11/16/2018 in Grantmaking

The George Gund Foundation awards its final grants of 2018

The George Gund Foundation awarded $14.2 million in grants at its final meeting of 2018 to continue its support of collaborative efforts such as the Fund for Our Economic Future and to spur the growth of organizations like the Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland.

The Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaboration among local funders working to improve the economic competitiveness of Northeast Ohio, received renewed support of $4 million over three years. Earlier this year, the Fund issued Two Tomorrows, a proposed set of regional priorities focusing on job creation, preparation and access with particular attention directed at systemic racial inequities and the barriers to opportunity that they create.

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland has been a leading nonprofit organization that empowers Northeast Ohio’s LGBTQ community through advocacy, education, collaboration and celebration. It is building a new facility in the Gordon Square Arts District, which will serve as a visible and tangible symbol of hope, pride and equity for members of the LGBTQ community. The Foundation has provided a $300,000 challenge grant, to help the building achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver construction certification.

Other grants of interest include:

  • $45,500 to Twelve Literary Arts for the inaugural year of the Baldwin House Urban Writing Residency, providing a creative and welcoming space for adult poets and writers of color to begin new projects or to bring current projects to completion.
  • $75,000 to College Now Greater Cleveland, Inc. for a variety of higher education supports for Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) graduates who are residents of Cleveland. These programs include scholarships, school-based college access advising and financial aid counseling, and retention and mentoring services that keep scholarship recipients on track to graduation.
  • $30,000 to the City Club of Ohio for “Igniting the Future,” a year-long forum series that will celebrate Cleveland’s historic role in the creation of the modern environmental movement and explore current environmental issues, such as the restoration of the Great Lakes.
  • $150,000 to the Ohio Justice and Policy Center for operating support to pursue deeper, more lasting reforms that will help make Ohio’s criminal justice system smarter, smaller, and much more equitable and just.

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 $733 million.

Further details on the 2018 grant awardees can be found at www.gundfoundation.org.