Publicizing Your Grant

We encourage our grantees to publicize their foundation grants to spread the word about their organization's good works and role in the community. Identifying the Cleveland Foundation as a source of support lends credibility to our collective efforts.

We ask that you mention the Cleveland Foundation's grant support in your organization's publicity vehicles, including press releases, annual reports, newsletters, brochures, flyers, and so forth.

When doing so, please use the following language to acknowledge your grant from the Cleveland Foundation:

• This project was funded (or funded in part) by a grant from the Cleveland Foundation.
• We also encourage you to use our logo where suitable. We can provide black-and-white or color versions in digital format. Please let us know how you plan to use the logo so we can help you get the best results. You can also download our logo from the Press Room section of our website.
• Issuing a news release to the media is a good way to obtain publicity for your grant funding. Community and suburban newspapers in your service area, as well as The Plain Dealer and the trade press, may be interested in your story. Radio stations may be interested if someone can provide an on-air interview, while TV stations look for stories with visual appeal.

The following suggestions will help you write and distribute a news release:

• All releases should be typed, double-spaced, on your organization's letterhead. Identify your organization using its exact legal name and its popular name.
• Place "For Immediate Release," the date, and the name and daytime phone number of a contact person at the top of your release. Make sure that person is available to answer questions the day the release is issued.
• News releases should be short and no more than one or two pages in length.
• All critical information should be included in the first paragraph: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
• End the news release with a paragraph describing the Cleveland Foundation.  Following is our suggested boilerplate:

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Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation is the world's first community foundation and the nation’s third-largest today, with assets of $1.6 billion and 2008 grants of $84 million. The foundation improves the lives of Greater Clevelanders by building community endowment, addressing needs through grantmaking, and providing leadership on vital issues. Currently the foundation proactively directs two-thirds of its flexible grant dollars to the community's greatest needs: economic transformation (including advanced energy and globalization), public school improvement, early childhood and youth development, neighborhoods and housing, and arts advancement.
 
For more information on the Cleveland Foundation, please visit www.clevelandfoundation.org.

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• We welcome copies of publications or media coverage that mention your grant. You may also submit photographs that could potentially be used for the foundation's website, newsletters or annual report. Please send these materials to the foundation's Public Affairs department.
• If you have questions about publicizing your grant, please call Scott Tennant at 216-615-7153.