George Gund

Cleveland, OH — The George Gund Foundation continued its longstanding commitment to Cleveland’s neighborhoods with a three-year $3 million grant to Neighborhood Progress, Inc. (NPI) and renewal of more than $500,000 in certificates of deposit at community-focused ShoreBank Cleveland.

NPI, which is the principal intermediary between funders and community development corporations in Cleveland, has played a key role in the development of new housing in the city that has resulted in a rise in residential property values and slowing of the city’s population decline.

ShoreBank and its related subsidiaries, which have provided financing for a number of housing projects and business start-ups in Cleveland, also operate two business incubators.

Trustees approved 104 grants to human service, environment, arts, education and community and economic development organizations totaling $6,752,792 at the Foundation’s first quarterly meeting of 2004.

Other grants of interest included:

• $54,000 to the Cleveland State University Foundation for the First Ring Leadership Academy that identifies, recruits and trains principals for 13 first-ring school districts.
• $44,750 to Case Western Reserve University to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for a new dormitory in the campus’s North Residential Village.
•  $143,820 to Adoption Network Cleveland for the Adopt Ohio’s Kids Initiative, a public-private partnership to find permanent homes for children in cases where parental rights have been terminated.
• $150,000 over two years to Case Western Reserve University for the Schubert Center for Child Development for its Child Policy Initiative.
• $75,000 to America SCORES for Cleveland SCORES, an after-school program for urban school students that combines literacy enrichment activities and soccer.
• $80,000 over two years to the Center for Community Change for the Coalition for Human Needs, a coalition of 100 national organizations working to influence public policy impacting poor people.
• $25,000 to Charenton Theater Co. to convert a truck into a traveling stage and to support free summer performances.
• $17,000 to African Soul for administrative support and the Midwest African American Dance Conference.
• $50,000 over two years to EcoCity Cleveland for the EcoVillage project in Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood.
• $70,000 over two years to The Nature Conservancy for conservation of migratory bird sites in Western Lake Erie.$35,000 to the Ecological Design Innovation Center for the Northeast Ohio Foodshed Network.

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, arts and civic affairs. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $416 million.

For Further Information Contact: Deena M. Epstein
(216)241–3114

Cleveland, OH — George Gund Foundation trustees approved grants at their last quarterly meeting of 2003 to improve teacher training in Ohio, upgrade and expand parks in downtown Cleveland and help build a new community foodbank facility.

The grants were among 78 totaling $3,914,020 made at the Foundation’s December meeting. Total grantmaking for 2003 was $17,820,451.

The Foundation made a $50,000 grant for the Ohio Partnership for Accountability, a statewide consortium of Ohio’s 51 teacher preparation programs, that is working with the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Board of Regents to examine the relationships between teacher training programs and teacher effectiveness and student achievement.

Parkworks, Inc. will use a $200,000 grant for its Downtown Greenspace Initiative to develop new parks and make improvements to existing outdoor spaces.
The Greater Cleveland Community Foodbank recently broke ground for a new 112,000 square foot facility in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood. A $200,000 grant will be used for construction expenses.

Other grants of interest included:

• $400,000 to Shorebank Enterprise Group in continued operating support for its programs in Cleveland neighborhoods.
• $44,750 to Case Western Reserve University to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for a new dormitory in the campus’s North Residential Village.
• $50,000 to the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education for implementation of its strategic plan.
• $150,000 to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission for the International Children’s Games and Cultural Festival.
• $50,000 to the Christian Community, Inc. for a comprehensive adolescent sexuality education initiative.
• $35,000 to the Farm Labor Research Project for legal clinic staff expansion.
• $25,000 to The Children First Campaign Education Fund for its efforts to raise the visibility of children and family issues in federal elections.
• $17,000 to the Contemporary Youth Orchestra for the Tribute to Rock Artists Festival.
• $210,000 to the Community Partnership for Arts and Cultural for operating support.
• $75,000 to Karamu House for support of the theater program and the new artistic director.
• Up to $40,000 to the Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Council to help corporations restore habitat and wildlife on their holdings in the Cuyahoga Valley.
• $35,000 to the Ecological Design Innovation Center for the Northeast Ohio Foodshed Network.

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, arts and civic affairs. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $409 million.

For Further Information Contact: Deena M. Epstein (216)241–3114

Cleveland, OH — The George Gund Foundation made grants at its September meeting that will encourage formation of sound public policy in Ohio related to higher education, public school funding, prisoner re-entry and smart growth development.

The Foundation made a two-year $240,000 grant for the start-up of Greater Ohio, an organization that will assemble a broad-based coalition to advance smart growth policy at the state, regional and local levels.

Three education grants were directed at statewide policy efforts. A $100,000 grant was made for the work of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education and the Economy that will propose policies to make Ohio competitive in the knowledge economy, ensure access to higher education for more Ohio citizens and provide a high return on the state’s investment in higher education. The Ohio Fair Schools Campaign received a $25,000 grant for its efforts to improve the equity and adequacy of school funding in Ohio, and the Federation forCommunity Planning was awarded up to $50,000 to continue its efforts on educating the public about education-related policy issues in the state.
The Washington-based Urban Institute received a two-year $200,000 grant for a study of four states, including Ohio, and their current and proposed policies related to the re-entry of released prisoners into local communities.

These grants were among 99 totaling $5,324,921 awarded by Trustees at the Foundation’s third quarterly meeting of 2003 to a wide range of organizations addressing education, human services, economic and community development, environment, arts and civic affairs issues.

Other grants of interest included:

• $2 million to the Foundation Fighting Blindness for research on the causes, nature and prevention of inherited retinal degenerative diseases.
• Up to $250,000 to BioEnterprise Corporation for support of its efforts to create, attract and accelerate the growth of bioscience businesses in Northeast Ohio.
• $70,000 over two years to Playhouse Square Foundation for Partners in Performance, a new arts education partnership with the Cleveland Municipal School District.
• $25,000 to The Cleveland Green Building Coalition for Collaborating for Success II: A Midwest Conference for Multi-Tenant Nonprofit Centers.
• $35,000 to the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland for its Syringe Exchange Program.
• $7,500 to the United Labor Agency to create a Community Hiring Hall to place temporary day labor.
• $100,000 to Cleveland Public Art for operating and project support.
• $75,000 to The Urban Institute for its new Tax Policy Center.

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, arts and civic affairs. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $398 million.

For Further Information Contact: Deena M. Epstein (216)241–3114

Cleveland, OH — The George Gund Foundation made grants at its June meeting to launch the new Health Policy Institute of Ohio, insure better legal representation for Ohioís juvenile offenders and continue efforts to promote green building standards in Greater Cleveland.

Foundation Trustees approved 107 grants, totaling $3,391,750 to a wide range of organizations working in the arts, environment, human services, civic affairs, education and economic and community development.

A two-year $225,000 grant was made to help launch the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, an organization that will work to improve the health of all Ohioans though non-partisan research, analysis and communication on vital health issues in the state, particularly those affecting Medicaid, uninsured and underinsured populations. The new organization, funded by a statewide consortium of foundations, will be based in Columbus.

The Northern Kentucky Children’s Law Center, which serves as the regional affiliate of the American Bar Association’s National Justice Defender Center and whose territory includes Ohio, will work to implement recommendations of a recently completed study, “Justice Cut Short: An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings in Ohio.” The organization received a $110,000 grant for its work.

The Cleveland Green Building Coalition will use a two-year $120,000 grant to continue efforts to promote green building standards in both renovation and new construction projects throughout the community.

Other grants of interest included:

• $40,000 to the New York Institute for Special Education to expand the Cornerstone literacy program into additional Cleveland Municipal School District schools.
• $125,000 to Young Audiences for the Initiative for Cultural Arts in Education (ICARE) project.
• $100,000 to the Kent State University Foundation for the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.
• $40,000 to St. Vincent DePaul Society to establish the Greater Cleveland Clothing Bank, a central collection and distribution center for gently used clothing.
• $49,875 to Western Reserve RC & D for the Center for Farmland Preservation in Ohio.
• $50,000 to WECO Fund, Inc. for the Individual Development Account and Microenterprise Programs.
• $25,000 to Retired Senior Volunteer Program of Cleveland for expansion of the Experience Corps Tutoring Program in the Cleveland Municipal School District.

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, arts and civic affairs. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $393 million.

For Further Information Contact: Deena M. Epstein (216)241–3114

Cleveland, Ohio — The George Gund Foundation made several grants at its March meeting related to the Cleveland Municipal School District’s (CMSD) plans for a massive school facilities improvement program.

A $75,000 grant was made to Cleveland Tomorrow for the Bond Accountability Commission, an independent entity created to monitor and oversee expenditure of funds from the $350 million bond issue that was approved by voters in May 2001 for school building and renovation.

A two-year $150,000 grant will be used for efforts to engage and involve the community in school facilities planning and management. The grant was made to The Cleveland Foundation and will be used by three partners in community engagement efforts-the City of Cleveland, the CMSD and Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition.

The Foundation also made a $50,000 grant to EcoCity Cleveland’s Green Building Coalition which will work with the school district to encourage use of “green” energy efficiency and health standards in construction and renovation.

The grants were among 73 totaling $2,439,580 made by Trustees to a wide range of organizations and projects in human services, education, arts, environment, civic affairs and economic and community development at the first quarterly meeting of 2003.

Other grants of interest included:

• $350,000 over two years to Case Western Reserve University’s Center on Urban Poverty and Change for focused social policy analysis, communication for policy influences and graduate education in poverty research.
• $25,000 over 15 months to the Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre for operating support.
• $30,000 to the Center for Employment Training Cleveland for operating support.
• $25,000 to the Lesbian-Gay Community Service Center of Greater Cleveland for the Safe Schools Are For Everyone program.
• $30,000 over two years to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for the Natural Areas Program.
• $67,500 to the Federation for Community Planning for the emergency state budget campaign.
• $15,000 to Cleveland Bridge Builders, Incorporated for a strategic program assessment.
• $25,000 to the Adoption Network Cleveland for a program and volunteer coordinator and office relocation.
• $40,000 over two years to the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums for the Ohio Butterfly Conservation Initiative.
• $25,000 to the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence for the Firearms Litigation Clearinghouse.

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, arts and civic affairs. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $393 million.

For Further Information Contact: Deena M. Epstein216.241.3114