The George Gund Foundation highlights "Arts as Political Activism" in 2017 annual report
At a time when democracy is being severely challenged in America and abroad, The George Gund Foundation’s 2017 annual report focuses on the role of arts as political activism.
Award-winning photographer Accra Shepp captured images of 15 Cleveland organizations whose work in some way represents their commitment to political expression. The Foundation has commissioned a photo essay each year since 1990 but for the first time this report includes an audio component. Cleveland poet Daniel Gray-Kontar, the founder of Twelve Literary Arts, has written a poem inspired by Shepp’s essay and he reads it as the photographs scroll across the screen. Foundation Executive Director David Abbott amplifies the importance of artists as political actors in his annual letter. Geoffrey Gund, the Foundation’s president, focuses in his letter on another form of political action—the need for criminal justice reform and the current effort to move it forward in Ohio.
The report also includes guidelines and procedures to apply for a grant, financial statements and a list of grants made during 2017.
Support for democracy-building is focus of George Gund Foundation grants
The George Gund Foundation awarded several grants at its final meeting of the year to help achieve robust participation in American democracy by historically underrepresented populations. The grants to organizations at the national, state and local levels aim to accomplish racial and economic parity in voter registration and voting and to help citizens exercise their influence on the critical public policy and investment decisions impacting their families and communities.
Among the grants were:
- $800,000 over three years to the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio to advance Ohio Voice, a statewide coalition of nonprofit organizations working to increase the collective influence of its members and the constituencies they serve through nonpartisan civic engagement activities such as voter registration, voting rights protection and related public policy advocacy.
- $200,000 over two years to Voting for America’s five-year effort to increase the civic participation of historically marginalized populations through nonpartisan, large scale voter registration initiatives.
- $360,000 over three years to Cleveland Neighborhood Progress to support Cleveland VOTES, a local voter engagement project that addresses low voter turnout and civic participation among historically disenfranchised populations by engaging the trusted voices of nonprofit organizations that work with them.
“American democracy faces both domestic and foreign threats,” said David Abbott, the Foundation’s executive director. “The best defense is active citizen involvement, but as recent election turnout demonstrates, too many people opt out while others are kept out by restrictions that make voting harder than it should be. These organizations are fighting to reverse voting trends and to increase broader civic engagement. We are very happy to help them.”
These grants follow many others made by the Foundation in 2017 to build a more vigorous nonprofit voice in public policy deliberations to defend access to essential human needs, ranging from clean energy to health care, being threatened by the federal policy environment.
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 education, human services, economic and community development, environment and arts. Foundation commitments to date have totaled over $710 million.
Photographs of Cleveland public spaces highlight Gund Foundation annual report
The reopening of Public Square inspired the photo essay on public spaces in Cleveland that is the centerpiece of The George Gund Foundation’s 2016 interactive annual report. It is now available on the Foundation’s website.
Matthew Pillsbury has won numerous awards around the world for his photography, including his imaginative use of long exposures, which he employed for his work in Cleveland. “For the past 15 years, I have made long exposure photographs using only available light,” Pillsbury commented. “Across several series and in many cities, I have focused on the passage of time and people within spaces both public and private. With the Cleveland commission, I was interested in examining the ways, both successful and not, in which public spaces can become a part of the fabric of city life.”
David Abbott, the Foundation’s executive director, discusses the importance of public spaces in his annual letter and notes that one of their virtues is how they remind us of shared democratic values.
In his letter, Geoffrey Gund, the Foundation’s president, pursues the democracy theme by reflecting on the obligations of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations to raise their voices on issues of societal importance. He notes the long history of the Foundation’s support for policy advocates and highlights the recent increased emphasis on that work because of threats to many issues that the Foundation has long supported.
The annual report also includes guidelines and procedures for applying for grants, a financial statement and a list of grants made during 2016.
The George Gund Foundation's 2015 Annual Report Available Online
The George Gund Foundation’s 2015 interactive annual report features a photo essay on the progress of Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools, and it is now available on the Foundation’s website.
Award-winning photographer Lisa Kessler captured the inspiring but still inadequately recognized change that is happening in public schools in Cleveland. Kessler wrote in an accompanying statement that what she witnessed deeply affected her. “Being in these schools in Cleveland made me love school again,” she wrote. “A place where ideas and personalities fly around, and where it’s okay to be ourselves.” Foundation Executive Director David Abbott amplifies that sentiment in his annual letter and briefly describes the 11 schools that Kessler visited, which are only some of those being overhauled under The Cleveland Plan.
Geoffrey Gund, the Foundation’s president, offers observations on the nature of this year’s presidential campaign as the Republican National Convention prepares to meet in Cleveland. In particular he decries the demonization of government at a time when government is needed as a credible partner in order to meet many dire challenges.
The report also includes guidelines and procedures for applying for grants, a financial statement and a list of grants made during 2015.
The George Gund Foundation's 2014 Annual Report Available Online
Announcements
The George Gund Foundation’s 2014 online, interactive annual report, with its photo-essay highlighting a priority issue for the Foundation, is available on the Foundation’s website.
Photographer David Burnett captured the vitality and diversity of Cleveland’s rapidly growing cycling community in this year’s photo- essay. Several photos feature bicycle commuters, particularly appropriate this week as Bike Cleveland celebrates Bike to Work Day May 15.
In his annual letter, Foundation Executive Director David Abbott discusses the ways in which biking helps make Cleveland a healthier, more accessible and more attractive community. Geoffrey Gund, Foundation president, highlights the Foundation’s interest in quality early childhood education and the role staff played in developing the nationally-recognized PRE4CLE initiative.
The report also includes guidelines and procedures for applying for grants, a financial statement and a list of grants made during 2014.
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George Gund Foundation 2013 Grantee Perception Report (GPR)
Announcements
The George Gund Foundation 2013 Grantee Perception Report (GPR), a survey conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy, is now available for viewing on the Foundation website.
The 2013 survey, which was sent to all of the Foundation’s 2012 grantees and had a ^% response rate, is anonymous. Comments and rankings are aggregated by the Center for Effective Philanthropy and not attributed to individual grantees. The GPR allows foundations to understand how they are perceived and how results compare with other philanthropic peers.
This is the fourth George Gund Foundation GPR report since 2003, and each time staff have carefully analyzed results and made changes in Foundation operations that are responsive to grantee concerns and improve the grantmaking process.
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The George Gund Foundation's 2013 Annual Report is Available Online
Announcements
The George Gund Foundation’s 2013 online, interactive annual report, with its traditional photo essay highlighting a priority issue for the Foundation, is available on the Foundation’s website.
Photographer Greg Miller’s images capture the vitality, activity and pride that are so evident on Cleveland’s growing number of urban farms.
In his annual letter, Foundation Executive Director David Abbott discusses the important ways in which urban farming provides an innovative solution to multiple urban problems, ranging from an abundance of vacant land to unemployment among city residents.
Foundation President Geoffrey Gund addresses the destructive and perplexing issue of global climate change and what steps the Foundation is taking to change the conversation so that more individuals and organizations begin to address the problem.
The report also includes guidelines and procedures for applying for grants, a financial statement and a list of grants made during 2013.
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George Gund III 1937-2013
Announcements
Geoffrey Gund, president of the board of trustees, made the following statement on behalf of The George Gund Foundation on the passing of George Gund III.
“The deep sadness that my family feels at the passing of my brother George is shared by the entire extended family of The George Gund Foundation and, I am sure, by those who knew George through the Foundation’s work. He served faithfully and with honor as a trustee of the Foundation for 44 years, carrying out the wishes of our father, his namesake, to contribute to human well-being and the progress of society. He enthusiastically supported the Foundation’s long-term and patient investments in the transformation of Cleveland and he also personally engaged in that effort. Among his many civic pursuits were the founding of the Cleveland Cinemateque and as a founding trustee of the Cleveland International Film Festival. He was a trustee emeritus of the Cleveland Museum of Art and a national trustee of the Cleveland Orchestra. He avidly supported the creation of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, and when a national newspaper surveyed readers on the location choice, George set up speed dialers to boost Cleveland’s successful drive.
“In all of his endeavors George was a thoughtful, generous and gentle presence. He will be greatly missed but always remembered.”
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2013 Proposal Deadlines
Announcements
Proposals are considered three times a year by the Foundation’s Trustees. Deadlines for submitting proposals for consideration at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Trustees are March 15 (for summer meeting), July 15 (for fall meeting) and November 15 (for winter-spring meeting). Proposals are due the next business day if a deadline falls on a weekend.
The George Gund Foundation, which in 2010 moved from four grantmaking meetings each year to three annually, has announced deadlines and Trustee meeting dates for 2013.
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The George Gund Foundation 2011 Annual Report Available Online
Announcements
The George Gund Foundation’s 2011 on-line, interactive annual report, which like its print predecessors features a photo-essay focused on a priority issue for the Foundation, is now available on the Foundation’s website.
Rania Matar’s evocative portraits of Planned Parenthood clients and staff illustrate not only the critical role Planned Parenthood clinics play in providing affordable reproductive health care for women but also the Foundation’s long-standing interest in ensuring access to quality health care for all.
The 2011 annual report also features a letter from the Foundation’s executive director discussing why support for Planned Parenthood is more important now than ever as well as a letter from the Foundation’s president explaining how staff and trustees work to leverage our grants to have maximum community impact.
The report also includes guidelines and procedures for applying for grants, a financial statement and a list of grants made during 2011.