Foundation Executive Director Angie Lloyd took the stage in October in front of hundreds of philanthropists to accept the Philanthropy Innovation Award, a recognition from the statewide organization Philanthropy Ohio for the Foundation’s Neighborhood Stabilization Grant Program.
Philanthropy Ohio presents the award annually to organizations or individuals who have moved philanthropy forward through implementing an idea or innovation that led to positive change in how the sector operates, thinks, or impacts communities.
“The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, under Angie Lloyd’s leadership, has embraced innovative strategies in creating this program, including sustainability through matching grants, shifting its funding focus to community-wide projects, engaging community partners in extensive dialogue and boldly committing to long-term support, with incredible success in communities across Ohio from Dayton to Cleveland to Columbus,” said Philanthropy Ohio President & CEO Deborah Aubert Thomas.
Grantees use funding from the Foundation’s Neighborhood Stabilization Grant Program to transform low-income Ohio communities through upstream approaches to systemic problems. Through the Foundation’s support, grantees have initiated community economic development (CED) projects across the state that have stabilized communities, particularly neighborhoods of color.
CED projects create lasting and long-term change in Ohio. The Neighborhood Stabilization Grant Program has been so successful that the Foundation Board, at their June 2023 meeting, decided to invest an additional $1.55 million on top of the initial $12.8 million toward the program.
“The Neighborhood Stabilization Grant Program perfectly illustrates how the intersections of community economic development, racial justice, and civil legal services are critical to moving communities forward,” Lloyd said. “Through the Foundation’s six-year track record of success, we’ve demonstrated that incorporating a civil legal services nonprofit into a community partnership can lead to greater, transformative success.”
Ohio’s legal aids provide essential legal services to help Ohioans resolve their legal issues so they can live safer, healthier, and more financially stable lives. Learn more about legal aid in Ohio.