Membership Directory

About Upspring

Nearly half of children in the greater Cincinnati area live in poverty – between the 2nd and 4th worst rate in the country. Many of these children are homeless, and the odds are stacked against them.

Helping Kids Thrive

As the region’s only non-profit exclusively serving the educational needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness, UpSpring provides these students with the consistency needed to achieve academic success and become well-rounded, active participants in their community. A consistent education breaks the cycle of childhood homelessness and elevates kids, families, and communities.

Our Vision:

Our vision is to positively transform our communities by breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty.

Our Core Values:

EDUCATION: We empower by fostering growth and providing hope; we are continuous learners.

COLLABORATION: We work together in our community to increase the impact; we value everyone.

CARE: We are trauma-informed professionals, we appreciate the needs of others.

Our History:

UpSpring is a reputable organization that has served children experiencing homelessness in Greater Cincinnati for over 22 years. UpSpring was founded in 1998 as the Project Connect Homeless Children’s Fund with a mission to support the important work of Project Connect within Cincinnati Public Schools. When UpSpring began managing a summer camp alongside Project Connect, we changed our name to “Faces Without Places.” Ultimately, we became our own 501(c)3 and continued to expand our reach and services. In July of 2015, we changed our name one more time to “UpSpring” to better reflect the benefits of our programming and the positive nature of our work.

UpSpring is the only local nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the educational needs of children experiencing homelessness. We continue to grow, always striving to serve more children in the region. Throughout the year, we are able to serve over 4,000 students in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (Hamilton, Kenton, Boone, and Campbell Counties). To learn more about our programs, click here.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Racial and economic equity are at the forefront of all UpSpring programs; fundamentally, racial and economic equity are the reason UpSpring exists. We are removing barriers in education, so that the children we serve have the same opportunities as their peers. Our aim is to give children experiencing homelessness the tools and resources to become well-rounded participants in society, and end the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

Our summer staff, who facilitate UpSpring Summer 360°, are trained in racial equity at the start of each summer. We are committed to developing a diverse staff, board, and volunteer roster that is representative of the children we serve.