GCF awards $663K to nonprofits to build vibrant Cincy communities

Greater Cincinnati Foundation awarded $663,000 to 31 local organizations through its Vibrant Places grant program. The funding supports a variety of initiatives, from arts and cultural programs to community spaces and inclusive youth activities, with grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.

Recipients include the Contemporary Arts Center, Kennedy Heights Arts Center and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, bringing performances and exhibitions to the region; neighborhood groups like Cornerstone Renter Equity and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, improving parks and gardens; and nonprofits such as Canine Companions for Independence and Luke 5 Adventures, providing service dogs and adaptive outdoor programs.

The largest awards, $25,000 each, are going to projects that activate public spaces and strengthen community connections across Cincinnati.

See the full list of grantees below.

“By investing in parks, green spaces, cultural institutions, and arts initiatives, we’re fostering community engagement and creativity, helping create and sustain vibrant, accessible spaces that connect and inspire residents across our region,” GCF wrote in a statement.

Vibrant Places grant winners

• ArtWorks – $15,000 for Shahzia Sikander Mural Project
• Canine Companions for Independence – $10,000 for support for future service dogs in the Greater Cincinnati Area
• Cincinnati Parks Foundation – $10,000 for Sawyer Point Riverfront Rink Revitalization
• Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park – $15,000 for Off the Hill Touring Productions
• Cincinnati Shakespeare Company – $10,000 for PROJECT Unison: Partnering with Q-Kidz Dance Troupe
• Contemporary Arts Center – $25,000 for Contemporary Cincinnati: Catalyst for Community and Culture
• Cornerstone Renter Equity – $25,000 for Goose Alley Community Garden, Downtown Cincinnati
• Elementz – $25,000 for Creating Safe Space: Empowering Young Artists
• Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House – $25,000 for The Stowe Garden, Phases I & II
• Green Umbrella – $25,000 for Expanding Green & Healthy Schools
• Groundwork Ohio River Valley, Inc. – $25,000 for Green Workforce Development Support
• Hamilton Living Water Ministry, Inc. – $25,000 for Living Water Community Park / Parque Comunitario Agua Viva
• Imperial Theatre Mohawk Alliance – $25,000 for Infrastructure improvements to activate The Imperial Theatre
• Jazz Alive – $5,000 for Jazz in the Camp at the American Sign Museum
• Keep Cincinnati Beautiful – $25,000 for Spaces to Places West End Pocket Park
• Kennedy Heights Arts Center – $23,000 for Play in the Park
• Kentucky Symphony Orchestra – $25,000 for 2026 free Summer Park Series
• KNOW Theatre of Cincinnati – $25,000 for Capacity Building
• Luke 5 Adventures – $20,000 for 2026 Greater Cincinnati Adaptive Hiking Season
• Mill Creek Alliance – $25,000 for Yellow Bridge Greenspace Activation
• NEST (Northsiders Engaged in Sustainable Transformation) – $25,000 for Everyone is Welcome: Enhancing Vibrancy Through Accessibility
• Pones Inc. – $15,000 for Pones Arts in Healing Expansion
• Price Hill Will – $25,000 for Community-Visioned Art Installation in End of the Line Park
• Reach Me Inc. – $25,000 for Community Inclusion Program
• ReNewport – $25,000 for Newport Intermediate School Outdoor Enhancement
• Revolution Dance Theatre – $25,000 for The Dream Project 2025/2026
• Tri-State Trails – $25,000 for Connecting the CROWN through Mill Creek Valley
• Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation – $25,000 for Walnut Hills Arts & Cultural District
• WavePool: A Contemporary Art Fulfillment Center – $15,000 for Capacity Building
• Westwood Works Inc. – $25,000 for Westwood Neighborhood Plan: Westwood Rising
• Visionaries+Voices – $25,000 for Accessible Art Studio, Inclusive Exhibitions and Teaching Artist Program (TAP)

Greater Cincinnati Foundation