Cleveland Black Futures Fund

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 may 2, 2024, 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.

Cleveland Black Futures Fund announces fifth grant opportunity

The Cleveland Foundation has announced the upcoming fifth round of grantmaking from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund. Black-led, Black-serving nonprofit organizations operating in Cuyahoga, Lake or Geauga counties with budgets of $25,000 to $1 million can apply beginning on Monday, May 13. Since its inception in late 2020, the Cleveland Black Futures Fund has granted $5.89 million through 172 grants and 82 fellowships supporting local Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits.

Timeline for the fifth round of grantmaking:

May 9: First technical assistance workshop (in-person and virtual options available), 5-6 p.m. Click here to register.

May 13: The online application portal opens at noon. Applications can be submitted by visiting the Cleveland Foundation Grants Gateway.

June 1: Second technical assistance workshop (virtual), 11 a.m. – noon. Click here to register.

June 12: The 2024 application deadline is June 12, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

End of July – Organizations that aren’t moving on to the final review round will be notified by email.

End of August – Final grant decisions announced.

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 4

10K Movement ($25,000)
Art of Me Productions ($25,000)
Black Child Development Institute – Cleveland ($25,000)
Black Diamonds Cheer and Dance Academy ($25,000)
The Cleveland Observer ($75,000)
CollectivExpress Inc. ($50,000)
Collinwood Cobras Inc. ($25,000)
David's Challenge Ohio Young Achievers ($25,000)
DNA Rising ($25,000)
Duffy Liturgical Dance Ensemble ($25,000)
Environmental Health Watch ($25,000)
50,000)
Foluké Cultural Arts Center, Inc. ($50,000)
Gilmore Girls Greetings Foundation ($75,000)
Greater Cleveland Congregations ($25,000)
Hands-On Health ($15,000)
I'm In Transition Ministries ($50,000)
Imagine Your Victory ($50,000)
Integrity Development and Rehabilitation Center ($25,000)
Jarvis Gibson Foundation ($15,000)
Jordan Community Resource Center ($100,000)
Larchmere Porchfest ($25,000)
Mended Inc. ($25,000)
The Missing Link, COPE Inc. ($50,000)
The New Community ($25,000)
Ohio Sister Circle ($50,000)
The Phe’be Foundation ($75,000)
Pipeline To God Communications, Inc. ($50,000)
PolicyBridge ($25,000)
Pregnant with Possibilities Resource Center ($50,000)
Queen IAM ($75,000)
Removing The Stigma ($25,000)
The Tavern Coffee House ($25,000)
Tender Heart Crusades ($15,000)
We Think 4 a Change ($15,000)
Young Leaders Program ($25,000)
Young Men Growing ($50,000)

Round 3

99Treasures Arts & Culture ($25,000)
100 Black Men of Cleveland Incorporated ($25,000)
AfricaHouse International ($25,000)
Alea’s Helping Hand ($15,000)
Art of Me Productions ($15,000)
Bigman’s Family Center ($15,000)
Black Environmental Leaders Association ($15,000)
Building Hope In The City ($15,000)
Center for Intellectual Property, Technology & Telecommunications, Inc. ($15,000)
Delta Alpha Lambda Foundation, Inc. ($15,000)
Diaper Bank of Greater Cleveland ($15,000)
Elements of Internal Movement Eternal Pull Inc. ($25,000)
Encore Employment Enterprise, Inc. ($25,000)
Freedom Youth Program ($15,000)
From Me 2 U, Inc. ($25,000)
Future Hope Foundation ($15,000)
Gem-N-Me ($25,000)
Golden Ciphers ($50,000)
Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association ($75,000)
Impact Youth Incorporated ($15,000)
iN Education Inc. ($15,000)
Jarvis Gibson Foundation ($25,000)

Khnemu Foundation ($25,000)
Links Not Chains, Inc. ($15,000)
Men and Women of Central ($15,000)
Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program of Cleveland, Inc. ($15,000)
The Missing Link, COPE Inc. ($15,000)
Mt. Olive Community Development Corporation ($25,000)
My Brother My Sister Global Inc. ($25,000)
National Association of Minority Contractors Northern Ohio Chapter ($15,000)
Neighborhood Solutions, Inc. ($25,000)
Oh Sew Powerful, Inc. ($15,000)
Olivet Housing & Community Development Corp. ($15,000)
Peel Dem Layers Back ($50,000)
Phillis Wheatley Association of Cleveland ($50,000)
Promise of Democracy Foundation ($50,000)
Sankofa Fine Art Plus ($50,000)
Special Deeds, Inc. ($15,000)
Steps to Wellness ($15,000)
Teaching Young Women in Society Truth ($15,000)
Women of Color Foundation ($20,000)
Writers in Residence ($25,000)

Round 2

1000 Ties ($25,000)
ABC Read ($25,000)
Ashbury Community Services Inc. ($25,000)
Beat the Streets Cleveland ($50,000)
Bessie's Angels Inc. ($25,000)
Best Community Resource Center ($25,000)
Black Environmental Leaders Association ($25,000)
Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation, Inc. ($50,000)
Broken Connections Inc. ($50,000)
Collaboration Station ($50,000)
Collinwood and Nottingham Village Development Corporation ($25,000)
Contractors Assistance Association ($25,000)
Daughters of Hadassah House ($25,000)
David's Challenge Incorporated Young Achievers Program ($50,000)
Enlightened Solutions ($50,000)
Feed the Soul ($25,000)
Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists ($25,000)
Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association ($25,000)
Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation ($50,000)
Inner City Baseball Academy of Greater Cleveland ($25,000)
Leading Ladies, Inc. ($25,000)

Learning for Life Youth Program ($25,000)
Life Exchange Center ($50,000)
Little Giants Youth Fitness Academy ($50,000)
Mojuba! Dance Collective ($25,000)
National Basketball Retired Players Association Cleveland Chapter ($25,000)
New Life Community Development Corporation ($25,000)
Organic Connects, Inc. ($25,000)
Out-of-School Time Collaborative ($100,000)
Project LIFT Behavioral Health Services ($75,000)
Raising Our Kids Inc. ($25,000)
Renounce Denounce Gang Intervention Program Corporation ($25,000)
Sevynteenth Foundation ($25,000)
SOS Initiatives, Stewards of Strong Initiatives Inc. ($50,000)
SOS Strengthening Our Students ($50,000)
Spirit of Excellence Inc. ($50,000)
Take Ch9rge ($25,000)
Teen Excellence Non Profit Organization ($25,000)
Thea Bowman Center ($50,000)
Victory Center For Youth ($25,000)
Village of Healing ($50,000)
Ward Wide Education ($50,000)
Youth Empowering Society ($25,000)

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

99 Treasures Arts & Culture ($25,000)
American Association of Clergy and Employers ($25,000)
Birthing Beautiful Communities ($50,000)
Black Lives Matter Cleveland ($25,000)
Black Lives Matter Lake County ($25,000)
Black Space Productions ($25,000)
The Block Club Community Development Corporation ($25,000)
Brandnew Community Inc. ($25,000)
Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. ($50,000)
The Cleveland Observer ($25,000)
Cleveland VOTES ($50,000)
CollectivExpress Inc. ($25,000)
Community Suds Inc. ($25,000)
Cory Glenville Community Center ($25,000)
The Diaper Bank of Greater Cleveland ($25,000)
East Mount Zion Baptist Church ($25,000)
Environmental Health Watch, Inc. ($100,000)
Fab Foundation ($50,000)
Food Depot to Health ($25,000)
Gardening in the District Nonprofit Organization ($25,000)
Hands-On Health ($25,000)
Jordan Community Resource Center ($75,000)
Journey On Yonder (JOY) ($25,000)
LGBTQ Community Center of Greater Cleveland ($100,000)
Little Africa Food Cooperative ($25,000)
Men and Women of Central ($25,000)
Metropolitan Cleveland Alliance of Black School Educators ($25,000)

Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program of Cleveland, Inc. ($25,000)
Motivated and Empowered Inc. ($50,000)
Museum of Creative Human Art ($25,000)
My Brother My Sister Global Inc. ($50,000)
NAACP Cleveland Branch ($50,000)
Northeast Ohio Alliance for Hope (NOAH) ($50,000)
Peel Dem Layers Back ($25,000)
Pregnant with Possibilities Resource Center ($50,000)
Promise of Democracy Foundation ($25,000)
Recess Cleveland ($50,000)
The Rid-All Foundation ($50,000)
RollinBuckeyez Foundation ($25,000)
See You At The Top (SYATT) ($50,000)
Shooting Without Bullets ($50,000)
Somali Bantu Community Cooperation of Cleveland ($50,000)
Time for A Change Community Diaper Bank ($25,000)
Union Miles Development Corporation ($25,000)
Urban City Codes ($40,000)
A Vision of Change, Inc. ($100,000)
We Think 4 A Change ($25,000)
William E. Sanders Family Life Center Inc. ($25,000)
Writers in Residence ($50,000

Latest News

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 Chairperson, Cleveland Foundation
Treye Johnson, Program Director for Vibrant Neighborhoods & Inclusive Economies, The George Gund Foundation
Shanelle Smith Whigham, Vice President, Sustainability & Social Impact, KeyBank
Timothy L. Tramble Sr., President & CEO, Saint Luke’s Foundation

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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Eligibility

Who is eligible to apply?

To be eligible for this round of funding from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund (CBFF), your organization must:

Be a nonprofit currently holding 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. Organizations that do not currently have 501(c)3 tax-exempt status may be eligible to apply in partnership with a tax-exempt organization serving as a fiscal sponsor.
Be both Black-led and Black-serving (i.e., have a Black executive director AND serve the Black community).
Be operating in Cuyahoga, Lake, or Geauga counties.
Have a total operating budget of at least $25,000 but less than $1 million.

Please note:

Organizations that have already received two (2) or more grants from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund or individual grants exceeding $75,000 from the Cleveland Foundation are not eligible to apply for this round of funding.
Capital requests will not be considered for this round of funding.

Additional consideration will be given to organizations that:

Have previously participated in the CBFF fellowship program but haven’t received subsequent funding.
Demonstrate in their application how a CBFF grant will be impactful for the organization and project implementation.
Seek to directly address issues such as wealth building for Black individuals and closing income disparities.
Demonstrate long-term sustainability.
Have an established relationship with Neighborhood Connections, having either received a Neighborhood Connections grant or participated in the Neighbor Up network.
Have secured supplementary funding from other sources.

What is 501(c)3 tax-exempt status and how can my organization obtain it?

501(c)3 is a section of the Internal Revenue Code that describes the requirements for an organization to be considered tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Organizations must apply to the IRS to receive 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. Your organization must also maintain its tax-exempt status over time by following certain rules. Learn more about applying for, and maintaining, tax-exempt status here.

The Cleveland Foundation can only make grants to organizations that are recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS. If your organization does not yet have tax-exempt status, you may be able to apply for a grant using a fiscal sponsor.

What is a fiscal sponsor and how does that process work?

If you are doing mission-driven work, but your organization doesn’t have tax-exempt status, you may be able to apply for a grant through a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is willing and able to serve as your fiscal sponsor. If you decide to apply with a fiscal sponsor, the sponsor will apply on your behalf and must indicate the sponsorship arrangement in the application. However, the application narrative and responses should be written from the perspective of your organization. If the application is approved, the fiscal sponsor will receive the grant funds and distribute them to you. Click here to learn more about fiscal sponsorship.

What do you mean by Black-led and Black-serving?

For this grant opportunity, we seek to support organizations that have a Black executive director AND that serve the Black community. Unfortunately, national data shows us that the race of an organization’s executive leadership has historically been correlated with its likelihood of obtaining grant funding. Therefore, this grant opportunity is designed to be intentional about providing grant funding to organizations with Black leaders. Organizations that serve Black communities but do not have Black executive leaders will not be eligible for this particular grant opportunity.

I applied in previous grantmaking cycles. Can I apply again?

Organizations are limited to one (1) grant from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund per year. Additionally, for this grantmaking cycle, applicant organizations that have already received two (2) or more grants from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund or individual grants exceeding $75,000 from the Cleveland Foundation are not eligible to apply.

Amounts and Type of Grants

What are the funding priorities?

The overarching goal of the Cleveland Black Futures Fund is 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 fund aims to deepen the field of leaders working to dismantle systemic racism and advance the community toward racial equity. During this funding cycle, the Cleveland Black Futures Fund will prioritize organizations that directly address wealth-building and racial income disparities.

What types of Grants are available in the 2024 Grantmaking Cycle?

In the 2024 grantmaking cycle, the Cleveland Black Futures Fund invites applicants to apply for monetary grants worth $20,000. The fund aims to distribute up to 30 grants in this grantmaking cycle.

Capacity-Building Fellowships will not be offered during the 2024 grantmaking cycle of the Cleveland Black Futures Fund.

How much funding will the Cleveland Black Futures Fund be making in the 2024 Grantmaking Cycle?

The Cleveland Black Futures Fund expects to award up to $600,000 in monetary grant awards.

How will my application be evaluated?

All applications will be evaluated by a review team comprised of community leaders, Cleveland Black Futures Fund Advisory Committee members, and Cleveland Foundation program officers and staff. A scoring rubric will be used to determine how well proposals describe the organization and programming.

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.

Application Process

When is the deadline to apply?

The 2024 grantmaking cycle of the Cleveland Black Futures Fund will open May 13, 2024. The deadline to apply is June 12, 2024. Applications can be submitted online by visiting the Cleveland Foundation Grants Gateway.

What if my application was not funded in previous grantmaking cycles?

Organizations that did not meet eligibility requirements or who were not funded in previous Cleveland Black Futures Fund grantmaking cycles can submit a grant inquiry to the Cleveland Foundation to see if the project is the right fit for other funding opportunities. Learn more about the Cleveland Foundation’s grantmaking here.

Can I meet one-on-one with anyone to answer questions I have about the 2024 Grantmaking Cycle or the Cleveland Black Futures Fund in general?

We know that many organizations will have questions about how to best prepare your application. While we are unable to meet with each organization individually, we have designed a series of technical assistance workshops and grant writing assistance to ensure that each organization can get its questions answered. We kindly ask that you watch the Round 5 Launch Video, attend a technical assistance workshop, and take advantage of the grant writing assistance available to you before reaching out to Cleveland Foundation program team members individually. You can sign up for one of the technical assistance workshops here.

Will there be future grantmaking cycles?

The Cleveland Foundation is dedicated to supporting Black-led and Black-serving organizations. We look forward to further exploring avenues to strengthen and sustain this commitment over the long term.

I have additional questions. How can I learn more?

We encourage you to attend a technical assistance workshop and take advantage of the grant writing assistance.

For programmatic questions or information, contact: ClevelandBlackFuturesFund@clevefdn.org. For application or technical questions, contact: grantsmgmt@clevefdn.org.

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 percent of residents are Black, the life expectancy is nearly 24 years less than in suburbs a mere seven miles away, where more than 90 percent 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, and be disproportionately represented in lower-wage occupations. 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.

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.