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The George Gund Foundation highlights "Arts as Political Activism" in 2017 annual report

At a time when democracy is being severely challenged in America and abroad, The George Gund Foundation’s 2017 annual report focuses on the role of arts as political activism.

Award-winning photographer Accra Shepp captured images of 15 Cleveland organizations whose work in some way represents their commitment to political expression. The Foundation has commissioned a photo essay each year since 1990 but for the first time this report includes an audio component. Cleveland poet Daniel Gray-Kontar, the founder of Twelve Literary Arts, has written a poem inspired by Shepp’s essay and he reads it as the photographs scroll across the screen. Foundation Executive Director David Abbott amplifies the importance of artists as political actors in his annual letter. Geoffrey Gund, the Foundation’s president, focuses in his letter on another form of political action—the need for criminal justice reform and the current effort to move it forward in Ohio.

The report also includes guidelines and procedures to apply for a grant, financial statements and a list of grants made during 2017.

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The George Gund Foundation Awards $9,294,250 at its summer meeting

The George Gund Foundation expressed its continued commitment to state and local voter advocacy initiatives by awarding several grants at its summer 2018 meeting to help increase participation by historically underrepresented populations. The grants aim to support strategies to increase racial and economic fairness in voter registration and voting and to help all citizens realize that their best interests require a vibrant, healthy political system.

“Democracy is in trouble,” said David Abbott, the foundation’s executive director. “Foreign interference in our elections, vital institutions like a free press under incessant attack, voter turnout pathetically low and cynicism running wild—these are just some of the challenges that our cherished system faces. We are joining with many others in the efforts to restore confidence and participation. The only solutions to democracy’s problems are through democracy itself.”

Among the grants awarded were:

$200,000 to The Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a coalition of more than 20 groups working to organize Ohioans to push for social, racial and economic justice through voter registration, promoting criminal justice reform, student organizing and leadership development and training.

$125,000 to Ohio Voice, a statewide coalition of nonprofit organizations working to increase the collective influence of its members and the constituencies they serve through strategic, coordinated, nonpartisan civic engagement activities, specifically by engaging and raising the influence of historically marginalized populations.

$25,150 to Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates, Inc., a volunteer-led voter registration, research and advocacy organization serving the needs of underrepresented citizens and students in the Cleveland area.

The Foundation also awarded $8.94 million in additional grants at the meeting that reflect its deep interests in education, human services, the environment, arts and economic development. These grants included:

Three grants totaling $890,000 to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to support its ongoing transformation by growing the number of high-quality Cleveland schools.

$75,000 to Case Western Reserve University to fund research and data collection on properties in Cleveland to help develop strategies for lead hazard control.

$50,000 to West Creek Conservancy to support the creation of a state designated water trail along the Cuyahoga River, allowing canoes and kayaks easier navigation.

$144,000 to the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art for the inaugural minority curatorial fellowship to help address the national lack of diversity in the arts field.

$50,000 to LAND studio to support a planning initiative that will position Shaker Square to best serve the needs of the surrounding community.

The George Gund Foundation was established in 1952 by George Gund, former chairman of the Cleveland Trust Company. The Foundation funds programs that enhance our understanding of the physical and social environment in which we live and increase our ability to cope with its changing requirements. Grants are made three times a year in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, environment and arts. Foundation commitments to date have totaled over $722 million.

Further details on the summer 2018 grant awardees can be found at www.gundfoundation.org.

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Travis Howard named George Gund Foundation fellow

Travis Howard, a lifelong Greater Clevelander with a keen interest in economic development, will be The George Gund Foundation Fellow for 2018-2020.

Howard is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a degree in economics and a minor in entrepreneurship. He has worked for the Presidents’ Council Foundation where he played a key role in developing the Emerging Entrepreneurship Program for minority start-up companies. He also has been a data analyst for Robert Half, a professional staffing company.

The George Gund Foundation Fellows program started in 2004. The Fellowship provides an opportunity for promising young professionals to work inside the Foundation, an organization that plays an active role in supporting civic life in Cleveland and in various national and state policy deliberations. Each Fellow works at the Foundation for two years.

Howard will begin his work at the Foundation this summer.

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Dr. Mark Joseph becomes newest trustee of The George Gund Foundation

The George Gund Foundation has named to its board of trustees Dr. Mark Joseph, the Leona Bevis/Marguerite Haynam Associate Professor in Community Development at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Joseph replaces Robyn Minter Smyers, partner-in-charge of the Cleveland office of Thompson Hine, whose term ended in December 2017.

“We are extremely pleased to have Mark join our board,” said Geoffrey Gund, president of the board. “He brings a keen intellect, deep research experience and an enthusiasm for urban issues to our work.”

Joseph is also the Founding Director of the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities. He received his Ph.D. from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He was a Post-Doctoral Scholar at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and a Harlech Visiting Scholar at Oxford University. He received his undergraduate degree in Government from Harvard University.

Joseph’s research focus is mixed-income development as a strategy for addressing urban poverty. He is the co-author of the award-winning book Integrating the Inner City: The Promise and Perils of Mixed-Income Public Housing Transformation. His center, the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities, conducts research and consulting projects in Cleveland and around the country in cities that have included Austin, Chicago, Nashville, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, Tulsa, and Washington, D.C. This is Joseph’s twelfth year at Case Western Reserve.

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Support for democracy-building is focus of George Gund Foundation grants

The George Gund Foundation awarded several grants at its final meeting of the year to help achieve robust participation in American democracy by historically underrepresented populations. The grants to organizations at the national, state and local levels aim to accomplish racial and economic parity in voter registration and voting and to help citizens exercise their influence on the critical public policy and investment decisions impacting their families and communities.

Among the grants were:

$800,000 over three years to the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio to advance Ohio Voice, a statewide coalition of nonprofit organizations working to increase the collective influence of its members and the constituencies they serve through nonpartisan civic engagement activities such as voter registration, voting rights protection and related public policy advocacy.

$200,000 over two years to Voting for America’s five-year effort to increase the civic participation of historically marginalized populations through nonpartisan, large scale voter registration initiatives.

$360,000 over three years to Cleveland Neighborhood Progress to support Cleveland VOTES, a local voter engagement project that addresses low voter turnout and civic participation among historically disenfranchised populations by engaging the trusted voices of nonprofit organizations that work with them.

“American democracy faces both domestic and foreign threats,” said David Abbott, the Foundation’s executive director. “The best defense is active citizen involvement, but as recent election turnout demonstrates, too many people opt out while others are kept out by restrictions that make voting harder than it should be. These organizations are fighting to reverse voting trends and to increase broader civic engagement. We are very happy to help them.”

These grants follow many others made by the Foundation in 2017 to build a more vigorous nonprofit voice in public policy deliberations to defend access to essential human needs, ranging from clean energy to health care, being threatened by the federal policy environment.

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The George Gund Foundation seeks 2018–2020 fellow

The George Gund Foundation Fellowship provides an opportunity for promising professionals to work inside the Foundation, a philanthropic organization that plays a vital role in supporting the civic life of Greater Cleveland and in various national policy deliberations that affect our community. The Fellowship is a two-year, full-time commitment beginning in summer 2018, requiring residence in Northeast Ohio during the term of engagement.

The Fellowship experience will be tailored to the Foundation’s needs and will include a wide range of substantive assignments including reviewing grant proposals, organizing and conducting site visits and researching topics related to the Foundation’s grantmaking interests.

To be considered for the Fellowship, each candidate must submit a cover letter, a short essay discussing why the Fellowship opportunity is appealing, a detailed resume and two letters of recommendation. Please also indicate how you learned of the position. These materials should be combined into one PDF document for submission and are due no later than 5:00 PM EST on January 10, 2018. A Fellow will be selected by mid-April 2018. Application materials should be emailed to hr@gundfdn.org. Letters of recommendation may be submitted as part of the application or sent separately via email or regular mail.

Successful candidates for this Fellowship will have a graduate degree and/or several years work experience in the nonprofit sector. Excellent writing skills and sufficient computer competency to carry out assigned projects are essential. A demonstrated desire to work in public service or the nonprofit sector is also important, as the Foundation views the Fellowship to be a valuable early career opportunity. The selection process is anticipated to be highly competitive.

Each George Gund Foundation Fellow will receive a stipend of $45,000 per year, plus a full benefits package including health, dental, disability and life insurance, 403(b) contributions and work-related travel expenses. Housing, transportation and other living arrangements are the responsibility of the Fellow.

The George Gund Foundation (www.gundfoundation.org), established in 1952, is the largest private foundation in Ohio. The Foundation makes annual grants totaling approximately $25 million. Program officers professionally handle grantmaking in arts, economic development and community revitalization, education, environment and human services.

The George Gund Foundation is an equal opportunity employer, without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic established by law.

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Photographs of Cleveland public spaces highlight Gund Foundation annual report

The reopening of Public Square inspired the photo essay on public spaces in Cleveland that is the centerpiece of The George Gund Foundation’s 2016 interactive annual report. It is now available on the Foundation’s website.

Matthew Pillsbury has won numerous awards around the world for his photography, including his imaginative use of long exposures, which he employed for his work in Cleveland. “For the past 15 years, I have made long exposure photographs using only available light,” Pillsbury commented. “Across several series and in many cities, I have focused on the passage of time and people within spaces both public and private. With the Cleveland commission, I was interested in examining the ways, both successful and not, in which public spaces can become a part of the fabric of city life.”

David Abbott, the Foundation’s executive director, discusses the importance of public spaces in his annual letter and notes that one of their virtues is how they remind us of shared democratic values.

In his letter, Geoffrey Gund, the Foundation’s president, pursues the democracy theme by reflecting on the obligations of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations to raise their voices on issues of societal importance. He notes the long history of the Foundation’s support for policy advocates and highlights the recent increased emphasis on that work because of threats to many issues that the Foundation has long supported.

The annual report also includes guidelines and procedures for applying for grants, a financial statement and a list of grants made during 2016.

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The George Gund Foundation awards $7.4 million at its summer meeting

The George Gund Foundation awarded $1.2 million to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to continue the work of transforming education in the city as part of more than $7.4 million in grants at its July board meeting. These included grants totaling more than $2 million to support nonprofits working to have a stronger advocacy voice on important current issues.

The grant to the school district advances Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools, whose goal is to ensure every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose. The current grant will support start-up expenses of 12 high schools opening this year or in the past few years.

Among the policy-related grants were:

Up to $400,000 to the Center for Community Solutions to advance the Ohio Transformation Fund, which is a collaboration working toward criminal justice reform, particularly the reduction of the number and racial disparity of people incarcerated in Ohio.

$100,000 to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, which has been targeted for funding cuts by the state and federal governments.

$80,000 to Cleveland Neighborhood Progress to build advocacy capacity among community development organizations.

Other grants of interest include:

$240,000 over two years to support Cleveland Housing Network (CHN), the largest nonprofit provider of low-income housing in Cleveland. CHN owns approximately 2,000 housing units, many with long-term leases to tenants who may take ownership after 15 years.

$50,000 to Cleveland Neighborhood Progress to help update the City of Cleveland’s Climate Action Plan, outlining steps on projects, programs and policies needed to reduce Cleveland’s greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

$100,000 over two years to support the Medicaid reimbursement strategy of Magnolia Clubhouse, an organization that integrates social, vocational and psychiatric interventions to people diagnosed with severe mental disorders, while engaging them in Clubhouse operations, supported community employment and the pursuit of educational attainment.

$100,000 to University Circle Incorporated to help restore a portion of the Cozad-Bates house and transform it into an Underground Railroad Interpretive Center outlining how the University Circle neighborhood participated in the pre-Civil War abolitionist movement.

Further details on the summer 2017 grant awardees can be found at www.gundfoundation.org.

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Donté Gibbs named 2017–2019 Gund fellow

Donté Gibbs, the Youth Engagement Director at Neighborhood Leadership Institute, has been selected as The George Gund Foundation Fellow for 2017-2019. In his role at the Institute, he participated in the management and implementation of several youth engagement programs and served as community partner liaison. Previously, Gibbs was a summer program manager at MC²STEM High School and a graduate intern at Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation.

Gibbs received a B.A. in sociology from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s degree in Social Science Administration from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at CWRU.

The George Gund Foundation Fellows program, started in 2004, provides an opportunity for promising young professionals to work inside the Foundation, an organization that plays an active role in supporting the civic life of Greater Cleveland and in various national policy deliberations that impact our community. Each Fellow, selected from a nationwide pool of applicants, works at the Foundation for two years.

Gibbs resides in East Cleveland and will begin his work at the Foundation in June.

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The George Gund Foundation awards its first grants of 2017

The George Gund Foundation, which has long supported building a robust nonprofit voice in public policy deliberations at all levels of government, targeted significant funding for an array of policy-related organizations at its winter meeting. The grants support organizations and efforts to defend access to essential human needs, ranging from clean energy to health care, now being threatened in the emerging federal policy environment.

Among these grants are:

$200,000 to the New Venture Fund for the Safety Net Defense Fund, a pooled national philanthropic fund designed to facilitate funders’ rapid deployment and leveraging of resources in defense of the nation’s safety net social programs.

$250,000 to the Center for Community Solutions for the creation of the Rapid Response Fund which will provide emergency support to organizations on the front lines of local, state and federal policy debates impacting low-income and vulnerable children and families in Greater Cleveland.

$200,000 over two years to the Center for Law and Social Policy, a national, non-partisan public policy organization focusing on economic security for low-income families.

$450,000 over three years to the Metropolitan Policy Program of the Brookings Institution for its work analyzing the implications for cities and metropolitan areas of the policies proposed by Congress and the new administration.

$100,000 over two years to the Equality Ohio Education Fund to provide support to persons and communities facing increased challenges and threats resulting from changes in federal policies.

$100,000 over two years to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland for increased efforts to empower Northeast Ohio’s LGBTQ community through advocacy, education, collaboration, and celebration.

$200,000 to the Energy Foundation to create an effective communication effort that tells a unified and comprehensive story about the human and economic value of clean energy and the looming threat of climate change.

The Foundation board of trustees awarded 66 grants, totaling $5,229,050. Other grants of interest include:

$150,000 over three years to Cleveland Institute of Music for its minority artist fellowship pilot program, created to cultivate a larger local minority student talent pool and prepare them for entrance into top national conservatories and orchestras.

$75,000 to Cleveland Neighborhood Progress for “Growing Equity in Northeast Ohio: 2017 Year of Awareness Building.” The program seeks to broaden and deepen the discussions of race and inequality in Cleveland.

$100,000 to the Group Plan Commission for event programming and operations support at Public Square.

$54,000 to Strategies for Youth to help finalize and implement formal youth protocols guiding interactions between the Cleveland Police and area youth.

$59,000 to the ACLU of Ohio to support a detailed review of Cuyahoga County bail policies and to support bail reform.

Further details on the winter 2017 grant awardees can be found at www.gundfoundation.org.

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