Philanthropic activities are typically a pastime for those seeking to create positive change in their community, but for Jessica Grisez, executive director of Upper Arlington Community Foundation, it’s a full-time career. Her leadership role at the foundation requires a deep sense of generosity and an undying commitment to the community, and luckily, Grisez knows no other way of living.
As a child, Grisez was introduced to community
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involvement when she joined her local Girl Scout troop. This sparked an interest in giving back to the community, leading her to seek similar organizations. She dedicated much of her time to volunteering with local service groups, school clubs and student organizations, further nurturing her passion.
After graduating high school, Grisez attended the University of South Carolina and studied Public Relations. By joining a sorority, Grisez found she could continue doing what she loved while she earned her degree.
“I quickly fell in love with the nonprofit field in college,” says Grisez. “And I never left.”
Grisez’s philanthropic endeavors in college led her to Washington, D.C., where she interned for a summer with a national sexual assault hotline, Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). While there, she wrote newsletters and press releases that conveyed the organization’s mission, but she soon discovered she could use her writing for more.
“I wrote my first letter asking for gifts to the organization. Checks came in the mail!” she says. “I fell in love with development and connecting people to their passions through philanthropy.”
Grisez found her way back to D.C. after college to work with the Children’s Law Center, a legal service provider for foster care children.
“I continued work in direct mail fundraising, helped launch a corporate giving program, and planned an annual 400+ person fundraising event at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,” she says. “They were all ways to continue to connect people to our mission and support the district's most vulnerable kids.”
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In 2017, Grisez and her family moved to Upper Arlington, where she joined The Ohio State University advancement team at the College of Medicine. Her role brought her closer to the Columbus community and allowed her to foster connections between alumni and students through scholarship support.
As a self-described “fundraiser by training,” Grisez quickly became an active member of her local community outside of her job, collaborating with the Upper Arlington Rotary, Leadership Upper Arlington and Jewish Columbus.
From there, it was only a matter of time before Grisez began her work at the Upper Arlington Community Foundation. She started as a consultant with the foundation in 2021 and worked her way up in the ranks. In 2022, she was named executive director, a position that she finds exciting and rewarding.
“I continue to give back to my community and connect people to their passions today, tomorrow, and always. This is my dream job!” she says.
For Grisez, no day on the job is the same, as she spreads her time across a variety of projects. She considers the work of community foundations to be unlike that of similar organizations.
“What’s so unique about community foundations is we’re uniquely positioned to have an ear to the ground for community needs and connect those community members who are interested in helping enhance those projects,” she says.
As far as UACF projects go, Grisez finds it difficult to choose a favorite. She expresses her excitement over the creation of the Bob Crane Upper Arlington Community Center, which will open during spring 2025.
“I think it was because of the community center that the foundation really got some momentum and really started to show the community the value we add,” she says. “The Community Center has been a dream of this community for 40 years, and the fact that the foundation had the opportunity to help engage community members to see it come to life and raise eight million dollars are really meaningful.”
While the Upper Arlington Community Center is a large project getting plenty of publicity, Grisez hopes to convey that there’s more than what meets the eye when it comes to the Upper Arlington Community Foundation.
“(Upper Arlington Community Foundation is) most often associated with big capital projects, but we are so much more than that. We are a grant maker and a connector, and now a
programmer in Upper Arlington.”
To Grisez, it was rewarding to witness the endowments the alumni donated and to join them in celebrating legacy donations.
“Legacy giving is such a beautiful way to continue to celebrate someone’s story for generations,” she says. “It is an honor to have the responsibility to share a donor’s story with others, long after they’re gone. It’s a way to keep their memory alive and honor a life well-lived.”
Maggie Lardie is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
