New foundation is expected to benefit Toledo youth
At least $100,000 will be donated to HOPE Toledo to benefit area children through a “comprehensive, inclusive, cradle-to-career education” partnership between SSOE Group and the Greater Toledo Community Foundation in a newly established SSOE Foundation.
The Rev. John C. Jones, the president and CEO of HOPE Toledo who released the figure in a joint statement, said the nonprofit is grateful to SSOE for its commitment.
“I am personally appreciative of how SSOE continues to lean in and make the lives of our children and families in this community better,” Mr. Jones said. “This critical investment not only serves children and families right now but builds a crucial bridge to long-term investment in education that will have real generational economic change for the betterment of the Toledo region.”
HOPE Toledo’s mission, according to the nonprofit’s website, is to support high-quality education from preschool to postsecondary and trade school for all young Toledoans, creating generational economic change.
Vince DiPofi, SSOE’s CEO, said the firm is enthusiastic about the partnership with the GTCF in the development of the SSOE Foundation.
“By partnering with the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, we’re leveraging their philanthropic expertise to ensure our donations are used most efficiently and effectively,” he said. “This collaboration enables us to focus on what we do best, engineering and architecture, while still ensuring our charitable contributions have the greatest possible impact.”
Kate Sommerfeld, president and CEO of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, said the organization is “incredibly excited” about helping SSOE establish the SSOE Foundation.
“By creating this fund and using the Community Foundation’s philanthropic infrastructure, the firm's charitable giving can be most efficient, deeply effective, and impactful to support SSOE’s corporative giving and for direct donations from their employee population,” Ms. Sommerfeld said.
Both SSOE Group, a Toledo-based international design and engineering firm, and GTCF, a Toledo nonprofit that describes itself as “the single most flexible institution for charitable giving,” have a long history locally.
SSOE Group has supported the University of Toledo for at least 70 years and Toledo Public Schools for at least 35 years, according to the news release. GTCF celebrated 50 years of financial investment in local organizations in 2023.
Also in 2023, in honor of its 75th year in business, SSOE pledged $750,000 to Toledo charities over three years and an additional $750,000 over that time to charities in cities where the firm’s offices reside.
Mr. DiPofi said he presented the recommendation to establish the SSOE Foundation to the SSOE board of directors in September.
After receiving their approval, the firm collaborated with the GTCF “to bring this vision to life,” he said.
“SSOE’s decision to establish the foundation at this time was driven by two key factors: our significant growth and our commitment to taking a more active leadership role in the Toledo community,” Mr. DiPofi said.
First Published February 16, 2025, 1:13 p.m.
