Announcements

“The solution to the problems of democracy is more democracy: More people engaged as active citizens with their communities and country. More avenues for that engagement. More accountability for lying, for inciting division and animosity. More respect for facts and truth. More people voting.”

In David Abbott’s final letter to the Cleveland community as the Foundation’s president, he challenges us all—including foundations—to be vigilant and active citizens in our continued pursuit of a just democracy for all people. That requires free and fair elections, which are under attack across the country.

The George Gund Foundation’s 2020 annual report portrays democracy in action, through the eye of Brian Palmer, a photographer and award-winning journalist based in Richmond, Virginia. He strives to tell stories that might not otherwise be told—stories of conflict, activism, and daily life. Here, in this collection, he portrays Clevelanders exercising their citizenship rights even with the nation in the grip of a pandemic.

Catherine Gund, chair of the Foundation, reminds us that philanthropy is “a debt that is owed to society,” and that the colossal—and widening—wealth gaps in Cleveland will persist unless we keep racial justice at the top of our agenda and distribute money through our grantmaking like we are paying our debt.

The George Gund Foundation is seeking candidates for the position of president to further its mission to advance human wellbeing through progressive, responsive, and accountable philanthropy. The position profile describes the opportunity and the qualifications, professional experiences, and personal attributes sought by the Board of Trustees. The successful candidate will succeed longtime president David Abbott, who will retire at the end of 2021 after 19 years.

All applications are being confidentially fielded by the executive search firm, Isaacson, Miller, which will help to identify, recruit, and screen potential candidates. Isaacson, Miller’s search process is built on a fundamental commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed to the search firm at www.imsearch.com/Gund. Foundation trustees and staff will not be meeting with potential candidates outside of the formal search process. Applications received by the end of August will be assured full consideration, and the Foundation expects to make an appointment in November.

The George Gund Foundation awarded $16.2 million at its June board meeting to organizations addressing the most pressing issues in Cleveland and Ohio, while also committing to an increased payout of 10 percent in 2021, double the legally-required five percent payout for private foundations. The Foundation’s focus on climate change, inequality and racial injustice, and democracy building, as outlined in its What We Believe statement, is emphasized in its grants, including these:

• $1.5 million to the Energy Foundation for the Ohio Climate Justice Fund, which invests in organizations in Ohio led by Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who work at the intersection of racial justice and climate action. The Fund was created to elevate a diverse coalition of advocates to influence policy change and help move toward a just and inclusive clean energy economy for Ohio.
• $800,000 to nonprofit developer, Community Builders, for the transformation of Woodhill Estates into a mixed-income housing community in the Woodhill/Buckeye area. This grant will complement the $35 million Choice Neighborhoods award that Cuyahoga Housing Metropolitan Authority received in May 2021. The Foundation’s investment will support resident engagement and supportive services during and after the completion of the new housing. Funding will also support the inclusion of solar energy in the development as well as community arts and greenspace.
• $500,000 to support the launch of a racial equity training series for Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) educators, with an eye toward building anti-racist perspectives, policies, and practices in schools. This work is a collaborative effort among the CMSD, Cleveland Teachers Union, Cleveland Council of Administrators, and Cleveland Foundation, and engages Third Space Action Lab, Racial Equity Institute, Teaching Cleveland, and Facing History and Ourselves.
• $17,500 to Ohio Voice for OPAWL, a grassroots community group that organizes for social justice and elevates the voices, visibility, and progressive leadership of Asian American and Pacific Islander women, nonbinary, queer, and trans people in Ohio. OPAWL builds collective power and progressive leadership through community building, art and storytelling, political education, and organizing campaigns.
• $150,000 to the Western Reserve Historical Society for the museum’s African American archives, which have been collected, preserved, and shared for 50 years. The grant will support plans in 2022 to present rigorous scholarship and experiences around African American history to a growing local and national audience and present a plan to develop a database of local African-American historical archived materials.
• $35,000 to the Museum of Creative Human Art (MOCHA), cofounded by artist Antwoine Washington and native Clevelander Michael C. Russell II, who are committed to changing the lives of historically excluded youth through art education and providing space for emerging local Black artists to exhibit work at a private gallery, many of whom do so for the first time through MOCHA.
• $1.5 million over two years to support the continued prototyping of the Say Yes Integrated Health initiative, which seeks to provide physical, mental, and behavioral health care to CMSD students through school-based services. Addressing student health and wellness is a key component of the Say Yes model, as it attends to the needs of the whole child and fosters effective learning.
• $250,000 to Case Western Reserve University for First Year Cleveland, which focuses on reducing racial inequities leading to infant mortality, particularly for Black women and babies in Cleveland. Efforts include providing evidence-based interventions that support healthy Black mothers and babies; providing Everyday Bias for Healthcare Professionals and Breaking Through Bias in Maternity Care workshops for health care providers; and growing the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Society to honor and engage grieving parents.
• $1.075 million in three grants to College Now, a key partner in Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools and the Say Yes Cleveland initiative. Grant funds will support college advisory services and post-secondary scholarships for CMSD students ($325,000); the Say Yes Scholars Program at Tri-C for efforts to keep CMSD graduates on track toward their degree ($250,000); and Say Yes Cleveland infrastructure needs, including website redesign, scholarship management system, and a post-secondary planning system ($500,000).
• $200,000 over two years to the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) for operating support and a housing justice fellowship. Among its services, NEOCH brings together local organizations and volunteers to provide assistance and connections to social supports for individuals who sleep outside on the streets, and coordinates public policy advocacy opportunities for its members and allies at the city, county, and state. This grant will also support NEOCH’s expanding engagement in housing justice issues with a focus on tenants’ rights.

Further details on the June 2021 grants can be found at gundfoundation.org.

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 climate and environmental justice, creative culture and arts, public education, thriving families and social justice, and vibrant neighborhoods and inclusive economy. Foundation commitments to date have totaled over $816 million.

Marvin Hayes, director of Amare Public Affairs, a progressive public affairs firm, has been named to the Board of Trustees of The George Gund Foundation. Hayes replaces outgoing trustee Mark Joseph, and joins two other Cleveland trustees, Nancy Mendez and Margaret Bernstein, and six other Trustees who are members of the Gund family.

Hayes was born and raised in the Kinsman neighborhood of Cleveland and has a deep commitment to the city. He has extensive expertise in political and strategic communication, advocacy and lobbying, public policy, and urban development. Hayes was a full-time special adviser to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in 2020; vice president of business development at Data Genomix, a social media marketing company; director of external relations at the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency; and director of urban redevelopment and infrastructure for Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. He also has worked for Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland.

Hayes has been a board member of Neighborhood Housing Services, the Deaconess Foundation, and the Lakewood Community Services Center. He has a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati in political science and public policy. Hayes and his wife, Lori McClung, live in Cleveland.

“The George Gund Foundation and the Gund family have been stalwart supporters of the City of Cleveland,” Hayes commented. “Joining the Foundation as a Trustee is an outstanding opportunity to serve the city that I love and all of its residents. I am excited to join this organization and put my belief in the city into action.”

Robert Jaquay, associate director of The George Gund Foundation, will retire at the end of the summer. Bob has spent 25 years with the Foundation, bringing expertise in urban planning, municipal law, and civic affairs. He serves as in-house counsel, directs the Foundation’s day-to-day financial functions, and ensures legal, fiscal, and tax compliance. Over the last year, he has facilitated the Board of Trustees’ efforts to review the investment portfolio through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens.

Through 2019, Bob also directed the Foundation’s grantmaking in economic development and community revitalization. Bob played a pivotal role in the establishment of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and the Fund for our Economic Future. He has also led the Foundation’s program related investments (PRIs), shareholder advocacy, and philanthropic services. Long a leader in philanthropic circles, Bob is past chair of Philanthropy Ohio, Mission Investors Exchange, Neighborhood Funders Group, and the Foundation Center Cleveland.

Ann Mullin, program director for public education, will succeed Bob as associate director. She has been preparing to assume the role for more than a year. Ann has a Master of Legal Studies from Cleveland Marshall College of Law, an MBA from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan. Ann has been with the Foundation since 2005, overseeing the Foundation’s investments in public education, including the development of the Cleveland Plan, the Cleveland Transformation Alliance, and Say Yes to Education Cleveland.

Ann will assume a lead role in the finances and operations of the Foundation, most particularly its investment portfolio and the Foundation’s growing role as an activist shareholder. She will focus on increasing alignment between the Foundation’s stock ownership and its grantmaking portfolio and What We Believe statement. Ann will also assume responsibility for PRIs, communications, and philanthropic services, and will continue to direct the public education program area.

We are excited to announce the launch of The Ohio Climate Justice Fund (OCJF), an emerging initiative that will invest in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) organizations in Ohio, working at the intersection of racial justice and climate action.

Efforts to advance a clean energy future have historically excluded diverse voices. And studies have shown that nonprofit organizations led by people of color receive only a fraction of the philanthropic investment that White-led organizations receive.

The OCJF was created to elevate a diverse coalition of advocates that will build the power to influence policy change and help move us toward a just and inclusive clean energy economy for Ohio.

Launched with seed funding and support from the George Gund Foundation, Energy Foundation, and the Cleveland Foundation, the OCJF will award competitive, one-time grants between $15,000-$30,000 to BIPOC led organizations across Ohio to host community listening sessions and lead communities in conversations about the best and most effective ways to address climate and environmental justice in their communities. Grant applications are due by COB on May 19, 2021.

The OCJF released a pre-recorded informational session to share more about the grant opportunity, the Fund’s advisory board, and goals. Please click here to watch it and be sure to forward this announcement to those in your network!

To learn more, visit ohioclimatejusticefund.org, or email Leah D. Hudnall, Director of The Ohio Climate Justice Fund at leah@ohioclimatejusticefund.org. To stay connected to this effort, follow the OCJF on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

At its recent board meeting, the trustees of The George Gund Foundation awarded $1 million to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Arts Education Fund in honor of Ann Gund as she stepped down from the Foundation’s board. This grant is the inaugural gift to this new donor-advised fund at the Cleveland Foundation, and will support musical, performing, and visual arts.

Ann devoted almost 30 years to the Foundation, serving as secretary for nearly all those years and vice president most recently. Ann fully committed to the Foundation’s What We Believe statement—prioritizing racial justice, democracy building, and fighting climate change—and to urgent issues in our community, including pandemic relief, lead abatement, the Cleveland Plan, and Say Yes to Education, where she and husband Graham Gund made a $1 million personal gift.

Ann took particular interest in the arts, education, women’s issues, and environmental issues. Within all these and other interests, her advocacy for high-quality arts education stands out. A dedicated patron of the arts, Ann brought particular passion for arts education. She supported efforts to reach diverse and visionary artists, showing deep interest in young talent. She believes in arts education as a means to engage students in their broader academic studies and in arts for arts’ sake.

The Arts Education Fund is intended to be the catalyst for much-needed private investment in arts education in Cleveland schools. The Fund will support musical instrument purchases, rights to plays and compositions, theater and film equipment, and more, with an aim to raise student artistic performance levels and reclaim Cleveland’s position as a superior arts district in the country.

To contribute to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Arts Education Fund, please visit www.clevelandfoundation.org/give-now/?existing_select=cleveland-metropolitan-school-district-arts-education-fund-exfund.

Alyssa Johnson, current coordinator of service and outreach for student activities at The Ohio State University, has been selected as the 2021-2023 George Gund Foundation Fellow. In her current role, Johnson oversees community service and civic engagement programming and outreach initiatives within the city of Columbus and the state of Ohio. She runs the Nonprofit Immersion Program and also works across several university initiatives, including OSU Votes, Semester of Service Program, and Pay It Forward.

Johnson served two years as a team leader and corps member for AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps in Denver, where she worked across disaster recovery, infrastructure improvement, environmental stewardship, youth development, and food insecurity throughout the Southwest United States.

Johnson has a keen interest in civic activism, whether through voting, direct service, or advocacy, and has extensive volunteer experiences. Her other interests include exploring Ohio’s outdoor spaces, hiking, and coaching middle school lacrosse.  Johnson received her Bachelor of Arts in history from Otterbein University.

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.

The George Gund Foundation awarded more than $7.1 million at its February board meeting, committing again to increased grantmaking in 2021 to address needs arising from the pandemic and pressing community issues. This increased payout follows a 10 percent payout in 2020, double the legally-required 5 percent payout for private foundations. The Foundation’s focus on climate change, inequality and racial injustice, and weakened democracy, as outlined in its What We Believe statement, is emphasized in its grants, including these:

• $1 million for the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund for continued support of pandemic relief in Greater Cleveland. Grant funds are targeted toward meeting basic needs as well as efforts to promote communication and outreach to populations most heavily affected by the virus, particularly Black and Hispanic residents. The Foundation’s investment in the Fund to date totals $3 million.
• $500,000 over two years to Rid-All Green Partnership for its urban farming and environmental science enterprise in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. Grant funds will provide capacity to expand Rid-All’s operations and support new initiatives, including a nationally recognized carbon drawdown and bioenergy effort as well as two social enterprises—a community kitchen (including a restaurant) and a farmers market.
• $200,000 over two years to the Alliance for Climate Education, whose mission is to educate young people (particularly high school students) on the science of climate change and empower them to take action, including engagement in voter registration and mobilization efforts. The organization’s intentional focus on students of color creates a pipeline of young activists to lead the movement now and in the future.
• $150,000 over two years to Enterprise Community Partners for the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, which works to end childhood lead poisoning in a city where one in four children are poisoned by lead by the time they enter kindergarten. The Coalition supports the implementation of Cleveland’s landmark law requiring all rental units in the city built prior to 1978 be certified as lead safe. The City of Cleveland Department of Building and Housing begins enforcement of the Lead Safe Certificate requirement this month.
• $100,000 over two years to the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Foundation, dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and celebration of film by and about people of African descent. Grant funds will support the annual Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, which presents the work of both emerging and established artists who are contributing to the cinematic legacy of Black film.

In addition to these grants, the Foundation authorized a $500,000, 15-year program-related investment loan to Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation for Phase I of Innovation Square. The Innovation Square revitalization effort, led by Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation with the support of residents, local government, and civic partners, will consist of new mixed-income housing units, residential amenities, and retail opportunities that aim to catalyze market activity in this key Cleveland neighborhood.

Further details on the February 2021 grants can be found at gundfoundation.org.

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 climate and environmental justice, creative culture and arts, public education, thriving families and social justice, and vibrant neighborhoods and inclusive economy. Foundation commitments to date have totaled over $800 million.