To provide scholarships for children ages 6-7 to attend a five or 10-day session of summer camp at Camp Oty'Okwa. The camp serves as a safe haven for at-risk and disadvantaged children currently experiencing life circumstances that greatly decrease their chances for future success, including family poverty, inadequate education, and broken homes. This funding allows children to attend who would not otherwise not be able to afford camping fees.

To expand the CASA's current services for abused and neglected children to include an Educational Advocacy component. The grant will enable CASA to increase the knowledge and skills of its volunteers around educational advocacy, network with other educational based organizations, and strengthen the quality of advocacy for more than 620 abused and neglected children CASA serves each year.

To provide mini-grants to non-profit organizations, churches and schools to defray expenses for positive discipline programs and events for parents and caregivers scheduled in observance of SpankOut Day 2007.

Established by a combination of five social service agencies in 1970, the Center for Families and Children provides comprehensive mental health services for people of all ages; child care and programs for at-risk children and parents; public policy advocacy on behalf of families and at-risk members of the community; and employee assistance programs for northeast Ohio businesses, unions and nonprofit organizations. This grant supports the Center's Building Hope Campaign, which consolidates the Center's former sites to accessible and expanded space in the heart of Midtown Cleveland.

To fund this organization's Child Development Associates (CDA) Credentialing program, which teaches developmentally appropriate practices to childcare professionals in Licking County. This CDA program benefits not only its educator-participants, but also the children and families whom they will serve as professionals. Child Care Connections' CDA program is less expensive than it would be for early childhood educators to pursue on their own, and also confers college credit to participants.

To support a variety of strategies to end childhood hunger in Ohio. Strategies include increasing access to USDA resources: school lunches; school breakfasts; after-school and summer meals; food for pregnant women, infants and children; increasing access to healthful food; promoting family economic stability; and maintaining an emergency food network. Currently, 474,452 out of 631,688, or approximately 75%, of low-income children in Ohio have access to food at school.

To provide support for the 2007 Parent Conference, a resource to help parents and guardians of Columbus City School students become effective advocates for their children's education.

To support the 2006 Zoo Fund Campaign and to help build the Polar Frontier, which will recreate the northern reaches of the globe, giving zoo visitors an opportunity to see polar bears, reindeer, brown bears, mountain goats, and arctic fox in their natural habitats. The Columbus Zoo is committed to education, animal conservation, and preservation, and is central Ohio's premier destination for children and families.

To support the "Ready Set Grow" program, which provides intervention to help parents create and sustain home environments where children ages 2-6, who are at risk of not being ready to enter school, can develop appropriately and enter school ready to learn. Assessments evaluate strengths and needs of the family, which help caseworkers and parents/caregivers develop an individualized service plan for the child.

To support the continued efforts of Elyria Charities to assist children and families in that community.

To support the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church's Jump-Start program to improve school-readiness among eighteen 4- and 5-year-olds. The church's programming helps Ethiopian children whose families are new to the United States improve the quality of their lives, integrate into American society, and succeed in school.

To support Fostering Access to Education, the 2006-07 Appalachian Ohio Mini-Grants Program, a partnership among the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, and the Ohio Children's Foundation. The purpose of the program is to improve educational opportunities for families and children living in Ohio's 29 Appalachian counties.

To provide holiday gifts for pre-teen and teenage children who are in foster home care with Franklin County Children Services.

To support operations of this settlement house, which has served children and families in the Franklinton, eastern Hilltop, south and southwest Franklin County neighborhoods for nearly a century. Among other services, Gladden provides 2,000 meals for hungry children each month; a food pantry that lets families make their own choices on more than 200,000 meals each year; and a nationally recognized preschool for children ages 3 to 5.

To support Godman Guild's Summer Youth Empowerment Program at Camp Mary Orton, 160 acres of wooded property, fields, and ravines located on the far north side of Columbus. At Camp Mary Orton, children living in urban areas learn leadership and team-building skills and participate in outdoor activities, art activities, swimming, and just having fun. Along the way, they learn life skills like respect and a sense of identity.

To support the continued operations, events and activities of this collaborative of funding organizations operating in the field of pre-K through higher education.

To support Groundwork (formerly Ohio Early Care and Education Campaign), a broad-based collaborative established to advance a children's agenda with state policy-makers. Groundwork is committed to better outcomes for Ohio's children through greater and more appropriate investments in our youngest children, ages birth to 6. Groundwork organizations are focused on making early care and education a priority fixture within Ohio's 2008-09 state budget.

To support a summer camp for girls entering the 6th through 8th grades. The program is designed to build self-esteem, physical fitness, interpersonal cooperation, and leadership skills through a variety of activities. The camp was created by Northern New England Tradeswomen, Inc., and Strong Foundations, Inc., in response to research indicating a decline in self-esteem among young girls facing the onset of adolescence. The camp also provides campers with oppor- tunities for self expression and exploration through nontraditional activities, including carpentry, welding, bike repair, and creative and expressive arts.

Seed money for a model middle-school program for disadvantaged Latino children. This downtown, tuition-free school will offer an intensive curriculum, including social and athletic activities, for 12 hours a day, six days a week, 11 months a year. In addition to serving students in 5th through 8th grades, Imago Dei will assist with medical and social services for their families.

To help support a part-time program coordinator to respond to increasing service demands and to enable the executive director to attend a national conference on best practices in working with LGBTQ youth. Kaleidoscope is widely recognized in the community as the sole youth support, resource and advocacy center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (GLBTQ) youth. Kaleidoscope also works closely with school nurses, guidance counselors, parents/caregivers, and other youth-serving organizations to provide outreach to the many LGBTQ youth who do not know where they can turn for support and friendship.

To support the distribution of the new Sex, Etc. magazine to Ohio teenagers. This publication is a component of the Network's Teen-to-Teen Sexuality Education Project, which uses the voices of teens themselves in print, online, and through collaborations with other national youth media and organizations. Sex, Etc. offers a positive, healthy view of adolescent sexuality to help reduce risky behaviors among teens, and to give them the information they need to make responsible decisions.

To continue support of an Early Childhood Education special project that will educate funders about the status of early childhood education in Ohio; to create an affinity group of funders interested in implementing universal pre-K for Ohio's children; and to support OGF's work throughout Ohio.

To fund scholarships for 10 students to attend the 2006 OWjL camp, a summer program for gifted and talented students. This grant will be used for middle-school students attending inner-city Columbus Public Schools. Over the past 25 years, more than 8,000 students have participated in the OWjL summer camping experience.

To support the collaborative, Partnership for America's Economic Success: Investing in Children. The goal of this broad collaborative is to make the successful development of all our children the top priority of the United States. It will use three sequenced strategies to achieve this goal: research, communications and coalition building, and advocacy.

For a Supporting Sponsorship for ProMusica's annual Gala Celebration, featuring Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, as well as funding for education and outreach programs to serve the community.

To support two children in the "Days of Care" Crisis Care Program. In its 25-year history, Providence House has provided support to more than 5,000 children and families in crisis. Ohio's only licensed crisis nursery, Providence House provides shelter, direct care, family education, and case management services to homeless families, children whose caregiver has a medical or mental health crisis or is attempting to resolve a substance abuse issue, children at risk of abuse or neglect, and children who have witnessed domestic violence.

To implement a school-readiness project, which will provide neurodevelopmental programming for 4- and 5-year-old children who may be developmentally delayed. The program will be tailored to each child's individual needs and will help children improve neurological organization, perceptual/motor function, language and cognitive abilities and socialization skills. It will be available without charge to developmentally delayed children whose families have limited financial resources.

To support the preparation and delivery of approximately 16,000 hot meals to the children and teenagers, ages 6-18, participating in the organization's school-year program. This grant will supplement USDA funds received from the Child and Adult Care Food Program, whose regulations preclude providing meals for youth older than 12 years.

To support general operations of this organization, which strives to reduce violence and spread peace among central Ohio children and teenagers. SAVE provides prevention education and training to teenagers at South and Linden McKinley High Schools, Linden Middle School, and Deshler and Heyl Elementary Schools; media violence training; an annual SAVE Awards Peace Camp and March; a Columbus Unites to Stop Violence luncheon; step teams dedicated to discipline and being violence-free; and a community-wide SAVE Awards event.

To provide scholarships for after-school learning opportunities for 45 children at or below the poverty index to participate in rotational activities that fall outside the minimum standards defined in Ohio's early learning academic content standards; to support 12 field trips for children attending the Children's Learning Center; and for Phase II construction of the playground at Shawnee State University Children's Learning Center. This grant will cover costs of removing old alley paving, grading, extending the fence and property, and installing part of the storm bridge system.

To support an after-school program in 2006-07 that will serve 50 students, grades K-7, whose families are immigrants from West African communities. The 2005-06 after school program helped 50 percent of students progress from grade level to above-grade level performance. This year's grant will provide salaries to teachers and staff, as well as rent and program supplies.

To provide operating support for Sunday Creek Associates, funds for the KIDS SUMMER program, and funds to expand program offerings to youngsters in the News Straitsville area at least one day per week after school. Sunday Creek Associates has a strong history of sponsoring interesting programs for young people in Perry County. Programs are always accompanied by nutritious meals and snacks, held at sites close to children's homes, and taught by talented, trusted adults-some of whom are themselves graduates of Sunday Creek Associates' programs.

In memory of Father Alan Sprenger, a tireless advocate for young people and an energetic and vocal opponent of corporal punishment. More than 30 years ago, Father Sprenger founded youth homes for 16- to 18 year-old wards of the court, which have served more than 2,000 young people.

To support the Success By 6 initiative, a collaborative community-based venture to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood development, to increase access to services, and to build systems of child care and education that improve young children's lives in Wayne County.

To support production of What Ohio's Children Need: 2006, a comprehensive advocacy agenda that will build on outcomes of the Ohio Children's Agenda. The goals for this new policy agenda include ensuring that the needs of children and families inform and influence the November 2006 federal, state and local elections; and laying the groundwork for protecting and advancing the needs of children and families in the 2007-08 state budget.

The publication will be directed toward current and potential officeholders and appointed officials and will include recommendations in the following six policy areas: early care and education, family economic security, child behavioral and physical health, juvenile justice, child welfare, and K-12 education. This grant also supports the work of the Voices' director of public policy in coordinating technical assistance from national and state partners to advise the new Administration's transition team on child and family health issues.

To support this non-governmental organization's efforts to advocate for issues that affect children and the people who care for them.

To establish a program to train Hillsboro School District parents in the philosophy and practical application of non-physical disciplinary techniques and to promote discipline that encourages self-respect, intrinsic self-discipline, and self-responsibility. This program will provide parents and caregivers with information and activities that reinforce a unified and consistent approach to discipline and inform them of the negative effects of physical discipline.

To support continuation of the conservation, science, and education programs of this 10,000-acre wildlife preserve in Muskingum County. The Wilds works to understand and address concerns that face threatened animals and critical habitats throughout the world, while also welcoming thousands of visitors, from schoolchildren to scientists, from all over the globe.

To support a new residential center to serve homeless parents and children in transition. This new, state-of-the-art Family Center provides comprehensive services in one location and offers the stable, supportive environment homeless children lack. The philosophy of the YWCA Family Center is to help families maintain their dignity while regaining their self-sufficiency.