To spark community stabilization in neighborhoods throughout Franklin County by returning unproductive properties to productivity.
Central Ohio Community Improvement’s grantmaking is built around a single place-based mission: acquiring distressed properties, returning them to productive use, and reducing blight in Franklin County. The foundation supports land reuse, demolition, brownfield remediation, stabilization, rehabilitation, redevelopment, and affordable housing as tools for neighborhood improvement and property-value preservation. Its largest recent grant, $231,187, went to Parsons Avenue Redevelopment Corp in Columbus for 2023, signaling how much of the foundation’s work is tied to redevelopment projects in the city. Other recent awards show a similar pattern of supporting local housing and community development organizations, including $75,000 to Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio and $45,000 to Homes on the Hill. The grantmaking aligns with a public-private partnership model: the foundation issues and administers subrecipient and project grants, and it also serves as an administrator for Ohio Department of Development brownfield remediation funding. The result is a funder focused less on general support and more on capital tied to specific properties, sites, and redevelopment outcomes in Central Ohio.
Within affordable housing, Central Ohio Community Improvement gave $75,000 to Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio in Columbus. That fits a broader pattern of using grants to support redevelopment projects that can add or preserve housing in Franklin County. For neighborhood stabilization, the foundation awarded $45,000 to Homes on the Hill and $25,000 to Starfish Retention Fund, both in Columbus. Those grants sit alongside its emphasis on demolition, property rehabilitation, and reuse of vacant or abandoned real estate. Community development also appears through support for Homeport Voice & Vision, which received $40,000 in Columbus. In addition, the foundation’s program areas include brownfield remediation and environmental cleanup, reflecting its role in moving distressed land back into productive use.
Central Ohio Community Improvement’s typical grant size is $28,750 at the 25th percentile, $42,500 at the median, and $67,500 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list shows one much larger award of $231,187, alongside several mid-range project grants. The foundation’s giving appears recurring rather than one-off: 2023 grants are reported through an active grants program that issues both subrecipient and project awards, and the organization also administers brownfield remediation subrecipient funding. It is a public charity, not a fund that supports individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. Unsolicited applications are not accepted for the brownfield subrecipient program.
$67K
$15.9M
$11.4M
$10.6M
Most grants fall between $29K and $68K, with a median of $43K.
25th Percentile
$29K
Median
$43K
75th Percentile
$68K
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Central Ohio Community Improvement gives locally, with 100% of grants going to recipients in Ohio. The recent grants list is concentrated in Columbus, which appears multiple times, and the stated geography for active programs is Franklin County, including the city of Columbus and inner suburbs. The grant distribution also shows no non-U.S. recipient countries. This is a Franklin County funder rather than a statewide or national one.
It funds land acquisition, demolition of blighted properties, brownfield remediation, property stabilization and rehabilitation, redevelopment, and affordable housing. Its stated purpose is to return unproductive land to productive use, reduce blight, support community goals, and improve quality of life for Franklin County residents.
The typical grant size is $28,750 at the 25th percentile, $42,500 at the median, and $67,500 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include a much larger $231,187 grant, showing that project scale can vary.
Its giving is local, and 100% of grants go to recipients in Ohio. The active grant programs are focused on Franklin County, including Columbus and inner suburbs of Franklin County.
For the ODOD Brownfield Remediation Subrecipient Grants program administered by COCIC, unsolicited applications are not accepted. The organization’s role is to issue and administer grant awards and subrecipient funds for defined land reuse and redevelopment projects.
Recent grants went to local redevelopment, housing, and community organizations in Columbus. The broader beneficiary profile includes residents of Franklin County neighborhoods impacted by blight, owners of distressed or tax-foreclosed properties, and local governments and community development organizations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Central Ohio Community Improvement that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Eligible projects must be blighted and vacant or abandoned structures. Brownfield sites are not eligible for this program.
Deadline: Next phase project submissions are being collected; no specific deadline is listed.
Who can apply: Brownfield projects typically include closed, abandoned, or unsafe commercial properties such as schools, warehouses, and factories. Eligible sites meet the state definition of a brownfield: abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial, commercial, or institutional property where redevelopment is complicated by known or potential releases of hazardous substances or petroleum. COCIC reviews projects to determine whether the site is ready for remediation or needs an environmental assessment.
Deadline: Discovery meetings are being scheduled; no formal deadline is listed.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homes on the Hill | Columbus, OH | $37,375 | 2025 | — |
| Homeport Voice & Vision | Columbus, OH | $30,000 | 2025 | — |
| Homes on the Hill | Columbus, OH | $26,500 | 2024 | — |
| Homeport Voice & Vision | Columbus, OH | $5,000 | 2024 | — |
| Parsons Avenue Redevelopment Corp | Columbus, OH | $231,187 | 2023 | — |
| Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio | Columbus, OH | $75,000 | 2023 | — |
| Homes on the Hill | Columbus, OH | $45,000 | 2023 | — |
| Homeport Voice & Vision | Columbus, OH | $40,000 | 2023 | — |
| Starfish Retention Fund | Columbus, OH | $25,000 | 2023 | — |
| Gertrude Wood Community Foundation | Columbus, OH | $15,000 | 2023 | — |
Parsons Avenue Redevelopment Corp
$231,187Starfish Retention Fund
$25,000Gertrude Wood Community Foundation
$15,000