Horizon Community Funds has granted $85,000 to seven different nonprofits serving Northern Kentucky. This is the largest Community Impact Fund grant cycle since Horizon Community Funds was founded in 2017.
The following nonprofits received funds:
• Brighton Center received $15,000 to support Opportunity House, an initiative that provides a supportive environment to young adults to reach their educational and career goals, leading to a pathway to labor market success for those who traditionally experienced barriers to completing education beyond high school.
• CHNK Behavioral Health received $15,000 for Expanding Mental Health Services in a Pandemic Climate (EMHS), which seeks to increase units of care to close a gap between immediate post-pandemic demand for services and individuals able to receive services.
• Easterseals Redwood received $10,000 to expand their Military & Veteran services to provide support to 125-150 veterans in Northern Kentucky.
• Grant Us Hope received $15,000 for Hope Squad, an innovative, evidence-based suicide prevention program that focuses on empowering youth. Hope Squad members learn how to identify their peers who may be struggling emotionally, communicate with them effectively, and connect them to the help they need.
• La Soupe received $10,000 for their Rescue/Transform/Share Program. A team of chefs transforms rescued food into ready-to-serve, restaurant-quality meals, which are then delivered to people experiencing food insecurity. This grant will support La Soupe’s partnerships with agencies in Northern Kentucky.
• Learning Grove received $10,000 for NaviGo. The River Cities Network is a partnership between NaviGo, the six River Cities school districts of Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Erlanger/Elsmere, Ludlow, and Newport, Gateway Community & Technical College, and business and community partners. This grant will be utilized to directly support the college and career prep work-based learning needs of the students for items such as PPE, industry recognized credentialing, and dual credit.
• Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board received $10,000 for a study that will examine how the backbone organization for GROW NKY will ensure the value, effectiveness, and return on investment of GROW NKY’s initiatives and programs while exploring the best model for convening community partners and communicating with businesses, partners, and job seekers across the workforce ecosystem.
“The grant requests we receive never fail to impress us and serve as a great reminder of the exceptional services Northern Kentucky nonprofits provide for our community,” said Nancy Grayson, President and CEO of Horizon Community Funds. “We have no doubt these grants will be used to make great changes in Northern Kentucky. I encourage our community to support these efforts by contributing to our Community Impact Fund.”
The Community Impact Fund provides an annual flexible grant opportunity that provides resources for nonprofits that accelerate change, innovate solutions, and leverage partnerships and resources in Northern Kentucky. The Community Impact Fund relies on individual donors, business partnerships, and other support to bring grant opportunities to Northern Kentucky.
“It seems insufficient to simply say ‘thank you’ to our donors,” stated Kit Andrews, Horizon Community Funds Grantmaking Committee Chair. “Each year we are able to research and fund projects so important to our community because of you, our donors. Your generosity touches students, veterans, the hungry, the emotionally bereft. Since inception, these grants have been fueled by small donations from many, many individuals who share our bold belief that we truly can make a difference together. We are so grateful for your faith in our choices and hope you can understand the depth of our gratitude…thank you!”
Information on the 2023 Community Impact Fund grant cycle will be available at the end of this year.
The community is encouraged to donate to the Community Impact Fund by:
• Visiting www.horizonfunds.org
• Mailing a check made payable to Horizon Community Funds (memo: NKY Coronavirus Relief Fund): 50 E. RiverCenter Blvd., Suite 431, Covington, KY 41011
What recipients had to say:
Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky Behavioral Health CEO Rick Wurth said, “CHNK Behavioral Health has witnessed a 434% increase in client and family impacts over the past eight years. The number of associates on our team has expanded exponentially not only in number but also in credential sets and innovative specialties being placed at the service of youth and families who have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect, and at-risk behaviors. CHNK Behavioral Health’s evolution has been empowered by community partners just like Horizon Community Funds with the end result being top-tier behavioral healthcare that is inclusive, innovative and inspiring.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Horizon Community Funds to empower veterans in our region,” said Easterseals Redwood President & CEO Pam Green. “This grant, along with Easterseals’ recent combination with Redwood, will allow us to serve more veterans in Northern Kentucky and reshape their struggles toward lifelong peer support and stability for them and their families.”
Grant Us Hope VP of Marketing and Development Holly Schnapf: “Grant Us Hope is thrilled to be partnering with Horizon Community Funds to bring Hope Squad to Northern Kentucky schools. Hope Squad is an innovative, evidence-based suicide prevention program that focuses on empowering youth. Hope Squad members learn how to identify their peers who may be struggling emotionally, communicate with them effectively and connect the to the help they need. In addition, they reduce mental health stigma and foster a sense of belonging in schools. The program is currently being implemented in approximately 200 Ohio schools. Thanks to Horizon Community Funds, Northern Kentucky students will now be able to benefit from this life-saving program.”
“A meaningful investment from Horizon Community Funds makes it possible for La Soupe to expand its work with Northern Kentucky partners, delivering restaurant-quality meals made from rescued food to community members experiencing food insecurity,” said La Soupe’s Daniel Tonozzi.
Learning Grove Senior Director of NaviGo Kathy Burkhardt said, “Learning Grove is grateful and excited to be a Community Impact Fund grant recipient. The grant will be utilized to directly support the college and career prep work-based learning needs of the students for items such as PPE, transportation industry recognized credentialing, dual credit, and other student needs. The use of the funds will align with and complement the great student-focused work already being done by each school district. The collective impact of everyone’s efforts will assist our youth with college and career success and our region with workforce development.”
“Northern Kentucky is unique in our ability to work together collaboratively to ‘move the needle’ in key areas,” said Executive Director, Northern Kentucky Area Development District, Tara Johnson-Noem. “As we collectively address the significant workforce challenges facing our region, it is imperative to have the right structure and leadership to accomplish our goals. GROW NKY, formed in 2017, continues to bring partners together to address a holistic approach to workforce development. Funding from the Community Impact Fund will move GROW forward through the identification of a governance structure which integrates current efforts and enables sustained progress. We are grateful to Horizon Community Funds for its continued support of priority needs in the NKY metro.”
