We’re excited to share a few highlights from recent grants to organizations serving residents of Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. These October grants focus support on arts and culture, health, human services and educational opportunities:

Arts and Culture

• $50,000 to Beck Center for the Arts to increase volunteer opportunities and expand its college internship program, which fosters committed and well-rounded leaders. In celebration of the Beck Center’s 85^th anniversary, the grant will also support activities aimed at strengthening its brand and connecting the center with the communities it serves.
• $10,000 to LatinUs Theater Experience Company, a new organization that presents and preserves Spanish language cultural stories and theatrical traditions. Our grant will be used to purchase supplies and equipment necessary for startup operations and for marketing and promotion of its first full length show, The Dead and The Maiden.
• $46,000 to the Morgan Art of Paper Making Conservatory and Educational Foundation, supporting a Saturday papermaking program for youth in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. Our grant will fund an important staff learning trip to a long-established sister institution, the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts, and will help with teaching salaries, supplies, facilities costs, workshop expenses and three exhibitions of youth work.

Health, Human Services, and Educational Opportunities

• $80,000 to Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center to help expand its geographic reach with a new location in Westlake. Our grant will allow the center hire four new positions to support the expansion, including a client care coordinator, a licensed and certified audiologist, and two licensed and certified speech language pathologists.
• $120,000 to Mental Health and Addiction Advocacy Coalition to deepen relationships in Lake and Geauga counties with emphasis on needs related to the opiate epidemic. Our grant supports efforts to educate and engage mental health and addiction service providers to have a voice in the county budget preparation cycle, as well as educating public officials and key stakeholders on the importance of including mental health and addiction service providers in conversations about service planning and workforce preparation.
• $125,000 to Cuyahoga County Office of Early Childhood for their program Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK), a proven family-focused intervention that helps preschool aged children get ready for school by building reading, language and social skills. Grant dollars will support a full-time Parent Partner, evaluation support, travel, books and related materials.

These are just a few of our October grants. Follow our grantmaking throughout the year by subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter!