Erma A. Bantz Foundation Grants

Funder: The Erma A. Bantz Foundation (at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation)

The Erma A. Bantz Foundation, established to honor Erma Bantz's legacy, focuses on enhancing the lives of individuals with visual impairments. Located in Cincinnati, the Foundation supports local nonprofit organizations that assist the visually impaired, having allocated 60% of its resources to this cause. While it previously funded hearing impairment initiatives, it no longer accepts grant requests for such purposes. The Foundation encourages collaborative funding for specific projects, reinforcing community support.

Erma Bantz lived in Cincinnati for 95 years. As a child and through most of her adult life, Erma suffered from severe hearing loss. Later in life, Erma fought eye problems which diminished her sight. Despite later surgical improvements, she continued to suffer from diminished hearing and sight until her death in 2006. The Erma A. Bantz Foundation was established after Erma's death to carry out her desire to improve the lives of people who suffer hearing or visual impairments, and has partnered with GCF for assistance in grantmaking.
Purpose of The Erma A. Bantz Foundation
The Foundation continues to support organizations that have as one of their stated purposes the support of and/or aid to the visually impaired in their mission statement. When the Foundation was established, sixty percent of the Foundation’s assets were designated for organizations serving people with visual impairments. The forty percent of the Foundation’s assets that were designated for organizations serving people with hearing impairments has been spent out in accordance with Erma Bantz’s wishes and thus the Foundation will no longer accept requests for funding for hearing impairments.

Eligibility

The Bantz Foundation makes grants to Greater Cincinnati organizations that have as one of their stated purposes the support of and/or aid to the visually impaired.Applicants must have an IRS determination as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.In most cases, organizations must be located in the Ohio counties of Hamilton, Butler, Clermont and Warren.Grantees are advised to wait at least one year from the date of last grant payment before reapplying to the Foundation. An organization that has previously had an application declined by the Foundation may resubmit an application after six months from the date its original application was declined.

Ineligibility

The Foundation will not provide continuing operational support to any grantee, and discourages annual requests.Grants will not be made to individuals, taxing authorities or political subdivisions.