Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation

In the fall of 2023 the Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation's Full STEAM Ahead Capital Campaign was completed. Projects accomplished through the Full STEAM Ahead Capital Campaign included:

In the junior/senior high school

• The Foundry
• The Gupta Family Science & Research Corridor
• The Sue and Jim White, Jr. Family Art Studio
• The STEAM Café by the Frankel Family
• The Swigart Family MakerPLACE

In the elementary school:

• The Wondry with the MacMillan Family Sycamore Tree
• The Yark Family STEAM Center
• The Molly Zraik and Brown Boys Makerspace
• The Claire and Caroline Arnos ARTLab
• The Lawrence and Christine Spetka 6th Grade Science Lab

In 2019 the Foundation's first capital campaign raised $1.5 million for the state of the art:

• Kadens Family Fitness Center
• Renovations to varsity locker rooms

The mission of the Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation is to permanently enhance and extend the unique experience of excellence that defines Ottawa Hills Local Schools.

Reductions in revenue are making it increasingly difficult for Ottawa Hills Local Schools to develop and sustain unique educational programming. While the district has been able to cut spending and implement efficiencies in order to maintain current offerings to date, budget shortfalls impact curricular and extracurricular programming.

The Solution: Raise private funds to secure the Ottawa Hills Experience.

Ottawa Hills Local Schools has maintained educational excellence thanks to years of generous financial support from the community. Due to the changing economic environment, we have to look to new ways of supporting our schools.

That is why the Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation was created. The Foundation is the embodiment of the long-term strategy, focused on supplementing traditional (and decreasing) sources of revenue with private dollars raised and distributed through continued community support.

Ultimately, the Foundation provides depth and permanence to preserve the Ottawa Hills experience for generations of students to come.

The Foundation is the vehicle through which the community can continue and ensure unique experiences are preserved and enhanced for generations to come. Students have already been impacted by Foundation donors’ generous gifts of support through donor funds.

The Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation was created in 2013 to serve the district as a long-term, sustainable funding source. Its purpose is to raise and distribute private dollars to support important programs and offerings for students.

The seed for the formation of a school foundation was planted in 2010. Like all school districts across Ohio and the country, the economic downturn had negatively impacted district finances. While the Board of Education and district personnel worked together to identify more than $1 million in cuts and savings, more needed to be done.

After a year-long investigation, members of a philanthropy advisory committee, comprised of community members, overwhelmingly supported the creation of a foundation. In May 2013, the community’s vision became a reality when the Ottawa Hills Local Schools Board of Education approved the first Board of Trustees and a code of regulations for the Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation.

Your gift makes a difference in keeping our schools excellent! Donors who give at the levels below will be recognized online and in printed materials. 

Thank you for your generosity. Your giving makes a difference and inspires others to do the same.

How To Give

Your gift is appreciated! Please make checks payable to Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation and mail to:

Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation
4035 W. Central Ave
Ottawa Hills, OH 43606

You can also donate by credit card here: Give Today

For questions about the foundation and related giving opportunities, please contact:

Erica (Gatchel) Silk '89,
Director of Development and Alumni Relations
419-214-4838

Annual Giving Recognition Levels

Donor Honor Roll recognitions can be seen in of past issues of Around These Hills  here

Disbursement Criteria

Grant Application

Student Assistance Fund

Watch the video to listen to Coach Hardman explain how "It's the little things that make a big difference."

CLICK TO WATCH