with financial literacy, career readiness and entrepreneurship education. 

Kennedy Heights Arts Center, $30,000.  Teen Artists for Change and Tellus Zine (an online magazine) empower teens in Grades 7-12 to identify, plan, and implement creative projects that make an impact on the world around them. 

Last Mile Food Rescue, $75,000.  Last Mile uses an extensive network of volunteers and innovative technology to deliver unused or unwanted food to over 100 organizations that serve people who are hungry and in need.  More than four million pounds of food was delivered in 2024.  Over 800 volunteers made 18,975 food rescues.

Lighthouse Youth & Family Services, $40,000.  The Youth Housing Opportunities program offers scattered-site and site-based housing for 16-24 year olds who are formerly homeless, aging out of foster care, or transitioning from residential treatment.  

Magnified Giving, $30,000.  High school and middle school students at about 100 area schools and 25 youth-serving organizations learn the importance, benefits and process of philanthropy by evaluating and making grants to non-profit organizations.

Matthew 25: Ministries, $35,000.  The local fresh food program coordinates a collaboration of corporate in-kind product donors small to mid-size local partner organizations that can use fresh food to provide assistance to underserved and vulnerable populations.  One million pounds of food was distributed in 2024.

Network for Hope (formerly LifeCenter), $25,000.  The Celebrate Life Calendar is a publication distributed strategically in the community to raise awareness levels about the organ donation network, including teens who are coming of age and beginning to drive..   

Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, $30.,000.  The Lincoln Grant Scholar House program provides affordable housing and educational support counsel and services to single student parents while also addressing the childcare and early education needs their children.

President Drive Church of Christ (Faith Alliance Coalition), $20,000.  The Faith Alliance’s Day of Hope 2025 will continue the tradition of a community celebration for young people as they return to school, providing them with supplies, mental and physical health needs, and other resources.  The community event connects families to service organizations that can provide needed assistance.

Strategies to End Homelessness, $35,000.  The Central Access Point Helpline for the Homeless is the centralized emergency shelter intake helpline that operates 363 days a year.  It is the one number anyone experiencing or at-risk of homelessness in Hamilton County needs to call to get information about services, check for space in emergency shelters, and other homelessness system programs, and/or be placed in a shelter or homelessness prevention program. 

University of Cincinnati Foundation – Urban Health Project, $25,000.  About 20-25 University of Cincinnati medical students spend their only open summer working full-time in internships at non-profit organizations, where they gain an increased understanding of the social factors that impact healthcare.

University of Cincinnati Foundation – U.C. Med Mentors), $25,000.  Medical students volunteer to mentor young people through outings to local cultural venues and special events that the youngsters would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend.  Nearly 200 medical students, about one-fourth of the medical student population, participate.

YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, $25,000.  The Music Resource Center is a multifaceted after-school music and recording studio for teens.  Formerly independent, MRC merged into the YWCA for greater organizational support.

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 3,800 grants totaling over $80 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 700 Walnut Street, Suite 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202.