The Columbus Foundation is helping to redefine community building, empowerment, and grassroots involvement in central Ohio

	for more information… The Columbus Foundation James I. Luck PRESIDENT 1234 Broad Street Columbus, OH 43205 (614) 251-4000 www.columbusfoundation.com info@columbusfoundation.com
	Photo courtesy of The Columbus Foundation
	More than 30 mentoring projects, like this neighborhood learning center at Ohio Avenue Elementary School, are a result of the Neighborhood Partnership Program. After-school tutoring programs, adult basic education, and computer classes—all taught by volunteers—enable parents and children to take classes together.

At a time when “empowerment” is little more than a buzz word to many, The Columbus Foundation and several key partners are leading a city-wide campaign that puts decision making and project implementation into the hands of its citizens.

The Neighborhood Partnership Program is a collaboration between The Columbus Foundation, the City of Columbus, National City, BankOne, NA, United Way of Franklin County, Wolfe Associates, and Bob Evans Farms. Community Quest ’92, the idea behind the Neighborhood Partnership Program, was developed during Columbus’ 1992 quincentennial celebration.

Efforts by neighborhood groups to beautify and revitalize their communities for Community Quest ’92 inspired city leaders to look for ways to continue the work after official celebrations ended. The Columbus Foundation was approached, other key funders signed on, and an enduring alliance between civic and community leaders was created.

Since then, grants totaling more than $2.4 million— and leveraged resources of more than $2 million in cash, goods, services, and volunteer time—have helped make Columbus area neighborhoods better places for children, youth, and families.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE
The key to the initiative’s success, says Jim Luck, president of The Columbus Foundation, is that it is neighborhood residents themselves who are working together to identify needs, develop plans, procure funding, and implement solutions. “When the Neighborhood Partnership Program began, only a few neighborhood groups were working together on significant community issues,” says Luck. “Today it is the norm. The Neighborhood Partnership Program works.”

The results speak for themselves. To date, Columbus citizens of all ages have worked together on 26 neighborhood capacity building projects, 30 mentoring initiatives, and 74 capital improvement programs. Children, youth, and families are the beneficiaries of these projects, which range from playspace improvements to environmental cleanup to mentoring/tutoring initiatives and beyond.

ENABLING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP
The Neighborhood Partnership Program was the city’s first attempt to bring diverse community groups together to plan for neighborhood improvements without significant guidance or strings attached to funding from outside the neighborhood. Each group that wants to participate is asked to convene a group of representatives from many sectors within their community—schools, civic groups, businesses, churches, neighborhood development corporations, and so on. Then they define the neighborhood’s boundaries, decide on a project, develop a proposal, raise matching contributions of cash, donated goods and services, and volunteers, coordinate volunteer efforts, and implement the project.

Initially, two or three groups might have joined a non-profit organization to work on a project at the non-profit’s prodding. In the past two years, however, collaboration has reached new levels with as many as 10 grassroots organizations working together. “By focusing on improved collaborative efforts from the very beginning, we have seen marked improvement in relations between neighborhoods…and between these groups and the foundation,” Luck says. “Several grassroots organizations that have completed successful projects through the Neighborhood Partnership Program have gone on to establish other ongoing initiatives with Columbus Foundation support.” Luck and others who work on the Neighborhood Partnership Program clearly know that funding programs, then standing back to see what happens, is not enough.“ We knew this idea needed the support and resources of many community organizations, not just ours,” says Luck. “The Neighborhood Partnership Program has been a very positive collaborative experience for us as well as for other coalitions that participate.”

Foundation participation doesn’t stop there. The foundation’s Governing Committee awards funds based on evaluations and recommendations from advisory committees composed of funder representatives and community members. And foundation staff provide technical assistance to neighborhoods through workshops and counseling.

“We are excited about opportunities that continue to arise because of the Neighborhood Partnership Program,” Luck says. “New alliances are being built, our communities are growing stronger, our neighborhoods are becoming better places for children, youth, and families…and it’s all because our citizens and communities are working together to make it happen. We’re proud to be part of that.”