2009-2011 Foundation Fellow Named
George Gund
Jeffrey L. Grimes, who has worked for environmental organizations in Louisiana, North Carolina and Georgia, is the 2009 George Gund Foundation Fellow.
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.
Grimes, a native Clevelander, currently is assistant director of the Water Resources Program at the Gulf Restoration Network which is based in New Orleans. He also has worked as an environmental education instructor at the Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center in Toccoa, GA, and as an intern with Environmental Consulting and Research, Inc. and a consultant to the Upper Neuse River Basin Association, both in North Carolina.
Grimes spent a year in Chongqing, China as a Peace Corps Volunteer following graduation from Allegheny College. He also has a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University. He will begin work at the Foundation June 16.
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Foundation Awards $1 Million in March
George Gund
The George Gund Foundation made grants at its first quarterly meeting of 2009 to several organizations that support the local foods movement in Northeast Ohio.
The Oberlin-based New Agrarian Center, which received a $40,000 grant, operates the City Fresh program that works in urban communities to expand access to locally-grown produce while also providing new markets for local farmers.
A $42,000 grant was made to the Ohio State University Extension Service for the Community Gardening Program which in 2008 worked with more than 4,000 gardeners at 209 sites across Cuyahoga County and also offers training in starting market garden businesses.
The Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy will use a $70,000 operating support grant to continue its advocacy and research on farmland preservation as well as its training program for new farmers interested in non-commodities farming.
“Food security, local food, land use and nutrition are important issues facing our community,” said David Abbott, Foundation executive director. “These organizations are key players in the Cleveland Cuyahoga Food Policy Coalition that is addressing these important concerns related to urban sustainability and working to develop a regional food system in Northeast Ohio.”
These grants were among 31 totaling $1,095,850 made to organizations working in the human services, education, arts, environment and economic and community development fields.
Other grants of interest included:
- Up to $125,000 to the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks for advocacy on hunger relief policies and expansion of the Ohio Benefit Bank
- $45,000 to the Greater Cleveland Media Development Corporation for attraction and facilitation of film production in Greater Cleveland
- $29,250 in start-up support for The Bang and The Clatter Theatre Company’s downtown theater
- $50,000 to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for the GreenCityBlueLake Institute
- $125,000 to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for continued research, analysis and advocacy on government policies that will reduce poverty and inequality
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 quarterly in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, environment and arts. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $524 million.
For further information contact:
Deena M. Epstein (216) 241.3114
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Help Make Northeast Ohio Government More Efficient
George Gund
The Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaborative effort of philanthropies throughout Northeast Ohio, has launched a program to accelerate government collaboration and efficiency in the region.
The EfficientGovNow program will provide as much as $300,000 in funding to as many as three collaborative government projects from throughout Northeast Ohio. The Fund will select the round of finalists, and citizens will determine which projects get funding.
The program’s website www.efficientgovnow.org includes interactive features for both citizens and governments to encourage, suggest, submit and comment on proposals. Abstracts of proposals submitted by government will be posted April 15 for review and comment. Online voting will begin July 1.
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Foundation Awards $6.2 Million in December
George Gund
The George Gund Foundation made a $1 million grant to help re-configure Playhouse Square’s 2,800 seat Allen Theatre into two smaller stages that will be home to an expanded Cleveland State University theater department and also be available for use by other local arts organizations.
“This creative re-use of an existing facility will provide CSU with space for its theater program at much less cost than new construction and also will bring increased activity to Playhouse Square,” said David Abbott, Foundation executive director.
The grant was among 76 grants totaling $6,249,900 made by Foundation trustees at the last quarterly meeting of 2008. Total grantmaking for the year was $18,385,101.
Other grants of interest included:
- $450,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for its new library and archives facility that will be located on Cuyahoga Community College’s Metropolitan Campus and for community events surrounding the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cleveland.
- $75,000 to Cuyahoga Community College for the new Pathways out of Poverty through Green Jobs program
- $100,000 over two years to Scenarios USA for operating support and a Cleveland film contest for teens focused on responsible sexual behavior
- Up to $300,000 to the Downtown Cleveland Alliance for economic development efforts
- $100,000 over two years to the Economic Growth Foundation for the Opportunity Corridor project
- $50,000 to the Cleveland Municipal School District for its comprehensive school-based reproductive health curriculum
- $30,000 to Rails to Trails Conservancy for its work with the City of Cleveland on its 2010 Active Transportation campaign
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 quarterly in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, environment and arts. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $523 million.
For further information contact:
Deena M. Epstein (216) 241.3114
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RTA Opens Health Line
George Gund
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority will open its new Health Line, linking downtown Cleveland and University Circle October 24.
Clevelanders traveling between the city’s commercial and cultural hubs can have a positive impact on climate change by switching from their cars to one of the new low-emission hybrid RTA buses that will take only 20 minutes to travel the corridor. New stations are at convenient locations along the route.
“We encourage our grantees and others to demonstrate their commitment to a more sustainable and healthy city by getting out of their cars and using public transit,” said David Abbott, executive director of The George Gund Foundation.
Information about weekend festivities marking the opening of the Health Line as well as schedule and fare information is available at www.rtahealthline.com.
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Senior Program Officer Position Search
George Gund
The George Gund Foundation is seeking a senior program officer for its environmental grantmaking.
The senior program officer will serve an important role in shaping strategy, guiding the Foundation’s environmental policies and practices and developing for the board future directions for the Foundation and its overall grantmaking activities.
Additional information about position requirements and application procedure are available here.
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Fund Releases Study Examining Cost of Government in Northeast Ohio
George Gund
The Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaborative effort by Northeast Ohio funders, has released a study examining the cost of government in the region.
The study points out that money spent on public administration in Northeast Ohio from 1992 to 1996 grew 2.3 times faster than inflation, while the population has stood still. “Our region is engaged in an intense economic global competition, and we must be smart about how we invest our public dollars. An essential first step is increasing our ability to measure government expenditures,” explained Bob Jaquay, George Gund Foundation associate director and Fund vice president. “We expect that elected officials and the public will use this information to inform ongoing and new efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government in Northeast Ohio.”
To access study go to:
http://www.futurefundneo.org/page10000600.cfm
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Foundation Now Requires Proposal Cover Sheet
George Gund
The George Gund Foundation now requires a proposal cover sheet for requests submitted to the Foundation.
Applicants will find the cover sheet on the Foundation website, or can receive it by mail by calling the Foundation at 216.241–3114. Revised program guidelines and proposal procedures also are on the website, www.gundfoundation.org.
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2008-2010 Foundation Fellow Named
George Gund
Natalie Celeste-Heffernan, an educator who has worked in several local programs, has been selected as the 2008 George Gund Foundation Fellow.
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.
Celeste-Heffernan received her undergraduate degree in religion and women’s studies from Oberlin College and has a master’s degree in education from Ursuline College and a secondary Montessori certification from the Houston Montessori Center. She has worked as a teacher at H. Barbara Booker School in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and as a teacher and middle school coordinator at Old Brooklyn Montessori School. She also has worked as a program facilitator for the Preparing Academic Leaders Academy, an advisor for the Cleveland Scholarship Program and a planning and policy associate at the Federation for Community Planning.
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Foundations release report on Cleveland Schools that are Making a Difference
George Gund
The George Gund and Cleveland foundations have released a report, “Cleveland Schools that are Making a Difference,” which highlights 13 urban schools recognized by independent researchers for inspired leadership, thoughtful curriculum, innovative instructional practices and well-cultivated community and parental involvement.
The foundations engaged independent researchers to provide tangible evidence that quality education can be—and has been—created in a cross section of schools located in the City of Cleveland. The goal of the project was to identify, describe and share best practices that exist within Cleveland’s traditional public, private, parochial and charter schools that make a positive difference in students’ achievement.
Schools featured in the report are:
Louisa May Alcott (Cleveland Metropolitan School District — CMSD)
Citizens’ Academy (charter)
Cleveland School of the Arts (CMSD)
Benjamin Franklin (CMSD)
The Intergenerational School (charter)
Joseph Landis (CMSD)
Miles Park (CMSD)
Orchard School of Science (CMSD)
St. Francis (parochial)
St. Martin de Porres (private Catholic)
St. Thomas Aquinas (parochial)
SuccessTech (CMSD), and
Urban Community School (private Catholic/Christian)
To ensure independence and objectivity, the foundations contracted with the New York-based Institute for Student Achievement and the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University, to act as principal investigators. A Cleveland consulting firm, Candor LLC, provided analysis of student achievement data that was used to identify schools for this project.
All 13 schools selected for this report met several key criteria: they were operating in the 2004–05 school year; the majority of students were economically disadvantaged; and they were demonstrating progress in student achievement gains as evidenced from state report card data, value-added student achievement data, standardized test scores and graduation rates.
Researchers spent months conducting site visits, reviewing data and interviewing students, teachers, principals and parents. They looked at six dimensions that research shows are critical factors in positively impacting student learning: shared vision; strong curriculum and instructional methods; use of multiple data types to drive instruction and student outcomes; presence of a nurturing, safe learning environment; and positive professional development opportunities for teachers and staff.
Dr. N. Gerry House, a nationally recognized urban education leader who currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Student Achievement, said the report is unique for bringing together four types of schools—traditional public, private, parochial and charter—all serving the same student population. Both an executive summary and a full report are available.
The project evolved from the foundations’ larger strategy to help create a portfolio of new, excellent schools in Cleveland. Both the Gund and Cleveland foundations have dedicated substantial resources to support new schools in Cleveland. Foundation grants totaling $1.5 million have supported research, planning and start-up support for new schools in Cleveland, including the CMSD’s four single-sex elementary schools that opened in 2007 and a new science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) high school scheduled to open this fall. The foundations granted another $1 million to open and staff the Office of New and Innovative Schools at the CMSD, which will assume overall strategy and supervision of the district’s new opportunity schools, and have also supported various new Cleveland charter and private schools.