Dear nonprofit community,
We see you. We hear you. We stand in solidarity with you.
We see you working tirelessly to carry out your mission in the face of federal funding rollbacks and executive actions that have created fear and uncertainty for the future of your organizations and those you serve. We see you extending government reach by serving under-resourced residents efficiently. We thank you for your significant contributions to our community and economy.
We hear your requests for the philanthropic sector to be more vocal. We hear you asking us to increase our grantmaking budget, provide multi-year commitments and unrestricted funding, simplify our application and reporting processes, provide more transparency around what you can expect from us now and in the future, deliver more feedback around funding decisions, and continue to fund big, new ideas.
We stand in solidarity with you. bi3 has signed the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project commitment and is taking action:
We continue to check in with our grantee partners to offer them space to share what they are going through and to be responsive to their needs and questions. This can include advancing grant disbursements, addressing knowledge gaps, or helping convene like-minded partners.
bi3 is exploring how best we can mobilize dollars.
bi3 provided rapid-response grants, distributing a total of $500,000 to organizations, including Catholic Charities, Immigrant and Refugee Law Center, Refugee Connect, Su Casa, and others, that provide bilingual services and mental health support to immigrant and refugee populations.
bi3 remains committed to providing multi-year funding and building in unrestricted dollars for indirect costs, services, or innovation. Most recently, we issued a RFP to improve maternal mental health in our community, particularly for Black and Hispanic/Latina women, where we see the largest disparities. In late summer, we will issue an RFP to promote mental health and well-being.
bi3 continues to listen for, and fund, big bets, such as collective impact initiatives like Cradle Cincinnati and Hopeful Empowered Youth (HEY!).
bi3 supports connection and convening. Data for Equity brings together nonprofits to improve their understanding and data collection, exchange ideas, and reimagine their work together.
We are allocating more time and resources to policy advocacy. We are meeting with policymakers, asking them to support the Governor’s budget that prioritizes Ohio families and children. We have hired a Vice President of Policy and Advocacy who starts at the bi3 Fund in May to expand our ability to help our funded partners address policy issues.
bi3 is committed to working with our grantee partners to achieve a day when all people in Greater Cincinnati have a fair and just opportunity to achieve their best health.
We see you. We hear you. We stand in solidarity with you.
Jill Miller
President & CEO, bi3
For more updates on the work of bi3 and our funded partners, be sure to follow us on social media!
