The Foundation Office at Fifth Third Bank has announced that it awarded grants totaling nearly $6.2 million in 2019.

Awarded through eight foundations for which the office serves as a trustee or agent, the grants include a total of $90,000 through the Charles Moerlein Foundation, which provides support to organizations working in the areas of religion, science, educational, and literary arts; $1.75 million through the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, which works to help women and girls achieve self-sufficiency; $160,000 through the Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, which supports charitable and educational efforts in Cincinnati, with a focus on the arts; $410,000 through the Helen G., Henry F., & Louise Tuechter Dornette Foundation in support of initiatives focused on children and the environment; $210,000 through the Patricia Kisker Foundation, which provides support to organizations focused on children, education, and the arts; $3.17 million through the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trusts, which are focused on support for education and human services; $320,000 through the Ohio Valley Foundation, which funds small equipment and capital improvement projects in the region; and $70,000 through the Stillson Foundation, which assists children.

Grant recipients include New Life Furniture Bank, a nonprofit organization that delivers gently used furniture to families in need, and Reenter Into Society Empowered, which received a grant from the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trust to help incarcerated individuals reenter society.

"We are pleased to have worked with so many inspiring organizations through the year that bring positive change to our communities," said Foundation Office senior vice president and managing director Heidi B. Jark. "Through the Foundation Office, we are working to fulfill the vision of the numerous families that have established philanthropic foundations to create a legacy of improving lives."