Past Grants

Handbags That Help has awarded $726,322 since its first year of grantmaking in 2008. See the projects we’ve been a part of below. Each is a seed the giving circle planted that continues to blossom into strong families in our community.

2024 – $40,710 total grants awarded

  • City Mission - $15,000
    • New kitchen equipment to expand meal services.
  • Blanchard Valley Center Board of Developmental Disabilities - $5,675
    • Event supplies (mobile changing station, table, chairs, tent, lighting and signage) for adults with developmental disabilities.
  • Blanchard Valley Health Foundation - $10,035.01
    • Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener to screen children as young as six months for vision impairments.
  • Owens Early Learning Center - $10,000
    • Indoor climber and outdoor activity set.

2023 – $58,872.60 total grants awarded

  • Cancer Patient Services - $5,000
    • Gas cards for medical transportation for cancer patients.
  • Findlay Hancock County Public Library - $15,000
    • Books to children from birth to age five through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program.
  • Hancock Public Health - $5,000
    • Positive parenting education, mental health resources and support, and positive role models through the Help Me Grow program.
  • Hope House - $4,700
    • Outdoor furniture for Hope House shelter residents.
  • On Target Outfitters - $29,172.60
    • Improving outdoor facilities and creating space for safe and sensory play.

2022 – $43,145 total grants awarded

  • City Mission - $4,000
    • Updates to the five Family Rooms and items for an outdoor play area.
  • Findlay City Schools - $10,655
    • Materials for the Land Lab Innovative Center at Chamberlain Hill School.
  • Fort Findlay FOP Lodge 20 Foundation - $10,490
    • Cops and Kids go Back to School event.
  • Raise the Bar - $18,000
    • Seven Habits training and a keynote speaker for an upcoming Leadership Day.

2021 – $39,000 total grants awarded

  • Findlay Hope House - $24,000
    • Hope House was granted $24,000 to support approximately 10 families in the eviction prevention program.
  • Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County - $5,000
    • Habitat was granted $5,000 to support a homeowners education series, including Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University and DIY workshops, for approximately 50 families.
  • Welcome to a New Life - $10,000
    • New Life was granted $10,000 as seed funding for a revolving loan program for their program mentees.

2020 – $51,500 total grants awarded

  • City Life of Findlay - $10,000
    • City Life Findlay, an extension of Youth for Christ of Northwest Ohio, was granted $10,000 for an outdoor expansion project for under-served youth in our community.
  • Findlay Family YMCA - $15,000
    • Findlay Family YMCA was granted $15,000 for an expansion of a Diabetes Health Program with multifaceted training sessions for diabetes education and prevention.
  • Open Arms - $19,000
    • Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services was granted $19,000 for a sexual assault family advocate addressing a critical gap in the current support system offered to survivors.
  • LGBTQ+ Spectrum - $7,500
    • LGBTQ+ Spectrum was granted $7,500 to develop a multi-level community education program Alphabet Soup.

2019 – $43,600 total grants awarded

  • City Mission - $6,739
    • This grant will support the Family Program at City Mission. Grant dollars will be split three ways: Board and staff course curriculum for recognition of signs of domestic violence, sexual and physical abuse and human trafficking; funding to purchase school supplies; funding for field trips.
  • Findlay Digital Academy - $18,191
    • The grant will support hiring one additional coach to provide the guidance needed to build on students’ strengths and help them be successful. Coaches meet students at the lab for tutoring and to help with goal setting, developing success plans, etc. with the goal of earning a diploma, maintaining a self-sustaining job and building a strong, stable family.
  • Habitat for Humanity - $5,054
    • This grant will serve 3-5 families by doing urgent, critical repairs on owner occupied properties in Hancock County. This is an expansion of a program that provides support for low income homeowners in need of urgent repairs such as heating, plumbing, or electrical.
  • Hope House - $5,616
    • Hope House will use its grant money to re-establish the Transportation Fund, which will be used in conjunction with a Vehicle Donation Program (VDP). The VDP accepts donated vehicles to be given to a client or auctioned after examination. The Transportation Fund helps with insurance, license plates, title transfer and repairs.
  • Jacobs Primary School - $8,000
    • Jacobs received funding for intensive on-site teacher and parent training. The purpose of the training is to foster prosocial behaviors and the role models needed to break the cycle of poverty. The two-and-a-half-day training for teachers includes modeling effective behavior modification strategies and individual classroom mentoring. The evening training for parents will teach the skills necessary to bring productivity and peace to their homes.

2018 – $35,575 total grants awarded

  • Dental Center of Northwest Ohio - $2,500
    • This project will enable the Findlay Smiles office of the Dental Center to purchase approximately 2,000 toothbrush kits, which include a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. These kits will be distributed during outreach efforts like health fairs, as well as educational events in cooperation with schools, day care centers and other nonprofit agencies.
  • Raise the Bar Hancock County - $23,945
    • As Raise the Bar, the local workforce coalition, met with local employers and educators, the need for soft skills was identified as an area of immediate need for future employees; Skills such as critical thinking, communication, conflict resolution and more. Raise the Bar implemented the Leader in Me curriculum in local school to build skills and prepare students as early as possible for life after graduation. This grant will support the implementation in two new schools and continued training in four other schools.
  • University of Findlay Clubhouse Reading Center - $9,130
    • Literacy is the key to success. Unfortunately, not every child in Hancock County can read adequately, putting them behind the curve. The Clubhouse offers the only free literacy tutoring in Northwest Ohio. Tutoring is provided my College of Education students, who are supervised by professors and paid for their time. This grant will support the student tutors, provide reading materials for students to take home, and literacy training for parents.

2017 – $39,320 total grants awarded

  • The Center for Safe & Healthy Children - $7,488
    • This project provides trauma-trained therapist assessments on-site for each child served. By providing the initial assessment at the same time as the child and family uses the Center, the hope is the family will continue counseling for the child.
  • Century Health - $7,082
    • This project seeks more accurately diagnose school-age children who are referred for behavioral concerns. Better diagnoses lead to improved care and functioning. These tests, in conjunction with a comprehensive approach to evaluating youth, will lead to more accurate diagnoses. This will result in more appropriate and timely interventions, designed to relieve the distress and dysfunction for youth and their families.
  • Christian Clearing House - $18,450
    • Project Happy Feet is a shoe voucher program for Hancock County children, redeemable at Kohl’s, The Shoe Sensation and The Shoe Department for the purchase of one pair of shoes at the start of the school year and later as needed.
  • Children’s Museum of Findlay - $6,300
    • The Museum for All Initiative will incorporate a sensory calming room and visual arts area into the Children’s Museum of Findlay.

2016 – $35,500 total grants awarded

  • Fire Relief Foundation – $3,000
    • The Fire Relief Foundation was awarded a $3,000 grant to assist with capacity building training (governance, fundraising, board training, strategic planning) to strengthen the organization’s effectiveness.
    Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County – $32,500
    • Habitat for Humanity was awarded a $35,500 grant to support its critical repair program.

2015 – $38,000 total grants awarded

  • The Literacy Coalition of Hancock County – $38,000
    • The Literacy Coalition was awarded a $38,000 grant to support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program, training of volunteers and coordinators, and Family Literacy nights.

2014 – $36,000 total grants awarded

  • Arts Partnership of Hancock County – $6,000
    • The Arts Partnership received a grant of $6,000 to provide scholarships for its summer art camp program.
  • Hancock County ADAMHS BOARD – $30,000
    • Hancock County ADAMHS Board was awarded a $30,000 grant to become a Trauma-Informed Learning Community.

2013 – $34,715 total grants awarded

  • American Red Cross of Hancock County – $15,000
    • American Red Cross was awarded a $15,000 grant to support the Armed Forces Family Network program.
  • Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County – $3,640
    • Habitat for Humanity received a grant of $3,640 to support the Habitat Homeowner Education series.
  • Hancock County Saves – $1,700
    • Hancock County Saves received a grant of $1,700 to support the Hancock Saves program.
  • Owens Community College Foundation – $10,000
    • Owens Community College received a grant of $10,000 to support the Education for an Encore program.
  • Read for LIFE – $4,375
    • Read for LIFE received a grant of $4,375 to support the L.I.F.E. Skills Literacy program.

2012 – $37,716 total grants awarded

  • Cancer Patient Services – $3,000
    • Cancer Patient Services was awarded a $3,000 grant to support the Campus Companions project.
  • Family Resource Center – $8,000
    • Family Resource Center received a grant of $8,000 to support the Adolescent Suicide Prevention program.
  • Hancock County Center for Safe & Healthy Children – $26,716
    • Hancock County Center for Safe & Healthy Children received a grant of $26,716 to assist in continuing the program through 2013.

2011 – $43,214 total grants awarded

  • Caughman Health Center – $21,499
    • Caughman Health Center was awarded a $21,499 grant to support a Pharmacist salary for medical reconciliation program.
  • Century Health, Inc. – $21,715
    • Century Health received a grant of $21,715 to support the Overcoming Barriers to Addiction Program.

2010 – $40,713 total grants awarded

  • Findlay Family YMCA – $15,713
    • The Findlay YMCA received a grant of $15,713 to provide support for the 2010 summer employment of lifeguards for Riverside Park pool.
    Findlay Hope House for the Homeless – $25,000
    • Findlay Hope House Findlay Hope House was awarded a $25,000 grant to partially fund the Bridges Out of Poverty program and the coordinator’s salary and benefits.

2009 – $51,742 total grants awarded

  • Caughman Health Center – $11,142
    • Caughman Health Center received a grant of $11,142 to partially support a health educator social worker to coordinate education and programming for low income pregnant women.
  • Hancock Christian Clearing House – $25,000
    • Hancock Christian Clearing House received a grant of $25,000 to support classes, supplies, training and wages for the “Partners in Progress” program.
  • Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services – $15,600
    • Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services received a grant of $15,600 to support a Program Assistant for Harmony House.

2008 – $54,000 total grants awarded

  • Camp Fire of Northwest Ohio – $3,400
    • Camp Fire of Northwest Ohio received an HTH grant of $3,400 to support their Summer of Science (SOS) day camp program.
  • Habitat for Humanity – $26,858
    • Habitat for Humanity of Findlay/Hancock County received $26,858 from HTH to partially fund the construction of a new home for a single mother and her son.
  • Hancock Center for Safe and Healthy Children – $23,742
    • Hancock County Center for Safe and Healthy Children, a local child advocacy center, received a grant of $23,742 to purchase video and audio recording equipment for two interview rooms.

If you’re interested in a Handbags That Help grant, see the Grants section of our website.