Why Nonprofits Love Green Umbrella

Nonprofits across the region are benefiting from working with Green Umbrella to secure funding, build capacity, and leverage collaboration with like-minded organizations to address climate change and create resilient, equitable, and thriving communities.

Here are some examples of how joining Green Umbrella makes nonprofit work both easier to do and more impactful for the region.

Funding Found for Working in Neighborhoods 

When we find grants that match the needs and interests of our members, we share them with organizations that can take advantage – which is what happened when Green Umbrella encountered a federal EPA grant that aligned with the work of Working in Neighborhoods (WIN) and Communities United For Action (CUFA). Green Umbrella shared the grant, encouraged them to apply, and composed a letter of recommendation for the application. They were awarded $120,000 to help improve management of the Mill Creek Watershed, reducing runoff and pollution in neighborhood sewers during storms and prioritizing underserved communities where most of the overflow occurred.

Innovation at the Cincinnati Art Museum

Nonprofits experience the same struggles that all building owners face when it comes to finding the most impactful, affordable ways to make improvements. When member Cincinnati Art Museum was ready to revamp their building’s water treatment plan, Green Umbrella’s 2030 District was there to help! In addition to connecting the Museum to a grant that allowed them to move forward with the process, the 2030 District introduced them to Blue Ocean Solids, an innovative, local startup that creates water treatment products that are better for the planet than industry standards. The Cincinnati Art Museum was able to upgrade their water treatment plan to increase efficiency, protect against scale and erosion, improve workplace safety, and save more water, energy, and money.

Sustaining Flourishing Relationships 

Many of our member organizations offer programming for local schools, but in the past, this programming was often contingent on one relationship with one educator. If that educator moved on, connections with schools and students evaporated. By working within Green Umbrella’s Green Schoolyards Action Network, members can plug into a web of connections across the district, school leaders, and curriculum development. Now, not only are opportunities more consistent from year to year, they grow in number and scope across the network.

Resources for Farm Bill Advocacy

The Farm Bill is a massive piece of legislation composed of smaller bills that directly affect food policy across the country. Because of its size, some of the bills can get lost in the noise. Green Umbrella’s Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council (FPC) created tools that the Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association (OEFFA) used to further their advocacy efforts and create their own Marker Bill Tracker to highlight the bills they endorsed for inclusion in the Farm Bill.

And that’s just the beginning! 

25 years of Green Umbrella means a strong, established ecosystem of collaboration among Greater Cincinnati nonprofits. Join Green Umbrella and grow your organization’s impact alongside the most passionate, strategic, and determined leaders in the region.

Join us on Wednesday November 8, 2023 

Nonprofits Member Benefits Webinar

You’ll have an opportunity to ask your most pressing questions and to hear how  other nonprofits  are benefiting from being a member of Green Umbrella.

For more information, please contact Ryan Mooney-Bullock, Green Umbrella’s Executive Director, at ryan@greenumbrella.org