Define Your Next Chapter
Encore Cleveland channels the time, energy and talents of experienced Clevelanders into solving community challenges and filling unmet needs.
What is Encore Cleveland?
Encore Cleveland is part of the Encore movement, a national effort to leverage the energy and experience of Americans who seek to fill community needs upon retirement or near the end of their primary careers.
Launched in 2013 by the Cleveland Foundation, Encore Cleveland helps to connect and fund a network of organizations to provide experienced Greater Clevelanders with an array of meaningful opportunities in the community.
Who benefits from Encore Cleveland?
- Encore Clevelanders benefit from the opportunity to remain active and engaged through work in their community that provides personal fulfillment.
- Partner organizations benefit from the dedication and expertise that Encore Clevelanders bring to their positions. Nonprofit organizations interested in participating may contact encore@greaterclevelandvolunteers.org to learn more about joining the Encore Cleveland network.
- The community benefits from the intergenerational collaboration and networking fostered by the Encore Cleveland network.
Discover Your Encore Opportunity
Encore Cleveland offers a wide array of experiences and opportunities. Individuals can get help to start a small business, train the next generation of skilled technical workers, or volunteer to improve the literacy rates of local elementary school students – the possibilities are endless! Explore different types of opportunities offered by our Encore Cleveland partners:
Watch Encore Clevelanders Talk About Their Experience
Betty Jones talks about her Encore Cleveland experience working with Fairhill Partners.
Gary Dudich talks about his Encore Cleveland experience working with Manufacturing Works (formerly WIRE-Net).
Joseph Rochford talks about his Encore Cleveland experience working with Vantage Aging (formerly Mature Services).
A Long-Standing Commitment
The Cleveland Foundation has a longstanding commitment to the field of aging. The foundation has experience working with local organizations around issues of healthcare, housing, advocacy and supportive services for older adults through its responsive grantmaking process, including efforts dating back to the 1950s.
More recently, the foundation made even greater strides through its Successful Aging Initiative, which was a nationally recognized, $4 million effort that was among the first Cleveland programs to recognize and activate senior talent. Building on the learnings of this initiative, which ran from 2003 to 2006, many foundations and communities across the country have adopted similar work and built a body of knowledge around the assets older adults may contribute to their communities.
Contact Us
For more information, please contact encore@greaterclevelandvolunteers.org and follow the hashtag #EncoreCLE on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram!
Sign up for the Cleveland Foundation’s monthly e-newsletter for Encore updates and other news from the foundation.
If you wish to receive occasional Encore Cleveland updates and announcements, add your name to our Encore email list here.
Read about Encore Cleveland on our blog.