Our focus is on projects and policies that address climate change and promote clean energy, sustainable transportation, and equitable access to clean water and air. We support organizations that advocate for public policies rooted in equity and justice. In addition, we invest in efforts that mitigate climate change through sustainable land use, the creation of accessible green spaces in Cleveland, and the promotion of environmental justice—ensuring that everyone can live in a safe and healthy environment. We make grants to organizations with a presence in Cleveland and/or Ohio whose work or policy advocacy focuses on greenhouse gas emissions, climate justice or protection of Cleveland’s freshwater resources.

The Foundation has particular interest in:

• Air, energy, land use, and water policies
• Climate justice
• The intersection between climate policy and democracy building

Successful grant applicants will make a connection between their work and one or more issue areas in the Foundation’s What We Believe statement.

The Climate and Environmental Justice program area does not currently prioritize the following areas:

• Environmental education
• Youth or leadership development in the environmental field
• Land trusts that do not have a local (central basin of Lake Erie), water-specific focus