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Organizational funds at the Cleveland Foundation allow nonprofit partners to create an investment account that can serve their long-term needs and also receive services to grow and strengthen their fundraising and planned giving strategies. All gifts and earnings within an organizational fund will be restricted for the organization’s benefit only. The Cleveland Foundation provides all investment management and oversight, including all accounting and financial reporting.
The foundation has partnered with more than 200 organizational fund partners, including:
Birthing Beautiful Communities
A collective of community doulas started Birthing Beautiful Communities (BBC) in Cleveland’s Glenville and Hough neighborhoods in 2014 to reduce infant mortality and improve birth outcomes. And its mission extends beyond prenatal and labor services, providing culturally grounded holistic care like counseling, life goal planning and addressing social determinants of health.
BBC’s doulas become mothers’ trusted allies, advocates and guides on a journey that begins with pregnancy and continues through a baby’s first year, and sometimes beyond.
The organization serves about 700 families annually across Cuyahoga and Summit counties and maintains a 91% full-term birth rate. Its pilot program in Hough, supported by the Cleveland Foundation, changed the trajectory of the neighborhood’s infant mortality rates, which are nearly four times the national average.
“We are working every day in the community and have trained hundreds of doulas across the state to serve more families and ensure that moms and babies are healthy and thriving,” says Jazmin Long, CEO.
Two years ago, BBC became an organizational fund partner of the Cleveland Foundation — a commitment that is advancing its bandwidth and provides administrative support, fundraising tools, investment management and networking opportunities.
The organization is currently engaged in a $15-million capital campaign to build a freestanding community birthing center in Hough.
“We’re planning for the future to make sure we can continue to serve the community,” Long says, noting how the Cleveland Foundation connected BBC to opportunities through its African American Philanthropic Committee, boosting donor support.
“By having an organizational fund with the foundation, we are educating individuals about our organization we otherwise might not reach so they can learn about our goal to fund maternal health services,” Long says. “The foundation is helping us have these conversations, and this is so impactful for an organization like ours.”
The fund gives BBC flexibility to address operational needs such as recruitment, doula training and infrastructure demands. The Cleveland Foundation’s support is helping BBC grow so it can provide wider, deeper care to moms and babies in the community.
Long says, “We are grateful for the partnership, the education and dedication toward ensuring our organization has the sustainability to thrive in the long-term.”
The Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center is one of the top 10 museums in the nation, and is dedicated to making science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) come alive for more than 300,000 visitors a year through hundreds of hands-on exhibits, temporary exhibitions, the Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater, historic Steamship William G. Mather, daily science demonstrations, seasonal camps and more.
The Science Center recently moved its endowment to the Cleveland Foundation, driven in part by the ability to make place-based investments via the foundation's Impact Cleveland Pool, which invests in top-performing Cleveland companies.
"We are highly aligned with regional priorities and supporting the region's economic strengths. Great Lakes Science Center is already working very closely with companies that are part of the pool, so it's a way to broaden that partnership."
Greater Cleveland Food Bank
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is a critical support system for families across Northeast Ohio who rely on its nutritious meals, food assistance program support and advocacy. Last year, the food bank distributed 54.5 million pounds of food — fresh produce, lean protein, whole grains and pantry staples.
“Our work is so critical in the community day in and day out,” says Kristin Warzocha, president and CEO, noting a growing network of 1,000 partner distribution agencies that share its mission to stop hunger and get healthy food into the hands of neighbors.
More than ever, individuals who never relied on the food bank are facing food insecurity. In 2024, it provided meals to about 425,000 families across six counties.
“To continue to do this, we need to make sure we have a diverse, stable revenue stream, even in uncertain times,” Warzocha says.
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank has an enduring partnership with the Cleveland Foundation. In 2006, the nonprofit established an organizational fund. Donors can invest in the fund, which the food bank can leverage to support operations, programming and strategic initiatives.
“A gift to the endowment is a gift that keeps on giving,” says Warzocha, relating that original gifts remain in the fund for perpetuity. “This fund helps us plan for the future and provides dollars we can anticipate every year, and we really appreciate the stability.”
As the country’s first community food bank, founded in 1979, the nonprofit has expanded its scope and reach significantly since its founders came together to address food waste and hunger.
The fund with Cleveland Foundation provides a steady financial foundation so the food bank can plan beyond emergency relief such as supporting infrastructure, community outreach and future expansion.
“Establishing an endowment of any size is important for nonprofits,” says Warzocha, noting how early conversations with the Cleveland Foundation centered on learning how organizational funds like this work. The nonprofit’s network of advisers with deep financial expertise are a ready resource, and the nonprofit has a dedicated philanthropy officer.
“They provide expert guidance, and their oversight is one of the reasons our dollars have grown,” Warzocha says.
Importantly, the partnership goes beyond investment support. The Cleveland Foundation has connected donors to the food bank. Warzocha adds, “Our endowment gives donors the confidence in our ability to deliver food for our community over the long-term.”
Give Forward
Giving forward is a way for all of us to take part in building the community we want to see. Every contribution — no matter the size — fuels our ability to drive impact across Greater Cleveland and support programs that help more of our neighbors thrive now and in the future. When people give forward together, generosity becomes progress — creating lasting change that carries Cleveland into the next century.