Public/Private Partnerships

Collaborating with the public sector to advance impact

Public/Private Partnerships are cross-sector working groups consisting of state government, Philanthropy Ohio, its funder members and nonprofit organizations, all working toward a common goal in a defined area of work. Some – but not all – such partnerships involve co-investing philanthropy resources with state and federal dollars. Participation in such partnerships is open to Philanthropy Ohio members whose interests and priorities align with those of the public sector. Recent public/private partnerships include the Summer Learning and Afterschool Opportunities Grant Program and the Ohio Collaborative for Educating Remotely and Transforming Schools (OCER).

LEARN MORE 

Summer Learning and Afterschool Opportunities Grant Program

Philanthropy Ohio and more than 50 of its members collaborated with The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to review over 700 applications from across the state for the Summer Learning and Afterschool Opportunities grant program to address continuing student academic, social and emotional needs exacerbated by the pandemic. On April 28, 2022, ODE announced $89 million in grants awarded to 161 community-based partners from the state’s federal relief funds.

Image

“Our work together with Philanthropy Ohio – its members and its staff – has been a true partnership in every sense. I’m amazed at the impact we are able to achieve when we combine our knowledge, expertise and resources to serve Ohio’s students. Specifically, Philanthropy Ohio’s keen knowledge and understanding of Ohio’s nonprofit organizations has been tremendously helpful in spreading the word about educational needs and associated grant opportunities across the state. The special public/private partnership we’ve established holds great promise for continued success in future efforts to support student learning.” 
- Stephanie K. Siddens, Ph.D., Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction

Impact

The grants supported partnerships between schools and community-based organizations that provide out-of-school time services designed to address students’ academic, social and emotional needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The department received 749 applications from nonprofits, local municipalities and higher education entities seeking over $318 million in grants. Philanthropy Ohio managed the grant review process, engaged members and 75 ODE staff to score the applications and assisted with compiling final information for grantee selection.

Partners

Ohio Department of Education, Philanthropy Ohio and its members

Ohio Collaborative for Educating Remotely (OCER)

The $5.7 million Ohio Collaborative for Educating Remotely and Transforming Schools is an unprecedented public/private partnership between Philanthropy Ohio and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) in which both entities responded with nimbleness to the opening months of the pandemic. This public/private partnership helped schools and districts improve remote education practices and outcomes and used remote education as a catalyst for re-imagining and re-engineering the delivery of high-quality caring, teaching and learning opportunities for Ohio’s underserved students. The efforts of 57 OCER grantees served more than 895,000 Ohio students in 2020 and 2021.

Image

“When the pandemic led to a statewide ordered school-building closure in spring 2020, our education community was quick to innovate solutions to problems and identify new methods of delivering information and services to the students who counted on them. The grants awarded helped educators across the state build on those innovations, transformed schools and enhanced remote education capabilities for all students.” 
-Paolo DeMaria, State Superintendent of Instruction (2016 – 2021)

Impact

Through two rounds of funding, projects strengthened professional learning opportunities for educators to deliver high-quality remote, hybrid and blended education; bolstered learning platforms so educators could plan and deliver instructional lessons in person or remotely instantaneously and in ways that preserved the sequence of learning; and increased digital literacy opportunities for parents, families and caregivers.

The Collaborative Fund was a component of RemotEDx, a network and suite of supports that sought to provide more students with high-quality, personalized remote, hybrid and blended education opportunities and to serve more educators with job-embedded professional learning experiences to help them become more effective in teaching remotely.

Partners

Ohio Department of Education, Philanthropy Ohio and its members

Contributors to the fund included: American Electric Power, Berry Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Charles D. Berry Foundation, Cleveland Foundation, Community Foundation of Lorain County, Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, Mathile Family Foundation, Nordson Corporation Foundation, Sears-Swetland Family Foundation, The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, The Columbus Foundation, The Dayton Foundation, The Helen F. and Louis Stolier Family Foundation, The Nord Family Foundation, The Raymond John Wean Foundation, The Reinberger Foundation, The Stocker Foundation, The Youngstown Foundation, Third Federal Foundation, Thomas M. Kier Memorial Fund of the Licking County Foundation and Vectren, a CenterPoint Energy company.