George Gund

CLEVELAND OH — George Gund Foundation Trustees made grants at their June meeting for innovative collaborations that address community issues and needs, ranging from promoting the use of “best practices” standards for local development projects to encouraging new college graduates to make Northeast Ohio their home.

Trustees also renewed their support for the Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaboration of more than 80 philanthropic organizations advancing an economic transformation agenda for Northeast Ohio, with a three-year $3.1 million commitment.

The Cleveland by Design Initiative, which received a two-year $440,000 grant, is a collaboration involving Parkworks, Cleveland Public Art, EcoCity Cleveland and a number of other nonprofits working to encourage green building design, historic preservation, public parks and open space, and pedestrian and transit friendly design. The goal is to provide a “one stop shop” for local developers to encourage them to consider these issues when planning large-scale projects.

The Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, a consortium of 24 colleges and universities, received $100,000 for the College 360 program to encourage students to enroll in Northeast Ohio educational institutions, engage them in the broader community and encourage them to remain here after they have graduated.

The MetroHealth Medical System will uses a two-year $60,000 grant for a collaborative project with the Cleveland Legal Aid Society to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations by removing legal barriers to accessing health services.

The Cleveland Cultural Collaborative is an effort by three University Circle institutions — the Cleveland Botanical Garden, Western Reserve Historical Society and Cleveland Museum of Natural History — to work together to jointly reduce overhead, share services and increase income. A two-year grant of up to $57,000 was made to University Circle Inc. for the project.

The First Suburbs Consortium Development Council, created by 16 inner ring communities, received a two-year $80,000 grant to provide technical assistance, expertise and resources related to development projects to its members.

These were among 86 grants totaling $7,623,068 made to projects in human services, education, environment, arts and economic development and community revitalization at the Foundation’s second quarterly meeting of 2006.

Other grants of interest include:

• $225,000 over three years to the Cleveland Entrepreneurship Preparatory School, a charter school sponsored by the Cleveland Municipal School District that will open in the Glenville neighborhood in August.
• $200,000 over two years to the Center for Law and Social Policy for analysis of federal policies related to welfare reform, child welfare, early childhood development and community re-entry for released prisoners.
• $150,000 over two years to the Westside Industrial Retention & Expansion Network for its ongoing economic development work.
• $200,000 over two years to Adoption Network Cleveland for Adopt Cuyahoga’s Kids.
• $25,000 to Earthwatch Ohio Inc. for the start of a free bimonthly environmental newspaper.
• $22,000 over two years to the Cleveland Artists Foundation to develop education programs related to WPA art located in Greater Cleveland.
• Up to $108,000 to the Ohio League of Conservation Voters for environmental message development

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 $466 million.

For Further Information Contact:
Deena M. Epstein (216)241.3114

The George Gund Foundation made grants at its March board meeting to promote early childhood education, prevent teen pregnancy and maintain urban biodiversity and green space.

The grants were among 60 totaling $3,185,289 to organizations and programs in education, human services, economic development and community revitalization, environment and arts approved at the first quarterly meeting of 2006.

The Foundation made a $235,700 grant, over 15-months, to the Center for Community Solutions which is coordinating the work of the Ohio Early Care and Education Campaign, a coordinated effort to promote public policies that will expand and improve education and other services for young children.

A two-year grant of up to $150,000 to Scenarios USA and a $40,000 grant to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) will be used for teen pregnancy prevention and sexuality education projects.

Scenarios USA helps teens examine their attitudes toward sexuality and responsibility through a project in which youth research, write and film “scenarios” that reflect real life situations. This grant will help expand the annual “What’s the Real Deal?” scriptwriting contest and accompanying community engagement efforts to include Cleveland.

The NCSL grant will support that organization’s efforts to provide resources and information on effective methods of teen pregnancy prevention to state policymakers through policy papers, briefings, workshops and a listserv.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden will use a two-year $43,334 grant for its efforts to improve the quality and quantity of intact ecosystems and maintain biodiversity in the urban core through projects such as planting wildlife-friendly pocket parks.

Other grants of interest included:

• $100,000 to Neighborhood Progress, Inc. for the Vacant Property Reuse and Prevention Project.
• $220,000 over two years to the Western Reserve Land Conservancy of Ohio, a new regional land trust created by the merger of eight local land trusts, for transition and operating expenses.
• $35,000 to Ohio Grantmakers Forum for a statewide taskforce on education reform.
• $40,000 to the Greater Cleveland Media Development Corporation for its continued efforts to promote film and other media production in Cleveland.
• $100,000 to Cleveland Opera to facilitate its merger with Lyric Opera Cleveland and form a new company, Opera Cleveland.
• $35,000 to the Ohio Parklands Foundation for the Ohio Greenways Project.

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 $455 million.

For Further Information Contact:
Deena M. Epstein (216)241.3114