Cultivating Success Fund

Focus on Education in 2024

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 11:19:04 -0800

In 2024, our grants focused on Education.

We gave grants to:

School on Wheels volunteers offer free tutoring and mentorship to children in kindergarten through 12th grade who are living in shelters, motels, cars, group foster homes, or on the streets across Southern California.

They train and match volunteers with students and provide:

One-on-one weekly tutoring
School supplies
Assistance in entering school
Scholarships
Parental support
A learning center on Skid Row

Young Storytellers

Young Storytellers empowers students to take charge of their own stories. They are deeply committed to fostering connection and crafting narratives that amplify the voices of those who are often overlooked.

They believe that when young people recognize the strength in their personal stories—shaped by their unique experiences, identities, and backgrounds, including culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, abilities, immigration status, location, and economic circumstances—they help pave the way for a more compassionate and just future for all.

2023 Grant Recipients

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 20:45:08 -0800

In 2023, CSF's grants focused on supporting unhoused populations across the US. Here are the three organizations that recieved a grant from our fund:

Huckleberry House

Since 1970, Huckleberry House in Columbus, OH has been a safe place and a source of support for youth who are experiencing homelessness or family issues. They work relentlessly to ensure all young people in the community have access to a safe home environment as well as the guidance they need to develop skills to navigate and cope with the pressures of life. Jake, Megan, and Donny were able to visit Huck House and see the impact we made!

My Friend's Place

My Friend’s Place, based in Los Angeles, offers comprehensive services to 1,000 youth experiencing homelessness between the ages of 12 and 25 each year. These services include providing a safe haven, crisis care, education, health services, and providing basic needs like showers, supplies, and food. Joel and Colin spent a morning with the My Friend's Place team.

A focus on counseling in 2022

Mon, 01 May 2023 10:44:01 -0700

In 2022, Cultivating Success Fund gave over $6,000 to support of counseling services.

One grant went to Kaleidoscope in Columbus, Ohio, supporting a youth counselor through their community-based wellness program.

Kaleidoscope Youth Center is the largest and longest serving organization supporting LGBTQIA+ youth in Ohio. The mission of Kaleidoscope Youth Center is to work in partnership with young people in Central Ohio to create safe and empowering environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and ally youth through advocacy, education, support and community engagement.

The Community Based Wellness program was launched in 2020 and they are continuing to expand the services that they can provide. In 2021, they hired their first mental health therapist who has taken a holistic approach to supporting their young people. The therapist is available for youth to meet with one-to-one and as a group, all free of charge. The need has quickly outpaced their resources and our grant helped support the hiring of a second therapist. The ability to receive quick and quality mental health services is one of their greatest needs identified through their wellness program. The ability to help provide these services is the foundation of wellness and helps them achieve other program objectives such as providing shelter, nutritional assistance, other resources to the youth.

Our second grant went to Turning Point in North Carolina, supporting a counselor for victims of domestic abuse (both adults and children).

Turning Point offers comprehensive domestic abuse services, including shelter, a crisis line,...Read More

Former Foster Youth Grant with First Star

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 11:59:04 -0800

We are excited to announce our next grant was awarded to First Star in support of their Alumni Program.

With our grant, we will be supporting former foster youth who have completed the First Star college readiness programs. They have completed the program and now are on their own, many without family or community to support them when things come up. Right now, former foster youth face unprecedented hurdles with COVID and its repercussions. With our grant, we will help them during financial crises, whether that's for transportation support to their job, health related expenses, school or work supplies, etc. Our grant will support them through the crisis so they can continue to thrive.

Check out our announcement video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CV_P0cjD9zS/

To learn more about First Star and their programs, please click here.

Nurse Navigator Grant with WeSPARK

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 12:55:01 -0700

We are excited to annouce our next grant was awarded to WeSPARK in support of their Nurse Navigator Program.

With our grant, we funded 20 oncology nurse navigator sessions. This is one of the most imperative aspects of their programming, as COVID-19 has left their Guests with many uncertainties regarding making informed decisions with their plan of care. The nurse answers questions about a diagnosis, treatment, or navigating the healthcare system.

We were fortunate enough to have a tour of their facilities in Southern California. Check out the video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSKhdHNBJyw/

To learn more about WeSPARK and their programs, please click here.

CSF Featured in NEXUS with the Columbus Foundation

Fri, 21 May 2021 14:12:43 -0700

We are excited to share with you our feature article in the Spring 2021 NEXUS publication from The Columbus Foundation!

Image from The Columbus Foundation featuring Micheal Ingersoll, Donny Murray, Jake Reamsnyder, and Megan Reamsnyder.

Click here to read the full article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wed, 12 May 2021 13:17:43 -0700

General fund information

What is a Donor-Advised Fund?

Essentially, it is a charitable investment fund. We contribute money, collect donations, and all of that money is invested until we decide to distribute a grant to a nonprofit.

What is the Columbus Foundation?

The Columbus Foundation is the nonprofit that manages our Donor Advised Fund. They handle the investing and accounting of the fund. When we are ready to distribute a grant, they send the check directly to the nonprofit. All donations to our fund through the Columbus Foundation are tax deductible.

Are you a non-profit?

No. However, all of your donations to our fund are tax deductible.

How the fund operates

How do you decide who receives a grant?

Our advisors research potential non-profits and pitch the various projects to the advisors. The advisors then vote on who should receive the grant.

How many grants do you give a year?

Currently, we give two grants per year.

If I donate to your fund, where does the money go?

The money sits in our investment account and grows over time. The donations never sit in our account for more than a year, and 100% of our donations are given out within the calendar year during our grant cycle.

Can my nonprofit apply for a grant?

At this time, we don't have a formal grant application process, but we love hearing from nonprofits and learning more about the needs of our community members.

Are there any nonprofits you do NOT support?

We do not support politicians or religious organizations.

Learn more about our fund through our Q&A session on Instagram by clicking 1) DONATE

Please consider a financial gift this 05 Day! Even a $25 donation will go a long way.

Donate directly to our fund here: https://columbusfoundation.org/the-giving-store/fund-directory-listing/CultivatingSuccessFund/4096

Donations are tax deductible.

Did you know? All of the gifts we receive on 05 day will be given out through our 2021 grants.

Don't Forget!

Many corporations have a matching program. We'd love to be considered. Click here to see if the company you work for offers a matching program.

2) PURCHASE

Another way to help our fund is to purchase swag! Proceeds from our sales go directly to our 2021 grants. This year, we are offering adult and youth t-shirts and mugs.

Click here to order today!

3) FOLLOW, LIKE, SHARE

Please consider engaging with us on social media. This helps boosts our posts on newsfeeds and increases our exposure.

Click the links below to follow along.

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