In 1999 the Anthem Foundation of Ohio, AF-Ohio, identified the Prevention of Family Violence as a focused area of grantmaking. The Foundation commissioned a white paper to study the impact of family violence and requested the participation of the ODVN Training Coordinator as an expert panelist [click here to view the study]. In February of 2004, AF-Ohio, www.greatercincinnatifdn.org, entered into its first grant agreement with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network to fund a Family Violence Prevention Capacity Building Initiative. A successful partnership between ODVN and AF-Ohio continues today. With this investment in family violence prevention ODVN has been able to:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive technical assistance program for Anthem Foundation grantees;

• More holitically address all forms of family violence in prevention training, information and technical assistance offered by ODVN; and

• Create a sustainable infrastructure for family violence prevention capacity building in Ohio.

Four community-based projects in Ohio received strategic planning awards and implementation funds through foundation awards. The Anthem Foundation grantees are currently implementing community-based strategies in Allen, Hamilton and Warren counties as well as a joint multi-county project for Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull. Click here to learn more about what these communities are doing to prevent family violence please Click Here.

ODVN provides individualize coaching, trainings, peer to peer sharing opportunities and other resources to the local communities. The project also provides systems and policy advocacy to advance family violence prevention in teh state and nationally. The ODVN Family Violence Prevention Capacity Building Initiative benefits greatly from its collaboration with Seattle-based MEMconsultants, www.memconsultants.com. A summary of lessons learned from the initiative and partners will be available soon.