Cincinnati, Ohio, October 9, 2026 – The Charles H. Dater Foundation awarded 21 grants in September totaling $885,000, including a $75,000 award to the Taft Museum of Art for its robust education and outreach programming that benefits 5,000 young people annually through a variety of programming.

Programs include Artists Reaching Classrooms. Art for All, Early Expressions, School Experiences, Summer Art Camp, Family Funday, Sensory Exploration, Create and Play, 

Outreach and Workshops, Artist-in-Residence, Pop-Ups, and Entrepreneurship.

 

Grants made in September:

Art Creates Us, $30,000.  ProjectArt Cincinnati provides free, weekly afterschool classes at the Avondale, West End and Bond Hill public library branches.  Underserved students develop their artistic skills and knowledge as well as enhance self-esteem, academic engagement, and sense of belonging.  

Arthritis Foundation, $25,000.  Kids Get Arthritis Too is a program that includes a JA Family Days, JA Camp and JA power packets filled with educational materials and other information about resources and support for children with arthritis and their parents.  

Assistance League of Greater Cincinnati, $75,000.  Operation School Bell is a back-to-school program that provides school clothes including uniforms, jackets, pants, shirts, underwear, socks and shoes along with hygiene supplies to children in need at 44 area public and parochial schools.  

.

Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center, $30,000.  Community outreach programs provide about 10,000 art making and cooking interactions/experiences to youth after school and at summer camp.

Beech Acres Parenting Center, $50,000.  Beyond the Classroom provides full, wrap-around mental health support as service providers work with school staff to understand the needs of each student and all school families.  The program will involve nine inner-city schools in the current school year.

CET - Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation, $100,000.  Quality, trustworthy and entertaining educational programming is the hallmark of CET’s outreach to children of all backgrounds.  This happens daily on flagship station WCET, 24/7 on a dedicated Kids Channel, and through Internet streaming and other features on the station’s web site.

Children’s Theatre, $75,000.  The 2026-27 MainStage season features four productions and about 40 performances at the renovated Emery Theatre that will be seen by about 100,000 students, children and families.  Students from low income families attend weekday school performances free or at a nominal charge.  

Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra/Summermusik, $30,000.  The Community Engagement and Education Program includes partnerships with MY Cincinnati, Immanuel School of Music, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Ronald McDonald House, Heartfelt Tidbits, Mindful Music Moments/The Well and others. 

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, $60,000 (first of five years; $60,000 per year).  Children with sickle cell anemia enrolled in the ENHANCE protocol receive personalized hydroxyurea treatment and get periodic clinical and laboratory assessments that have the potential to be a model for other SCA centers across the country.

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, $30,000.  Education outreach productions present 90 performances at about 75 area elementary schools, impacting over 20,000 students in grades K through 6.  The focus is on schools that provide little or no access to the arts.  

Cincinnati Recreation Commission, $30,000.  CRC Alt Rec offers outdoor adventure programming for teens ages 12-17.  In addition to the longtime Rivertrek adventure, activities include kayaking, canoeing, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking and more. 

Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and Columbus, $20,000.  A free-of-charge counseling service for children and adolescents strives to identify specific problems that limit overall independence and teach coping and problem-solving skills.  

Exponent Philanthropy, $10,000.  This grant is made in recognition of the Exponent Philanthropy’s 30 years of providing resources to small and mid-size foundations.

Fernside - A Center for Grieving Children, $30,000.  School-based grief support counseling features on-site support for students experiencing the loss of a loved one, typically a parent or sibling, and the Crisis Program provides large scale intervention to an entire school, such as coping with the death another student.  About 1,000 young people are expected to benefit from the free programs.

Historic Southwest Ohio, $25,000.  Education programs and outreach focus on history and life in the 19th century for nearly young people in kindergarten through high school.  A record 9,500 young people participated last year, including 45% from Title 1 schools.

Impacting Tomorrow, $30,000.  The Family Stabilizer Program is an integrated, data driven approach to helping families move from crisis to long term stability by addresses the root causes that affect children and families in the region. 

Inner City Youth Opportunities, $50,000.  A free, intensive after-school and summer academic intervention and youth development program helps about 50 inner-city children in kindergarten through Grade 6 develop life and social skills and improve their academic abilities.  

ProKids, $50,000.  CASA University is a year-round recruitment, screening and training program for volunteers who serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates on behalf of abused and neglected children involved in child protection situations.

Queen City Book Bank, $35,000.  QCBB’s curated book distribution program provides an innovative solution to a critical literacy resource gap in the community.  An online portal receives, sorts and distributes books to Greater Cincinnati students in grades K-6 who lack consistent access to books.

Taft Museum of Art, $75,000.  See above.

Western Wildlife Corridor, 25,000.  An Environmental Eduction Program gives children and families free, expert-led opportunities to get outside, learn and develop a sense of wonder about the natural world.  Programs take place at nine public nature preserves. 

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 4,000 grants totaling over $89 million since its inception in 1985.

#