The George Gund Foundation awards $7.1 at its February 2026 meeting
Climate Justice Can Only Be Pursued Through Collaboration
John Mitterholzer | Program Director, Climate and Environmental Justice
The George Gund Foundation aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Ohio through a justice and equity lens, and we have learned that our efforts are most impactful when we collaborate across sectors.
More than twenty years ago, the Foundation’s Climate and Environmental Justice program funded a sustainability manager position at the City of Cleveland, one of the first cities in the world to establish such a role. The creation of this position developed into a partnership between the Foundation and the City of Cleveland to advance sustainability, climate mitigation, and environmental justice initiatives. Expanding this work, the Foundation also provided support to Cuyahoga County to create a new position: Chief of Sustainability and Climate; and the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) for a Director of Sustainability Initiatives.
In 2024, the City and County updated their strategic climate action plans. Both plans make clear that transitioning to clean energy is a critically important step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. In response, the Foundation provided support for Cleveland Public Power to create a position focused on transitioning to cleaner energy sources while advancing environmental justice. Relatedly, the Foundation provided support for Cuyahoga County to explore the creation of a county-wide utility provider, resulting in the creation of Cuyahoga Green Energy, which focuses on clean energy development.
Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) several years ago, the Foundation convened grantee partners and City and County leaders to discuss opportunities and identify projects for IRA grant applications. These convenings led to multiple successful grant awards totaling more than $285 million to advance clean energy and climate projects. These projects are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than one million metric tons.
Considering the global impact of climate change, no locale can afford to do this work in isolation. To that point, the Foundation has organized and led trips for the City, County, GCP, Environmental Health Watch, and Power a Clean Future Ohio to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conferences in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil. These convenings have provided Cleveland leaders with opportunities to share climate mitigation efforts on a global stage and to learn from leaders of global climate initiatives.
Climate change work reaches further than what any one Foundation, organization, or public entity can address. The best chances for making change locally and globally occur when we leverage our work through impactful, effective, cross-sector partnerships.
Awarded Grants Preview
ACLU of Ohio Foundation
Operating support | $140,000 | 24 Month Term | Thriving Families & Social Justice
Children’s Law Center
Ohio Youth Justice Initiative | $200,000 | 24 Month Term | Thriving Families & Social Justice
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society
Operating support | $40,000 | 24 Month Term | Creative Culture & Arts
County of Cuyahoga
Fresh Water Institute | $200,000 | 24 Month Term | Climate & Environmental Justice
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Cuyahoga County | $250,000 | 60 Month Term | Public Education
Environment And Energy Study Institute
Operating support | $300,000 | 36 Month Term | Climate & Environmental Justice
HFLA of Northeast Ohio
Operating support | $125,000 | 12 Month Term | Economic Justice & Community Power
Ohio CDC Association
Operating support | $250,000 | 24 Month Term | Economic Justice & Community Power
Ohio Justice and Policy Center
Operating support | $300,000 | 24 Month Term | Thriving Families & Social Justice
Power a Clean Future Ohio
Operating support | $785,000 | 36 Month Term | Climate & Environmental Justice
Sparrow’s Fortune
Capacity building | $20,000 | 12 Month Term | Creative Culture & Arts
Policy Matters Ohio
Abolishing property taxes, as some activists in Ohio propose, seems like a simple, powerful appeal to Ohioans beleaguered by increased tax bills. Yet, what would it mean if this proposition became law? Zach Schiller, research director for longtime grantee Policy Matters Ohio, identifies an annual loss of $21.4 billion that undergirds our public schools, emergency services, libraries, and more.
Cleveland Owns
Cleveland Owns is an economic democracy incubator that builds cooperative businesses and leads campaigns for community control of resources. One example is People’s Budget Cleveland (PB CLE), which Cleveland Owns cofounded in 2021. PB CLE recently launched the People’s Budget pilot, which will enable Slavic Village residents to allocate $100,000 to neighborhood projects through a participatory budgeting process.
Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding
Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, organized in 1990 to challenge the constitutionality of Ohio’s school funding system (DeRolph v. State), is leading the Vouchers Hurt Ohio litigation effort. Over 330 Ohio public school districts have joined a lawsuit over the EdChoice private school voucher program, which will divert $1.7 billion over the biennial from public school districts.
Literary Cleveland
Literary Cleveland—with support from Ohio Humanities, Ohioana Library Association, and the Toni Morrison Society—will coordinate a yearlong series of programs across Ohio celebrating Toni Morrison. Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison, organized around the centennial anniversary of the author’s birth, aims to deepen understanding history through literature, foster discussion and support democracy, and uplift an important Ohioan.
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The next deadline to submit a grant proposal is March 15, 2026. Details about our grantmaking priorities and application process can be found on our website.
