Scripps Howard Fund, Foundation invest $900K in local communities

The Scripps Howard Fund and the Scripps Howard Foundation invested more than $900,000 in Greater Cincinnati communities in 2025, directing nearly two-thirds of that funding toward childhood literacy initiatives in its home market.

The downtown Cincinnati-based nonprofits awarded $11 million nationwide in 2025, a 12% increase from 2024, supporting community programs and journalism education across the country.

Locally, 63% of the Fund’s $907,000 in grants supported literacy causes, according to Carrie High, the Fund’s director of philanthropic strategies.

“As a Cincinnati-based organization, our commitment to uplifting communities starts right here at home,” said High, who joined the Fund in 2020. “Because our headquarters and so many of our colleagues are based here, we see these grants making a real difference in the lives of those around us.” 

A centerpiece of that effort is the Fund’s “If You Give a Child a Book …” campaign, which donates books to economically disadvantaged children. In 2025, the foundation distributed more than 25,000 books to students at seven Greater Cincinnati Title I partner schools. The Fund plans to expand the program to nine local Cincinnati-area schools this year, High said.

“There are few things more rewarding than seeing a child light up when they hold a new book that is theirs to keep,” said High, who worked in higher education prior to joining the Fund. 

Beyond book distribution, the Fund’s annual grants support local organizations focused on childhood literacy, helping expand programs, provide books and technology, create summer reading opportunities and address reading gaps.

“Literacy changes lives, especially for children facing socioeconomic challenges or who struggle to read at grade level,” High said She described the upcoming program expansion as “continuing to give children in our city the resources to build home libraries, strengthen literacy skills and ignite a love of reading.”

Thinking and acting locally

The Scripps Howard Fund administers funding for the Scripps Howard Foundation, a private foundation established in 1962. Its mission is to advance charitable causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company and the Scripps and Howard families, both of which still maintain strong Cincinnati connections.

Together, the Fund and Foundation work to uplift communities served by The E.W. Scripps Co. across the United States.

Nationally, the Fund invested $1.7 million in 2025 through its literacy campaign, providing 280,000 books to students in 93 Title I partner schools. The organization also raised a record $1.9 million toward education efforts during its annual campaign, funding more than 300,000 books that they’ll distribute in 2026.

The Fund also invested $2.3 million in communities last year, supporting more than 91 charities. In partnership with Scripps News Group, it raised nearly $270,000 for disaster relief efforts, including $127,000 for flood recovery in Central Texas.

The Foundation directed $5.4 million toward journalism education in 2025, including support for investigative reporting programs at the University of Maryland and Arizona State University and the launch of the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“In 2025, we saw communities across the country strengthened through the power of connection – whether it was giving children the gift of books, equipping aspiring journalists with the skills to tell important stories or rallying together in times of crisis,” said Meredith Delaney, president and CEO of the Fund.

While the organizations’ reach spans the country, High said their impact remains rooted in the Queen City. For its local efforts, the Scripps Howard Fund took home last year’s Foundation of the Year award presented by the Cincinnati chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

“By starting in Cincinnati, we strengthen the foundation for the change we strive to create in every community we serve,” High said.