Cleveland Foundation announces $7.2 million in November grants

RELEASE DATE: 11.30.2015

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Foundation board of directors has approved $7.2 million in grants for the month of November.

November grantmaking includes funding for those working to improve the overall health and stability of families, including programs that provide safe shelter and networks of support.

“With the holidays and winter season upon us, it becomes even more critical that Greater Cleveland families have access to programs and services that provide compassionate care when it is needed the most,” said Robert E. Eckardt, executive vice president of the Cleveland Foundation. “This month, we are proud to support organizations in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga Counties that serve our most vulnerable residents.”

November grants include:

  • $155,000 to Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio for its Safe at Home program, which repairs and modifies the homes of seniors to allow them to age in place for as long as possible. This grant will support a partnership between the organization and the City of Cleveland Division of Aging to provide capital repairs and safety modifications to the homes of 100 low-income Cleveland seniors.
  • $100,000 to Emerald Development and Economic Network, Inc. (EDEN) for critical upgrades and repairs to its Norma Herr Woman’s Center. The center provides shelter and support services to 150-200 women facing homelessness. This grant will provide match funding required to access a $332,500 state grant for this project.
  • $75,000 to West Side Catholic Center (WSCC) for its Moriah House Women and Children’s Shelter, which provides temporary housing and support services to 34 homeless women and children. Due to growing demand for its services, Moriah House recently became an emergency overflow site, providing overnight shelter for six additional families. WSCC works to transition women and children to more permanent housing within 60 days, with wraparound social services.
  • $33,980 to WomenSafe Inc., which provides shelter and support services to domestic violence survivors in Lake and Geauga Counties. The grant will help the agency replicate its Geauga County Empowered Parent program in Lake County. The program provides one-on-one counseling to reinforce healthy methods of interacting with family members.
  • $25,000 to Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers, Inc. (LGRC) to support the completion of the organization’s new Oak House facility, which will grow LGRC’s capacity to provide housing and substance abuse treatment for pregnant women and women with young children. With this new building, the organization will be able to repurpose existing facilities to expand its residential treatment services for men and support those who are transitioning from treatment to sober living.
  • $19,000 to Autism Speaks for educational efforts to improve the safety of children and adults with autism spectrum disorder, as studies show they are seven times more likely to encounter law enforcement and nearly half will wander from safety. The grant will support special training for first responders on best practices for responding to individuals with autism, as well as the distribution of safety kits to underserved families. The kits include window and door alarms, autism alert wristbands and a family wandering emergency plan.
  • $29,100 to Greater Cleveland Food Bank Inc. to grow its hunger relief services in Lake and Geauga Counties, where it’s estimated 40,000 residents are food insecure or do not know where their next meal is coming from. This grant will build capacity at three main food pantries in those counties through the addition of a walk-in cooler at each site, allowing for increased food storage and access to fresh produce.

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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 $2.2 billion and 2014 grants of $98 million. Through the generosity of donors, the foundation improves the lives of residents of Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga Counties 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 www.clevelandfoundation.org/100Plus1 and follow us on  Facebook.com/ClevelandFoundation, Twitter @CleveFoundation and Instagram @CleveFoundation.