Background

In 2005, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation (the Foundation) established homelessness as a multi-year, multi-phase funding priority. The funding strategy includes technical assistance, planning and implementation support at the local level designated to system improvements, supportive housing and prevention. To date, the Foundation has approved nearly $2.4 million toward reducing and preventing homelessness.

The Foundation has directed support to its seventeen county rural service area primarily through the Rural Homeless Initiative for Southeast and Central Ohio (RHISCO). In Franklin County, Ohio, the Foundation provided significant support to the Community Shelter Board to update the Rebuilding Lives Plan and to develop and implement the Unified Supportive Housing System.

In addition to support for the Community Shelter Board and RHISCO, the Foundation will support efforts to enhance the organizational capacity of certain providers that serve the homeless population in Franklin County through this Request for Proposal.

Funding Intent

The Foundation’s Capacity Building Grants are designed to enhance organizational capacity to provide more efficient, effective and sustainable services to clients that are in transitional and/or permanent supportive housing. The types of projects the Foundation will consider include, but are not limited to:
Specific existing program enhancements – introducing new program elements that enable more clients to achieve results, and
New infrastructure and its application - new computer systems, equipment, curriculum, and/or training to enhance performance of staff, the organization, and clients to achieve results.

Capacity building is a means to improving direct client services, not the end. Therefore, the Foundation will consider capacity building efforts that are designed to result in an organization’s ability to sustain capacity enhancements for clients.