Strategic Plan FAO

THE FOUNDATION OF POSSIBILITY

Appalachian Ohio is abundant in leadership and possibilities, but a steep philanthropy gap has long stood as a barrier to success. Since 1999, the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) has worked to reduce philanthropic disparity between Appalachian Ohio and other parts of the state.

FAO provides a structure through which charitable giving is turned into meaningful investment in the people and programs that catalyze sustained transformation. Our approach to change starts with inspiring donors to multiply their impact by investing in local solutions, supporting transformative leaders, and advancing approaches that are collaborative, holistic, evidence-based, and sustainable.

Today, FAO stewards nearly $100 million in charitable assets and 600 separate charitable funds established by donors seeking to create opportunity in Appalachian Ohio. We also serve as the back-office partner to the region-wide African American Community Fund and 14 geographic affiliates that collaborate through FAO to accelerate local change and grow philanthropic resources for their communities.

Together, we advance lasting change across five areas that increase quality of life, known as our Pillars of Prosperity. Our investments improve health, create educational opportunities, advance economic development and environmental stewardship, and provide access to arts and cultural experiences.

Community Fund Partners

Cause Connector Projects

Youth Resiliency Grants

Scholarship Recipients

Grant Recipients

AACF Grants

Growing Home Fellows

Mobile Vision Clinic Visits

$1,000-$10,000

$10,000-$25,000

$25,000-$100,000

$100,000-$300,000

>$300,000

MISSION

We seek to unleash the potential within Appalachian Ohio by growing and leveraging gifts that advance sustained transformation.

VISION

Appalachian Ohio is abundant in possibility for all who call our region home, today and in perpetuity.

VALUES

Love – Philanthropy is love for humankind. We show our love for the people of Appalachia through gifts, actions, and words.

Integrity – In all we do, we strive to be honest, dependable, and accountable. We seek to earn your trust.

Transformation – We pursue solutions that produce lasting change in the lives of the people of Appalachian Ohio. We’re reflective practitioners, learners. We strive to listen, and we continually seek to improve.

Hope – We’re confident in the potential of the people of Appalachian Ohio. We think big and hold high expectations for the future.

Gratitude – We advance through gratitude, by showing our thankfulness for the present opportunity to make a difference and by expressing our appreciation for the gifts, labor and vision that paved the way to this moment.

Inclusivity – Everyone has a gift that matters to the future of Appalachian Ohio; we’re here to help everyone find and give their gifts.

APPROACH

Accelerate and sustain the impact of your charitable gifts.

Holistic Investments: By investing across five Pillars of Prosperity, we ensure that the people of Appalachian Ohio have access to opportunities across all areas essential for well-being. Each investment and success reinforces the next.

Collective Impact: Through intention and partnership, we harness our collective resources to attain greater impact, unleashing the power of high-impact philanthropic collaboration throughout the region.

Evidence-based Approaches: We leverage data, empirical evidence, and local wisdom to guide the work of all changemakers.

Local in Depth, Regional in Reach. We understand that change happens locally. We provide a network for sharing and expanding local innovations across communities, so we can all benefit.

Economies of Scale: By working regionally, we reduce administrative costs, increase returns, achieve greater purchasing power, and access resources out of reach for any single community, enabling our charitable dollars to go further.

Sustainability: In everything we do, we seek to solve challenges at their roots, what we call advancing sustained transformation. We prioritize endowment and other models that enable lasting impact.

Personal: We work with donors to maximize the impact of their charitable gifts on the communities and programmatic areas closest to their hearts.

eyeglasses to children.

THE FIVE PILLARS OF PROSPERITY

I’m A Child of Appalachia ® Fund donor spotlight

Broadband: We helped launch Ohio Transparent

Telecom (OTT): a deeper solution to regional connectivity challenges. This project is making broadband accessible and affordable and to families in our region.

Fund continued to grow as Who Dey and individuals were inspired Super Bowl Run, growing the fund Community Fund, founded in 2020, partnered Appalachia ® Fund to award $10,000 in benefitting African Americans in the Ohio.

Mary Jean Brestle Loveday’s family created an endowed fund through the I’m a Child of Appalachia ® Fund to carry forward Mary Jean’s love of children and reading.

“Given that Mary Jean and I both grew up in eastern Ohio, I felt it was only right that we invest in that region and FAO.” – husband, Amose Loveday

Thanks to the visionary investment from Governor DeWine and our legislators, we have a dollar-for-dollar match opportunity to close the Philanthropy Gap. Every gift to the I’m a Child of Appalachia ® Fund or to local foundations supported by FAO will be doubled— allowing you to make twice the impact while funds last.

ARTS & CULTURE

Through the Mary Jean Brestle Loveday Legacy Fund, the Loveday family made a gift to support our region’s greatest needs and opportunities, today and tomorrow. Learn more at www.AppalachianOhio.org/2021Report.

In 2021 alone, FAO...

SCHOLARSHIPS

$555,643 awarded through 515 scholarship award matching 276 students with opportunities to achieve their dreams.

XX,XXX donors gave and had their gifts matched $X.X million in new philanthropy raised to match the State’s investment

COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

FUNDS

Reached a milestone of working with more than 600 funds to support their charitable goals.

GRANTS

EDUCATION

Community & Economic Development: $4.3 million

2021 Initiatives & Milestones: Exciting and meaningful

$7.1 million awarded through 1,043 grants across our Pillars of Prosperity

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Mobile Vision Clinic: we launched a mobile vision clinic with Vision To Learn and the Ohio Optometric Association’s iSee program. The clinic travels to provide vision exams and free eyeglasses to children.

Education: $919,367

Environmental Stewardship: $163,853

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Health & Human Services: $935,883

Youth-led Initiatives: led efforts to prevent among peers

Our match opportunity, Education: Our partnership with First Book helped 30,000 children and their educators access books, supplies and other tools.

Arts & Culture: $304,136

Pillars of Prosperity Fellowship Program: Targeted support to local leaders helping grow their impact from one

Pillar Grants: launch grant program.

Pillar awarded work to make

opportunity, year two:

counties are joining FAO.

Our match opportunity, year

XXX FAO funds

IN THE LAST THREE YEARS

The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio has:

Thanks to the visionary investment from Governor DeWine and our legislators, we have a dollar-for-dollar match opportunity to close the Philanthropy Gap. Every gift to the I’m a Child of Appalachia ® Fund or to local foundations supported by FAO will be doubled— allowing you to make twice the impact while funds last.

XX,XXX

XXX FAO funds

Pillars of Prosperity Fellowships – Expanding the offer $15,000 for fellowships in Education and Environmental Stewardship pillars.

60 new funds were created

funded through totaling more than Our 2nd annual Cause campaign launched

60 new funds were created

Invested more than $16 million across 3,000 grants and scholarships.

donors gave and had their gifts matched

XX nonprofits resources missions

12 community foundation funds grew significant local capacity.

Reverse Scholarships – Grants to repay students start a business to attract professionals to Appalachia

grew endowments, each supporting own nonprofit, cause, or community. XX nonprofits grew resources to benefit their missions in perpetuity.

The Joe Burrow Hunger Nation and other businesses by the Cincinnati Bengals’ to more than $1 million.

Upcoming I’m a Child of Appalachia ® Fund

$X.X million in new philanthropy raised to match the State’s investment

Ensured every county in Appalachian Ohio is supported by a local community foundation.

The African American with FAO’s I’m a Child grants to projects or 32 counties of Appalachian

Stay tuned for updates on these exciting projects and that are underway or will be rolling out soon.

The Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund continued to grow as Who Nation and other businesses and individuals were inspired by the Cincinnati Bengals’ Super Bowl Run, growing the fund to more than $1 million.

Education: Our partnership with First Book helped 30,000 children and their educators access books, supplies and other tools.

Supported the newly formed African American Community Fund.

2021 Initiatives & Milestones: Exciting and meaningful change was achieved

Youth-led Initiatives: Appalachian Ohio youthled efforts to prevent substance abuse disorders among peers in 11 counties.

The African American Community Fund, founded in 2020, partnered with FAO’s I’m a Child of Appalachia ® Fund to award $10,000 grants to projects or programs benefitting African Americans 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio.

meaningful change was achieved in 2021

Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund – Competitive in partnership with the Athens County Food address the root causes of hunger in Appalachian Health & Human Services – Competitive grants available to increase healthcare services

Pillars of Prosperity Fellowship Program: Targeted support to local leaders helping grow their impact from one community to many.

Pillar Grants: launch of our first region-wide Pillar grant program. Our Environmental Stewardship Pillar awarded grants to 12 organizations that work to make outdoor spaces more accessible.

Supported donors in creating opportunities for tens of thousands of children by collaborating with partners to scale solutions in education and health care.

Initiatives: Appalachian Ohio youthprevent substance abuse disorders in 11 counties. launch of our first region-wide Pillar program. Our Environmental Stewardship awarded grants to 12 organizations that outdoor spaces more accessible.

Our 2023-2025 strategic plan serves as a roadmap that will guide our work in helping donors have exponential impact in the areas closest to their hearts.

Loans: Provided loan to Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio to create a new contracting business. The venture develops employment skills, provides homes & transforms empty properties.

new partnerships between healthcare workers Community Funds – Community Funds in Vinton counties are joining FAO.

Hunger: Meigs County Foundation established a school-based pantry to serve every child in the county. The Community Foundation for Perry County Fill the Freezer Campaign resulted in 5,389 pounds of local sausage for food pantries.

Mobile Vision Clinic: we launched a mobile clinic with Vision To Learn and the Ohio Optometric Association’s iSee program. The clinic travels to provide vision exams and free eyeglasses to children.

Pillars of Prosperity Fellowships – Expanding

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2023-2025

We will develop new frontiers in philanthropy by building on the successes of the last 24 years. A particular area of emphasis is to support the continued growth of 14 geographic affiliates addressing philanthropy gaps within their communities and the region-wide African American Community Fund, an FAO affiliate providing grant investments to Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits.

Our goal is for Appalachian Ohio to gain socio-economic parity and for all who call the region home to experience a rich quality of life and high levels of happiness. Toward that end, we seek to grow $1 billion in philanthropic assets for our people and communities, a sum that will allow us to invest more than $55 million annually in grants, scholarships, and fellowships.

While funding is essential, it’s the compassion and creativity of our people – particularly our young people – that will ensure our success and strengthen the vibrancy of our communities. Over the next three years, we will build the capacity of FAO and our network of affiliated funds. At the same time, we will support and facilitate collective investments to engage young people – our next generation of community leaders – in identifying and implementing innovations that will strengthen Appalachian Ohio communities now and into the future.

As we look to the future, we do so with confidence. Time and again we have seen how the love our region’s people have for each other has been a force multiplier, enabling a path of abundance.

STRATEGIC GOALS

Faithfully steward the legacy, grant, scholarship, and fellowship endowments entrusted to FAO.

Inspire and support transformative giving.

Create a culture of planned giving in Appalachian Ohio.

Increase grant investment in transformative leaders across the five Pillars of Prosperity.

Support geographic affiliate leaders in growing community endowments and leveraging unrestricted resources to advance sustained transformations.

Provide data and tools to guide donors and support all changemakers in having the greatest impact possible.

Maintain low administrative costs via regional economies of scale.

FAO SUCCESS MEASURES

No one group or organization can solve our region’s challenges alone. We remain committed to collaborating with our donors, community leaders, and partners to build a future where the people of Appalachian Ohio have the same opportunities as those elsewhere.

Over the next three years, FAO will measure our contributions to the region’s success by tracking the following metrics:

• Success of FAO grantees, fellows, and scholarship recipients in creating social change

• Progress toward our long-term goal of growing $1 billion in philanthropic assets

• Percentage of intergenerational wealth transfer captured for the future of our communities

• Growth in the number of givers at all levels

• Rise in the number of grant applications received (reflecting increased engagement and vision of community leaders)

• Increase in the number of grants awarded (demonstrating the number of people and organizations we’ve empowered to make lasting change in our communities)

REGIONAL PARITY INDICATORS

MIDTERM

• Improved perceptions of our communities among youth, as demonstrated by our annual youth survey

• Increase in the number of young adults attracted to and retained in the region, which we believe serves as a proxy for the level of opportunity in our communities

LONGER TERM

• Improved outcomes on key social determinants of health measures

• Longer life expectancy

• Lower childhood poverty rates

• Increases in economic and educational attainment

WHAT’S CLOSEST TO YOUR HEART?

We invite you to join us as we enter new frontiers in philanthropy for Appalachian Ohio. The first step? Identifying what’s closest to your heart. Please contact your donor ambassador today at 740.753.1111 to discuss how you can be part of this journey.