Community Matters joins national network, backed by $100K match

Stand Together Foundation selected Cincinnati-based Community Matters as one of 15 nonprofits nationwide to take part in Catalyst Ignite, a yearlong leadership and organizational development program. Community Matters will also join the broader Catalyst Community, a national network of more than 350 groups working in over 1,300 communities.

Founded in 2014, Community Matters works to create a more just and thriving Price Hill community by reducing barriers to opportunity. Its work focuses on four core areas: family sustainability, education pathways for adult learners, resident-led community leadership, and neighborhood development aimed at keeping Price Hill affordable and vibrant.

Stand Together Foundation selected Community Matters from hundreds of applicants through a national review process. The foundation says it recognizes Catalyst Community organizations for testing new approaches and centering community-driven solutions. Participants receive coaching, financial support and access to peer networks designed to strengthen organizational capacity.

Amber Fogarty, managing director for Stand Together Foundation, described this year’s cohort as a “network of our country’s most dynamic social entrepreneurs.”

“The Catalyst Ignite experience is all about shifting how we tackle our country’s biggest challenges, and these organizations are already demonstrating better ways to empower people by innovating, experimenting, and challenging the status quo,” Fogarty said. “We can’t wait to see how these new Catalysts learn, partner, and spark change together.”

Bringing more support to Lower Price Hill

Stand Together Foundation focuses on community-driven approaches that center people closest to local challenges and provides financial support to social entrepreneurs and organizations working to strengthen communities through collaboration, problem-solving and efforts aimed at expanding opportunity and improving quality of life.

For Community Matters, participation in Catalyst Ignite comes as the organization works to strengthen its internal operations while testing new initiatives shaped by neighborhood priorities. Through the program, Community Matters will have access to up to $100,000 in matching funds from Stand Together Foundation, intended to encourage additional local investment.

The availability of matching funds creates an opportunity to broaden local investment, according to Patty Lee, chief advancement officer at Community Matters. The funds will allow the organization to invite Cincinnati-area partners to “lean in with us,” she said, “helping accelerate community-led solutions that are already taking root in Lower Price Hill.”

“This investment from Stand Together Foundation affirms what our neighbors have been building for years,” Lee said.

Community Matters