Back for the second year, Philanthropitch Columbus presented by American Electric Power Foundation did not disappoint! We’re forever amazed at how the Columbus community comes together to support the nonprofits fighting to improve their social impact footprint.

The Columbus impact community came out in full force to support not only our seven presenting organizations but innovation at large in Columbus.

This year's event included nonprofits focused on everything from providing adaptive programs for individuals with down syndrome to food assistance location programs. The seven organizations that took the stage were Bridgeway Academy, Buddy Up Tennis, FoodFinder, PCs for People, South Side Early Learning, Youth Yoga Project, and Zora’s House.

We were excited to kick off the evening by inviting our VIP ticketholders, Friends of Philanthropitch, Judges, and Finalist Funders to a reception. Here, they were able to meet the finalists and learn a little more about their mission and what brought them to Philanthropitch. Once the show began we were grateful to welcome Dale Heydlauff, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and President of American Electric Power Foundation to the stage as co-host for the evening. American Electric Power Foundation’s commitment to connecting and supporting their local community made them the perfect partner.

Returning supporters of Philanthropitch were pleased to see familiar faces on stage in our 2019 finalists! Lisa Hinkelman from ROX, Steve Votow from The Furniture Bank, Shameikia Smith from YMCA of Central Ohio, Terry Traster from ECDI, Paula Haines from Freedom A La Carte, and Criag Diaz from Equitas Health joined us to share how their organizations have flourished since participating in Philanthropitch last year.

One of the most exciting portions of the evening is the intermission. During this time audience members individually vote for which nonprofit will receive the amount of their ticket purchase as a donation. These totals are added up live on the big screen so attendees can see where their donation is going in real-time.

For those looking to go above and beyond, we also allow additional donations that get added to the audience award checks. Seeing an auditorium full of people supporting meaningful missions and projects is what makes Philanthropitch special. Once all of the results and donation amounts were tabulated we moved straight into the awards ceremony, giving away over $115,000! We are thrilled to announce how much was donated at the end of the night.

Philanthropitch Columbus 2020 Results

Bridgeway Academy - $23,580
Buddy Up Tennis - $10,167
Food Finder - $9,647
PCs for People - $11,873
South Side Early Learning - $24,897
Youth Yoga Project - $12,465
Zora’s House - $23,020

Thank you to everyone who attended, donated, and supported Philanthropitch Columbus 2020. We look forward to returning in 2021 and working with a whole new crop of innovative nonprofits.

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