George Gund

The George Gund Foundation made commitments at its September meeting to help develop plans for a “campus town” in University Circle, create a system for a universal pre-kindergarten program in Cuyahoga County and introduce environmentally sensitive “green building” principles into new low-income housing projects.

Trustees approved 55 grants totaling $4,375,235 made to arts, education, human services, environment and economic and community development organizations at the Foundation’s third quarterly meeting of 2005.

The Foundation also made a $500,000 program-related investment to the Enterprise Housing Financial Services for a revolving loan fund that will be used to help integrate green building standards into the renovation and building of affordable housing.

A $81,250 grant to University Circle Incorporated will support a planning process to create a vision and a set of design principles for new development in the Circle that will include housing, retail and entertainment in a “town center” or “campus town” at the intersection of Euclid Avenue, Ford Road and Mayfield Road.

The Foundation increased its commitment to Cuyahoga County’s Invest in Children Initiative, a groundbreaking public/private partnership to promote well-being for children ages birth through six, with a $137,000 grant. Funds will be used for research and planning for a voluntary, high-quality universal pre-kindergarten program for three and four year-olds.

The Foundation also continued it commitment to research on inherited retinal degenerative diseases with a $2 million grant to the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Other grants of interest included:

• $300,000 to the Cleveland Municipal School District for development of curriculum for the Cleveland Literacy System.
• $250,000 to the Cleveland Foundation for the new Greater Cleveland Literacy Collaborative.
• $60,000 to the Harbor Heritage Society for operating support for the Steamship William G. Mather Museum and the move from the E. Ninth Street Pier to a spot near the Great Lakes Science Center.
• $50,000 to the Ohio Fair Schools Campaign for efforts to insure adequate and equitable funding for public education in Ohio.
• $30,000 to the Nature Conservancy for biodiversity conservation projects in Northeast Ohio.
• $100,000 to the Northern Kentucky Children’s Law Center for its Ohio office and its efforts to improve the state’s juvenile justice system.
• $50,000 to Karamu House for its 90th anniversary theater season.

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 $447 million.

Projects to stop the “brain drain” in Northeast Ohio, stage events on Cleveland’s lakefront and coordinate efforts to improve early childhood education in Ohio received funding from the George Gund Foundation at its June meeting.

The Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education received $100,000 for College 360°, a four-year, $5 million effort to increase the region’s supply of college-educated workers by defining and marketing the region as a “premier destination for learning, living, and working.“ The initiative is a partnership involving higher education, business and the travel and tourism and hospitality sectors.

A $35,000 grant was made to Parkworks, Inc. for summer arts and entertainment events at Northcoast Harbor, and a $15,000 grant was made to EcoCity Cleveland for environmental education activities that are part of the Burning River Fest 2005 to be held at Voinovich Park.

The Action for Children of Franklin County will use a $40,000 grant to coordinate and facilitate three statewide initiatives working to improve early childhood programming and education in Ohio, the Build Ohio Alliance, School Readiness Solutions Group and Ohio Early Care and Education Campaign.

These grants were among 73 totaling $2,972,452 approved by Foundation Trustees at the second quarterly meeting of 2005.

Other grants of interest included:

• $500,000 over two years to ideastream for television and radio public affairs programming.
• $320,000 over two years to the Community Renewal Society for continued publication of “CATALYST,” a newsmagazine focused on the Cleveland Municipal School District.
• $225,000 over two years to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio for operating support.
• $100,000 to Kent State University for the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.
• $50,000 to the Chagrin River Land Conservancy for the merger of eight land trusts in Northeast Ohio into the new Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
• Up to $50,000 to the Cleveland Botanical Garden (CBG) for a study of how CBG and its University Circle neighbors, the Western Reserve Historical Society and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, can work together more collaboratively.

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 $443 million.

CLEVELAND OH — The George Gund Foundation made several grants at its March meeting aimed at helping to ensure fairness in federal and state budget proposals.

The Center for Community Solutions received a $75,000 grant on behalf of the Campaign to Protect Ohio’s Future, a statewide nonpartisan coalition of human service providers working to educate local communities, state legislators and the media on the impact of proposed budget reductions and tax policy changes at the state level.

A $75,000 grant was made to the Washington D.C.-based Urban Institute for economic analysis and research by its Tax Policy Center, and the National Womens Law Center received a two-year $200,000 grant for its leadership of the National Fair Taxes for ALL coalition and other federal advocacy on issues affecting women and children.

“We live in an era when many office holders’ concept of public policy begins and ends with tax cuts,” said David Abbott, Foundation executive director. “They chase political expediency without thinking through the consequences to our society’s ability to deliver adequate schooling, health care, safety or scores of other vital services on which we all rely. These grants help to shine a light on these issues and on the devastating impact of proposed state and federal budget cuts.”

These grants were among 71 totaling $2,835,242 made by Foundation Trustees at the first quarterly meeting of 2005.

Two grants also were made to the Downtown Cleveland Partnership for events that will use the arts to bring visitors to the city.

InGenuity: The Cleveland Festival of Art, Culture and Technology, which will hold its inaugural event over five days in late August, received a $100,000 grant. The festival, which will be centered on Euclid Avenue near East Fourth Street, will feature dozens of performances, exhibitions and demonstrations.

Sparx in the City received $25,000 for the Street Beats program which brings street performers downtown on weekends during the summer and the Urban Gallery Hop weekend in mid-September.

Other grants of interest included:

• $45,730 over 18 months to the Cleveland State University Foundation for development of curriculum and research projects that will be linked to construction of green buildings on campus.
• $35,000 to Action Against Crime and Violence Education Fund to open an Ohio office of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.
• $25,000 to the Environmental Defense, Incorporated for a campaign to reduce antibiotic overuse in animal agriculture in Ohio.
• $54,000 to the Cleveland State University Foundation for the First Ring Leadership Academy to train principals for first ring school districts.
• $30,000 to Hard Hatted Women to advocate for inclusion of women in major construction projects in University Circle.
• Up to $20,000 to the Poets’ and Writers’ League of Greater Cleveland for strategic planning.

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 $440 million.

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