Click Here to Give to the Cleveland Black Futures Fund

The Cleveland Black Futures Fund has amassed more than $6.8 million since inception on Sept. 1, 2020, to invest in and strengthen Black-led and Black-serving social change organizations.

 
updated aug. 28, 2023, 9 A.m. EST

About the Fund

In 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, we bore witness to what is believed to be the largest civil rights movement in the history of the United States. As more people across our community and our country engage in a long overdue reckoning with the ugly reality of structural racism in America, many of us are thinking about our experiences and roles in this reality – individually and collectively.

In the field of philanthropy, we must be honest about our historic shortcomings in addressing the devastating racial disparities that so directly impact our work. The Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) has reported on the significant inequities that exist within the national philanthropic field at a time when outcomes and disparities for Black children, families and neighborhoods in many areas have widened.

While structural racism is a problem affecting our entire country, the movement for Black lives has resonated in Greater Cleveland for deeply local reasons. According to 2018 research from The Center for Community Solutions, Black residents in Cleveland are more likely to experience higher rates of infant mortality and childhood poverty, be overrepresented in the criminal justice system, be disproportionately represented in lower wage occupations and have shorter life expectancies – all of which cross socioeconomic boundaries.

The Cleveland Foundation and our donors have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to improve education, housing, job opportunities and access to healthcare in our community. And while these investments have improved the quality of life for individuals and families in Greater Cleveland, they have not yet eliminated the disparities that exist along racial lines. More than 50 years after the Fair Housing Act, our city remains one of the most racially segregated in the nation – both geographically and in terms of educational, economic and health outcomes – among other measures.

The launch of the Cleveland Black Futures Fund, seeded with $2.5 million to invest in and strengthen Black-led and Black-serving social change organizations, is just one step in what must be a long-term community-wide effort to dismantle racist systems that have made communities of color vulnerable for generations. As the Greater Cleveland community’s foundation, it is incumbent upon us to respond to the place where the need is greatest, and there is no doubt that the need is great in Cleveland’s Black community. With the understanding that those who are closest to the problem are often closest to the solution, the fund will elevate specific interventions to strengthen the ecosystem of Black leaders and Black-serving organizations in Greater Cleveland by providing intentional resources to help grow organizational infrastructure and capacity. Long-term, the foundation aims to deepen the field of leaders working to dismantle systemic racism and advance the community toward racial equity.

The Cleveland Black Futures Fund builds on the ongoing work of the African American Philanthropy Committee of the Cleveland Foundation (AAPC), which has promoted awareness and education about the benefits of wealth and community preservation through philanthropy since 1993. Established in 2010, the African American Philanthropy Committee Legacy Fund supports a variety of organizations within the African American community of Greater Cleveland. The Cleveland Black Futures Fund will complement the impact of the AAPC and its Legacy Fund, offering an additional pool of resources to support the Black community in Greater Cleveland.

The Cleveland Foundation recognizes that racial inequity is not a simple Black-white divide. However, the needs of various racial and ethnic communities are too vast for one fund to address. The effects of systemic racism on non-Black communities of color must be addressed through interventions that are designed and tailored to the specific needs of each community. As we launch the Black Futures Fund, we are laying the groundwork for future population-specific strategies to address the needs of other ethnic and racial communities in Greater Cleveland.

The launch of the Cleveland Black Futures Fund represents a new and more intentionally anti-racist approach in the Cleveland Foundation’s work, a direction that is necessary if we wish to move our entire community forward. We do not yet have all the answers, but we will continue to listen, learn and act. We hope you will join us.

Announcing the fourth round of grantmaking from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund 

The Cleveland Foundation and its partners have announced nearly $1.4 million to 36 Black-led and Black-serving nonprofit organizations in Greater Cleveland: 

Celebrating Cleveland Black Futures Fund Round 1 Grantees

Recipients of first-round funding from the Cleveland Foundation’s Cleveland Black Futures Fund share how their grants helped them make an impact in the community.



Cleveland Black Futures Fund grantee partners


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Round 3
Round 2

Round 2 also includes capacity-building fellowships focused on the following four areas: fund development, leadership development, long-term/strategic planning and marketing & communications. Each of the four areas includes approximately 15 organizations – some of whom also received a grant in the second round – and is designed to foster peer learning with like-minded nonprofits.

Round 1


Check out our blog series to learn more about what these organizations are doing to support Black lives in Greater Cleveland.

 
 

Subscribe to the Cleveland Black Futures Fund E-Newsletter

Want to learn more about racial equity initiatives in Greater Cleveland? Check out our Racial Equity e-newsletter archive:


Latest News

 
AUG 28, 2023

Cleveland Black Futures Fund announces nearly $1.4 million to 36 nonprofits in round four of grantmaking efforts

feb. 1, 2023

Cleveland Black Futures Fund announces $1 million to 42 nonprofits in its third round of grantmaking

july 11, 2022

Cleveland Black Futures Fund releases third RFP, application portal opens August 1, 2022

May 2, 2022

Cleveland Black Futures Fund announces nearly $1.6 million to 43 nonprofits in its second round of grantmaking

June 29, 2021

Cleveland Black Futures Fund announces nearly $2 million in grants

jan. 21, 2021

Cleveland Black Futures Fund releases RFP, application portal opens Jan. 25

Dec. 11, 2020

Facebook awards $1 million to Cleveland Black Futures Fund

sept. 1, 2020

Cleveland Foundation announces creation of Cleveland Black Futures Fund



Advisory Committee

The Cleveland Black Futures Fund advisory committee guides the application parameters and grantmaking process for the fund. The seven-person group is comprised of community leaders working alongside foundation representatives:

  • Carrie Carpenter, Board Member, Cleveland Foundation
  • The Rev. Dr. Robin Hedgeman, Board Member, Cleveland Foundation
  • Constance Hill-Johnson, Board Member, Cleveland Foundation
  • Treye Johnson, Regional Outreach Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
  • Shanelle Smith Whigham, Vice President, Sustainability & Social Impact, KeyBank
  • Timothy L. Tramble Sr., President & CEO, Saint Luke’s Foundation

Cleveland Black Futures Fund


 

Radio One town hall

The town hall broadcast live Feb. 11 on the Z107.9, 93.1 WZAK and Praise 94.5 Facebook pages and on YouTube and explored how the Cleveland Black Futures Fund will be supporting the capacity of Cleveland-based nonprofit organizations that are both Black-led and Black-serving.


Frequently Asked Questions

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Future Rounds of Grantmaking

Will there be a fifth round of funding?

The fifth round of funding is expected to open early spring 2024 to all eligible Black-led and Black-serving organizations.

Please continue to visit this website for updates. 

About Capacity Building

Why organizational capacity?

Candid.org states: “Capacity building can help make an organization more focused, efficient, and productive,” and this, “makes it easier to attract the money, leadership and visibility that nonprofits need to thrive.”

What are some examples of organizational capacity activities and components?

The Free Management Library describes a host of capacity building activities, including:

  • Board development
  • Business planning
  • Evaluation
  • Facilities planning
  • Financial management
  • Fundraising
  • Information technology
  • Leadership development
  • Legal services
  • Management development
  • Marketing
  • Program design
  • Quality management
  • Staffing
  • Strategic planning

This is not an exhaustive list but is meant to provide some insight into the types of activities the Cleveland Black Futures Fund welcomes in proposals. Learn more about capacity building activities here.

Other Questions About the Cleveland Black Futures Fund

Why a specific fund?

The Cleveland Black Futures Fund was established to acknowledge that Black residents of Cleveland face a higher likelihood of negative life outcomes solely because of the color of their skin. In the city of Cleveland’s historically redlined neighborhoods, where more than 90% of residents are Black, the life expectancy is nearly 24 years less than in suburbs a mere seven miles away, where more than 90% of residents are white.

According to 2018 research from The Center for Community Solutions, Black residents in Cleveland are more likely to experience higher rates of infant mortality and childhood poverty, be overrepresented in the criminal justice system, be disproportionately represented in lower wage occupations and have shorter life expectancies. Data indicates that these disparities in life outcomes cross all socioeconomic barriers.

The Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) has also reported that significant inequities exist within the national philanthropic field at a time when outcomes and disparities for Black children, families and neighborhoods in many areas have widened.

We are guided by the principle that the people closest to the problem are often closest to the solution. We know that there are many dynamic, trusted organizations already working within the community to eradicate these disparities and more. This fund is an intentional opportunity to incubate and accelerate the visions of active Black community leaders, especially those who have not previously secured much institutional philanthropic support.

Where did the money come from for this fund, and will it affect the foundation’s traditional grantmaking?

Foundation staff identified a restricted fund as the source for the initial $2.5 million investment, allowing for our traditional grantmaking to proceed unaffected, which includes funding for Black-led and Black-serving organizations that apply as part of our standard monthly and quarterly grantmaking cycles. Thanks to the contributions of generous donors, the Cleveland Black Futures Fund has amassed nearly $4.6 million since its inception. The Cleveland Black Futures Fund is currently working to raise additional dollars to support this work. 

Why the name “Cleveland Black Futures Fund”?

The Cleveland Black Futures Fund is part of a larger movement to address historic funding inequities and well-documented disparities in outcomes affecting Black people and Black-led organizations in our communities. When choosing a name for our fund, we felt it was important that the name be short, descriptive, and inspirational – and that it acknowledge the fund’s place-based and placekeeping focus. We sought a forward-looking name that stood for something rather than against something. The name Cleveland Black Futures Fund evokes the concept of Afrofuturism, defined by sociologist Alondra Nelson as describing, “visions of the future…through the experience and perspective of African diasporic communities.” We are aware of longstanding efforts and funds nationally and in other sectors with similar names or focus areas. The Black Arts Future Fund supports Black-led arts organizations nationwide. The name also draws inspiration from our peer community foundations that have launched similar funds, such as the Seattle Foundation’s Black Future Co-op Fund. We celebrate the work of these philanthropic advocates for the Black future.

How long will this fund exist?

Dismantling structural racism is not an overnight project. This fund is designed to launch a long-term strategy of building Black-led organizations to lead in this work. This work should be additive to, not in replacement of, what we are already funding to improve the lives of all Greater Clevelanders. We must be committed for the long haul.

Why were other people of color and marginalized populations not included in this funding list?

We believe in working with specificity and intention. Racial inequity is not a simple Black/white divide, and the strategies and tactics to address racial inequities must be specific and tailored to communities. Furthermore, the needs of all racial and ethnic communities are too vast for one fund to address; we felt it was critical to initially develop a strategy to address some of the funding inequities that have specifically affected the Black community.

At the same time, because solutions will not be one-size-fits-all, the Cleveland Foundation is working with partners to develop strategies that address the particular needs of other communities of color.

I want to help. Can I contribute to this fund?

The foundation encourages individual donors, philanthropic foundations and companies to contribute to the fund. Donations of any amount are welcomed, and all contributions are eligible for a charitable deduction. You can give here: ClevelandFoundation.org/FuturesFund.

If you are a Cleveland Foundation fund holder and would like to recommend a grant from your fund, please log in to the donor portal or contact your donor relations officer for instructions.


Looking to learn?

Visit our blog for a list of anti-racism resources.

Learn how the Cleveland Foundation is taking steps to promote racial equity through financial operations and structures here.

Learn how the Cleveland Foundation is leveraging its portfolio to build diverse representation in the investment industry here.