What We’re Learning

Reframing Housing
We all know that public, political and media narratives about housing access and community design aren’t always helpful in creating affordable, inclusive, vibrant communities. We’re excited to support a small group of high-impact local housing advocates and experts to address housing quality, stability and affordability in our region. The group, facilitated by the FrameWorks Institute, developed a communications toolkit that applies national framing research to issues and examples we all face. Reframing Housing helps communicators spark productive conversations about housing and community development, focusing on fair solutions and avoiding political distractions.

› DOWNLOAD TOOLKIT

Core ideas the toolkit is designed to communicate more effectively:

• Access to good places to live influences many other outcomes for people and communities. 
• The availability of good housing and thoughtfully designed communities is strongly influenced by policy. 
• Uneven and unfair policies cause most housing disparities. 
• Power dynamics affect the policies that are enacted and enforced. 
• Place-based initiatives are most effective when they draw on the knowledge and perspectives of residents. 
• Collaboration is key to housing solutions.

Other Communication Toolkits 

• Reframing Early Childhood to Strengthen Systems that Impact Children & Families
• Reframing Economic Well-Being – Coming Summer 2025

Latest News & Highlights

Take Action Now 

• Invest in Our Youngest Generation – Support families in Ohio by asking your elected officials to prioritize child tax credits and programs related to child care and school readiness.
• Keep Kentucky Families Safe – House Bill 173 would prohibit local governments from creating or maintaining a rental property registry for any purpose, including reducing lead poisoning. Will you ask your state legislators to oppose HB 173? 
• Expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) – Ask your members of Congress to support the expansion of the CTC. Under current law, too many children in families with the lowest incomes receive either no CTC or a smaller credit than families with higher incomes. Expanding the CTC so it reaches more of those children will improve families’ ability to make ends meet and help reduce child poverty. 

Collaborative Corner

Tangled Titles

By inheriting property, heirs receive a significant asset that promotes financial security and builds generational wealth. But many low- and moderate-income families lack an estate plan, making them susceptible to legal disputes of ownership, known as “tangled titles.” United Way’s partnership with Legal Aid of the Bluegrass addresses the issue by providing legal assistance to heirs dealing with disputed titles as well as expanding will and estate services to prevent the problem from happening in the first place. 

“Without clear ownership, families risk losing the homes their loved ones worked so hard to secure,” said Robert Johns, Esq., Executive Director of Legal Aid of the Bluegrass. “Through our partnership with United Way, we’re ensuring more Kentuckians have the legal support they need to protect their inheritance and preserve generational wealth.”

Funding Announcements

Community Partner Funding
United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s strategic grantmaking invests in partners driving positive community change across housing security, financial empowerment and educational success. Through this funding approach, we support organizations leading systems-level transformation as well as organizations addressing critical community needs. Our partnerships extend beyond funding to include learning communities, capacity building and collaborative problem-solving.

› Apply by March 31

2025 City of Cincinnati Human Services Fund (HSF)
Since 1981, Cincinnati City Council has allocated a portion of the General Fund to support human services programs and initiatives that are important to the city’s health and vitality. The intent of the HSF is to leverage, develop and scale proven strategies to accelerate progress toward community goals.

With this current 2026 funding cycle, city council aims to impact specific city-wide issues with the HSF. In this partnership with local organizations, the city can use data and analytics to better understand and solve for disparities as they relate to the city’s funding and delivery of human services in order to implement effective programs and generate better outcomes for residents.

› Service Categories: Apply by March 24

› Impact Award: Apply by April 21

 

Additional Opportunities

• Ohio Financial Literacy Grant Program – The Financial Literacy Education Fund will award grants (up to $50,000) to programs that provide the knowledge and skills needed to develop and integrate personal financial literacy, virtually and/or in person. Eligible candidates include nonprofits, community colleges, state institutions, organizations and/or individuals with the ability to effectively deliver financial literacy education programs. Grant proposals should specifically address the need for financial education in the community. Proposals must be submitted by Wednesday, April 30. The Department of Commerce is expected to announce awards by June 7.

Upcoming Events

• April 1 – Knowledge Exchange: Policy with a Splash of Coffee – Driven by Change: Transportation & Community Impact. Transportation is a vital resource for thriving communities. Join us to explore the role transportation has in an active community. 
• April 29 – “The Library That Dolly Built” Watch Party
  Join us to celebrate Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and its impact on Clermont County kids!
• June 5 – Spring Partner Convening
• June 2025 – Social Capital Survey Learnings and Report

Tools & Resources

• Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio: resources on recent presidential executive orders and the impact on the nonprofit community.
• Recently launched dashboards:
  • Learn to Earn Dayton Statewide Cradle-to-Career Milestone Dashboard
  • Groundwork Ohio’s Early Childhood Data Dashboard
• The Capital One Café: This is a cool space in the Kenwood Towne Centre where you can snag a great cup of coffee, tap into free Wi-Fi and chat about saving time and money with one of Capital One’s Ambassadors or Money & Life Mentors. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, students and educational institutions can book coworking space for 25 in two-hour time slots during regular business hours.
• Community Engagement Grants: Organizations that need funds to host a specific program or event – such as a food or clothing program or a back-to-school event – may have an opportunity for community engagement funding from United Way. These are typically one-time grants of around $2,500. For information, email [email protected] or Chandra Mathews-Smith at [email protected]. Mini grants are offered to 501(c)(3) grassroots organizations and faith partners for their outreach work.
• Resources available: United Way provides partner organizations with goods needed by community members, which might include hygiene items, healthy snack packs, dental kits and cleaning supplies. If your organization receives requests for such resources, please email Jessica Baker at [email protected].