Chatfield College Named A 2016 Impact 100 Grant Finalist

Chatfield College has been named as a 2016 finalist for one of four grants to be awarded by Impact 100, a collective-giving group of women philanthropists dedicated to improving lives in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky community.

Since 2001, Impact 100 has donated more than $3.2 million to area non-profits.   This year, the organization will award four grants of $101,500 each at its Annual Awards Celebration on September 13.

The impact 100 grant application process is rigorous.  Member Volunteer Committees evaluated more than 100 Letters of Intent and Grant Request applications, culminating in the recommendation of seven Grant Finalists.

Chatfield College is one of seven area finalists being considered for one of the 2016 grants, which, if received, will fund the college’s proposed Central Parkway and Liberty Street Greenspace project in Over-the-Rhine.

The project aims to revitalize and restore an underutilized park adjacent to Chatfield’s OTR Campus on Central Parkway and Liberty Street, creating a vibrant, multi-use green space for Chatfield College students and the surrounding community.

“We are excited to be selected as a finalist for 2016 Impact 100 grant funding,” said John P. Tafaro, Chatfield College President.  “Now that our new state-of-the-art campus in OTR has been in operation for nearly a year, we believe that the revitalization of the park adjoining the campus is the next logical step in providing much-needed opportunities to our students and our Over-the-Rhine neighbors.”

Planned improvements to the park include a sitting wall, park benches, landscaping, trees, and a paved focal gathering space as well as new sidewalks and the resurfacing of the adjacent Kemp Ally.  The project was designed in 2014 when Chatfield College partnered with Miami University’s Department of Architecture and Center for Community Engagement.  Miami University students living and working in Over-the-Rhine actually designed the park renovations as part of a landscape design class.

“We believe that this greenspace project will benefit our students overall experience at Chatfield, as well as provide a wonderful resource to our neighbors in Over-the-Rhine,” said Tafaro.  “Green space is viewed as an essential part of the urban and collegiate infrastructure.  Studies indicate that areas where there are green spaces experience higher rates of community involvement and lower crime rates.”

Impact 100 was founded in Cincinnati by a group of women who desired to make a greater impact with their philanthropic donations and so decided to collectively pool their funds to create a significant grant.  The name, Impact 100, comes from the initial goal of 100 women, each contributing $1,000, to award a $100,000 grant to a non-profit organization.  The number and amount of grants are determined by the size of the Impact 100 membership each year, as 100% of each annual membership goes directly to fund grants.

Chatfield College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts college offering the Associate of Arts degree in St. Martin and Cincinnati. An open enrollment college, Chatfield is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.  For more information, visit the website, at www.chatfield.edu, call (513) 921-9856 or e-mail admissions@chatfield.edu.