We’re excited to announce $2.6 million in August grants to organizations serving Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga County residents! Many of our August grants support human services and vital resources for area residents, as well as arts and educational programs for local youth. Here are a few highlights:
Fair Housing Advocacy for Survivors of Domestic Violence
$62,693 to the Housing Research & Advocacy Center (HRAC) to support research, education and enforcement of fair housing protections in the private housing market for survivors of domestic violence in Cuyahoga County. Though survivors of domestic violence legally cannot be denied admission to, or evicted from, federally-assisted housing, no such legislation exists to protect survivors in the private housing market. HRAC will partner with the Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center to ensure HRAC staff are trained in issues of domestic violence and to expand community outreach about fair housing rights for survivors of domestic violence.
Legal Services and Healthcare Access for Lake and Geauga County Residents Living with HIV/AIDS
$20,000 to Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center, which offers legal services alongside medical and housing case management and a community food bank to low-income clients living with HIV or AIDS in six counties across Northeast Ohio. Our grant will increase Nueva Luz’s staff capacity, allowing the organization to expand services to clients in Lake and Geauga counties.
Broadband Feasibility Study in Glenville
$10,000 to DigitalC to study deploying a community-level broadband network in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood. Cuyahoga County’s share of households without broadband internet access is among the worst in the country; nearly 50% of Clevelanders live without a wired internet connection in their home and low-income neighborhoods are often hardest hit by this digital divide. Our grant to DigitalC supports studying the feasibility of a state-of-the-art neighborhood broadband network in Glenville, which could be a model for other underserved communities.
Collaborative Teaching of the Middle East and Muslim World in Cleveland Schools
$15,000 to the Council on American Islamic Relations – Ohio supporting a pilot program for collaborative teaching of the Middle East and Muslim world in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). Our grant supports planning efforts between CMSD educators and local university faculty to create a framework and curriculum for CMSD students to learn about the Middle East and broader Muslim societies, with the aim to address stereotypes and phobias that surround the Middle East and Islamic communities.
Documentary Film Screenings for Local High School Students
$5,000 to the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation supporting the screening of Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities and two students’ films produced by Scenarios USA called Cut in Half and Split Persona at the 2017 Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival. Our grant will help cover costs associated with screening the films and bringing the producers of the documentaries to Cleveland, as well as screening and transportation costs for local high school students to see the Scenarios USA films.
After-School Music Exploration Program in Local Libraries
$25,000 to The Syndicate for the New Arts for a pilot program in composition arts education, which will engage young people in high-quality music exploration workshops after school at Cleveland Public Library branches. Our grant will expand current programming at Cleveland Public Library, lengthening the workshops and adding new library branch locations, and introduce a 30-week composition mastery program in the libraries. This grant aligns with our Mastery Arts Initiative, which recognizes the far-reaching benefits of deep and sustained engagement in the mastery of an art form by young people.
These are just a few of our August grants. Follow our grantmaking each month – and get the latest news from the Cleveland Foundation – by signing up for our monthly e-newsletter here.
