The City of Cincinnati’s ‘Boots on the Ground Fund’ launched this week in partnership with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF). This new opportunity was created to support smaller, grassroots organizations to obtain support and technical assistance to scale their work. The goals of this new fund are to:

• Strengthen the capacity of small, community-based organizations
• Create more equitable solutions by prioritizing inclusion, community voice, and engagement with leaders of color & those with lived experience

With the support of the City of Cincinnati, GCF plans to distribute approximately $400,000 through this fund in its first year. Grants will be awarded to non-profit organizations with an operating budget of less than $1M and located within the city of Cincinnati. Priority will be given to organizations that demonstrate the involvement of community members in its decision making; and center the voices of those directly impacted by the organization.

More information about Boots on the Ground can be found on GCF's website here: https://www.gcfdn.org/rfp/. If community members and organizations have questions or need additional guidance, please submit inquiries at bootsontheground@gcfdn.org.

The City Administration is thankful for this innovative partnership with GCF and look forward to additional leveraged funding partnerships to support this important work in our community.