Cleveland Foundation announces $3 million in January grants

RELEASE DATE: 01.30.2015

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Foundation board of directors has approved $3 million in grants for the month of January. 

A focus of the January funding will advance the Cleveland Foundation’s priority area of neighborhood revitalization, with a special emphasis on the core city and resident engagement:

  • $15,000 to to support the efforts of the City of Cleveland Department of Economic Development to provide the National Development Council Economic Development Finance Professional Certificate Program to local community and economic development professionals. Many of the course slots will be reserved for Cleveland Community Development Corporation staff members in order to better empower those teams to encourage development in underserved neighborhoods.
  • $100,000 to Cleveland Tenants Organization (CTO) to help the organization better serve the growing demand for its services, which focus on assisting renters and landlords in addressing issues and advocating for affordable, fair and quality rental housing. Grant support includes the transition of the CTO’s call center operations to United Way’s 211 in order to increase accessibility to available services.
  • $25,000 to St. Paul’s Community Outreach to help the church expand an innovative conflict resolution program that was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and the peace-building work of the United Nations. The program, first piloted through a 2013 Cleveland Foundation grant, trains street outreach teams to speak to neighbors about solutions to problems such as crime, addictions, domestic conflicts, and other issues that can often escalate into acts of violence.
  • $35,000 to Scranton Road Ministries Community Development Corporation to support the creation of a new funding plan for the organization, which focuses on equipping residents of Clark-Fulton, Tremont and Detroit-Shoreway with tools for self-sufficiency and sustainable success.
  • $100,000 to Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland to support the Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood initiative. Modeled after the comprehensive anti-poverty efforts of the nationally-recognized Harlem Children’s Zone, the goal of this project is to create an area in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood where all children and families are thriving. The Cleveland Foundation has funded this program since its planning stage in 2011.

In addition, several foundation grants support various arts initiatives, including two community festivals the Cleveland Foundation has supported since their early years:

  • $95,000 to the Cleveland International Film Festival for the 39th annual event, being held March 18-29. The grant supports new audience engagement initiatives, such as the expansion of movie screening locations throughout Cuyahoga County including new sites in University Circle and Chagrin Falls and the launch of the New Direction Program, which will introduce the festival to filmmakers at the beginning of their careers in order to secure their films at future festivals.
  • $35,000 to IngenuityFest 2015 to support the festival’s goal this year to expand from North Coast Harbor to become a city-wide event with activities in multiple locations over several days. IngenuityFest celebrates the intersection of arts and technology in our region.

Additional arts grants approved this month include:

  • $5,000 to Cleveland Public Theatre to help fund a free performance of “Standing on Ceremony” for staff and volunteers of the 2014 Gay Games in recognition of their role in the success of the Games. The performance originated in Los Angeles in 2011 and consists of nine playlets from renowned and award-winning writers, each with a unique perspective on marriage equality, the challenge of relationships and our evolving society.
  • $7,500 to Mamai Theatre Company, the area’s only local theater company focused on classical works with the mission of improving professional theater opportunities to women. The grant will provide capacity-building support to the company, which plans to hold its 2015 season at downtown locations, following its first two seasons in Cleveland Heights and Tremont.

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Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation is the world’s first community foundation and one of the largest today, with assets of $2.1 billion and 2014 grants of $98 million. Through the generosity of donors, the foundation improves the lives of Greater Clevelanders by building community endowment, addressing needs through grantmaking, and providing leadership on vital issues. The foundation tackles the community’s priority areas – economic transformation, public-school improvement, youth development, neighborhood revitalization, and arts advancement – and responds to the community’s needs.

For more information on the Cleveland Foundation, visit ClevelandFoundation.org/100Plus1 and follow us on Facebook.com/ClevelandFoundation, Twitter @CleveFoundation and Instagram @CleveFoundation.