Northern Cincinnati Foundation

What Northern Cincinnati Foundation does

Northern Cincinnati Foundation is a community foundation and IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports, encourages, and facilitates philanthropy across West Chester and Liberty Townships and the broader Northern Cincinnati area. Originally established in 1999 as the Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty and rebranded in June 2021, the foundation manages a portfolio of over 100 charitable funds — including donor advised funds, designated and field-of-interest funds, agency funds, scholarship funds, and board-designated funds (Community Grants Fund, Community Health Fund, Forever Fund Operating Endowment, Kids2Kamp, Power of the Purse, and Youth in Philanthropy). Its core products and programs comprise community grants, the Youth in Philanthropy high-school program, scholarship administration, the Lakota Educator of Excellence Awards, the annual Shamrock Shuffle 5K/10K fundraiser, the Power of the Purse Women's Giving Circle, and The Legacy Society planned-giving program. In April 2026, the foundation launched a fully online fund opening platform — claimed as a national first among community foundations — that enables digital fund establishment with personalized staff follow-up.

The foundation's business model is that of a traditional community foundation: it does not sell products or services, but instead receives charitable contributions from individuals, families, professional advisors, and corporate sponsors to establish and grow charitable funds, with proceeds distributed through grants to local nonprofits and scholarships to local students. There are no publicly disclosed pricing terms or revenue figures. GTM motion relies on direct donor engagement, a regional grant-application process for nonprofits, a scholarship-application process for students, community events (notably the Shamrock Shuffle and Power of the Purse events), website and social channels, and earned media. The foundation is led by President & CEO Erin Clemons and Director of Programs & Marketing Karen Gibbs, and operates from West Chester, Ohio, with a small staff (1-10 employees) and no disclosed parent company, funding rounds, or technology stack beyond its website and the newly announced online fund-opening platform.

Name

Northern Cincinnati Foundation

Legal name

Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty

Website

https://wclfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northern Cincinnati Foundation is a West Chester, Ohio-based community foundation (501(c)(3)) that manages over 100 charitable funds and distributes grants and scholarships to local nonprofits and students across Northern Cincinnati.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund administration
• Donor advised funds
• Community grantmaking
• Scholarship fund management

Headquarters

HQ city

West Chester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations & Contributions: The foundation receives charitable donations from individuals, families, and organizations to establish various types of charitable funds including donor advised funds, scholarship funds, designated funds, and agency funds.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Northern Cincinnati Foundation is a community foundation that administers a portfolio of charitable funds and channels donor contributions into community grants and scholarships. It accepts donations from individuals, families, and organizations to establish donor advised funds, scholarship funds, designated funds, and agency funds, then redistributes the proceeds as grants to local nonprofits serving West Chester, Liberty Townships, and Northern Cincinnati, as well as scholarships to local students pursuing post-secondary education.

Product overview

Northern Cincinnati Foundation operates as a platform of charitable giving products rather than a unified technology product. The Foundation offers a portfolio of fund types including unrestricted Community Grants Fund, Community Health Fund, Forever Fund Operating Endowment, and board-designated funds (Kids2Kamp, Power of the Purse, Youth in Philanthropy). The Foundation manages Donor Advised Funds for flexible giving, Designated and Field of Interest Funds, and numerous Scholarship Funds. Supporting programs include the Youth in Philanthropy program for high school students and the Lakota Educator of Excellence Awards. A new fully online fund opening platform was announced for April 2026, representing a digital expansion of their charitable fund establishment services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shamrock Shuffle: An annual 5K/10K running event and community block party celebrating halfway to St. Patrick's Day, presented by ATC. The event supports the Community Grants Fund and Community Health Fund.
• Power of the Purse Women's Giving Circle
• Youth in Philanthropy (YIP)
• The Legacy Society
• Forever Fund Endowment

Products and services

• Community Grants Fund Unrestricted grant fund that addresses a variety of community needs as identified by the Foundation's Board of Directors, supporting Education, Workforce Development, and Community Quality of Life initiatives. Aimed at local nonprofit organizations serving West Chester, Liberty Townships, and Northern Cincinnati.
• Community Health Fund Health-focused fund offering Rapid Response Grants to organizations addressing urgent community health needs, particularly demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic response. Available to local nonprofits serving the Northern Cincinnati area.
• Forever Fund Operating Endowment Endowment fund that provides long-term operational support for the Foundation's ongoing activities and community programs. Supports the Foundation's permanent operational sustainability.
• Donor Advised Funds Flexible charitable giving vehicles that allow donors to recommend ongoing uses for their fund, supporting local, national, or international causes while providing immediate tax benefits. Designed for individuals, families, and organizations seeking personalized philanthropic vehicles.
• Designated, Field of Interest & Agency Funds Suite of fund types including Designated Funds (earmarked for specific nonprofits), Field of Interest Funds (targeting wider issue areas), and Agency Funds (established by organizations for ongoing mission support). For donors with specific beneficiary or thematic preferences.
• Scholarship Funds Multiple scholarship funds established for various purposes including memorial funds, field-of-study support, and awards for local students pursuing post-secondary education. Awarded to students in the Lakota school district area and other Northern Cincinnati students.
• Youth in Philanthropy Program Program for local high school students that provides hands-on experience in philanthropy — fundraising, building endowment funds, and awarding small grants up to $3,000 to local nonprofits. Designed to introduce students to community development.
• Lakota Educator of Excellence Awards Annual awards recognizing educators in the Lakota School District who demonstrate exceptional commitment and consistency to students. Includes monetary grants of $1,000 each presented to educators for special projects at their schools, sponsored in partnership with Phelan Insurance Agency.
• Sustainability Grants Large grant awards designed to support long-term nonprofit sustainability, exemplified by the $200,000 grant awarded to Reach Out Lakota in May 2021 to help secure the organization's future operations.
• Power of the Purse Women's Giving Circle Women's giving circle fund that supports female-focused philanthropy and grants to local causes. Hosts events including an Annual Holiday Gala & Grant Presentation. Targeted at women donors in the Northern Cincinnati community.
• Fully Online Fund Opening Platform Digital platform enabling donors to establish charitable funds online through a secure process with various contribution options, supported by personalized staff follow-up. Described as a national first among community foundations. Targeted at individual donors, families, and organizations establishing new funds.

Quantifiable outcome

• $124,200 awarded in 2020 Community Grants to local nonprofits
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lakota Local SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to recognize educators through the Lakota Educator of Excellence Awards. Nominations accepted from students, colleagues, parents, and community members for teachers and staff demonstrating exceptional commitment.
• Phelan Insurance AgencyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGenerous sponsor of the Lakota Educator of Excellence Awards. Two monetary awards of $1,000 each presented to educators for special projects at their schools.
• West Chester/Liberty Chamber AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganized the virtual community discussion on COVID-19 response in West Chester/Liberty. SpotOn Productions produced the video update shared with the community.
• Park National BankminorOthersFeatured sponsor with logo placement on the foundation website footer, indicating corporate sponsorship support.
• ATC (Presenters of Shamrock Shuffle)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresented the 16th Annual Shamrock Shuffle 5K & Community Block Party. The Shamrock Shuffle is the primary fundraising event supporting Community Grants Fund and Community Health Fund.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Dayton Foundation: Regional community foundation in Southwest Ohio serving the Dayton area; comparable as a sub-state community foundation offering donor-advised funds, competitive scholarships, and discretionary grantmaking to local nonprofits.
• Hamilton Community Foundation: Small Ohio community foundation in nearby Butler County offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and community grants; very close scale and operational analog to Northern Cincinnati Foundation within the same regional ecosystem.
• The Cleveland Foundation: First community foundation in the U.S., based in Cleveland, Ohio; runs an identical community-foundation playbook (DAFs, scholarships, place-based grantmaking) against which Northern Cincinnati Foundation's offerings can be benchmarked.
• The Greater Cincinnati Foundation: The largest regional community foundation serving the Cincinnati metro, with overlapping donor-advised funds, scholarship programs, and grantmaking to local nonprofits; directly comparable mission and operating model to Northern Cincinnati Foundation, only at much greater scale.
• The Columbus Foundation: Ohio's largest community foundation; directly comparable business model (Donor Advised Funds, competitive scholarship cycles, collaborative grantmaking) but operates at substantially greater AUM in central Ohio.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: The largest U.S. sponsor of donor-advised funds; competes with community foundations for affluent Cincinnati-area donors via fully digital onboarding, broad investment menus, and national brand recognition.
• Greater Horizons: Large national sponsor of Donor Advised Funds ('Giving Solutions' and similar programs) competing for the same pool of local donors with professionally managed, low-friction fund options—directly relevant as a competitor for DAF dollars.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national donor-advised fund sponsor tied to Schwab; directly competes for the same donor relationships in the Greater Cincinnati market that Northern Cincinnati Foundation cultivates locally.

Regional players

• The Scripps Howard Foundation: Cincinnati-anchored foundation with scholarship and community grantmaking programs in the region; similar scale and regional thesis, providing a useful local comparison point.
• Bethesda Foundation: Cincinnati-area foundation affiliated with Bethesda Hospital; a regional peer in fundraising and grantmaking focused on the Northern Cincinnati community, overlapping geographically with the Foundation's footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/northerncincinnatifoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wclfoundation
• Xx.com/NorthCinciFdtn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northern Cincinnati Foundation