Neighbor Up Action Grants – Fall 2023

Neighbor Up Action Grants fuel the power of neighbors to make the change they want to see in their communities.

Grants range from $500 to $5,000, and are meant to spur small, grassroots community projects throughout Cleveland and East Cleveland.

Grants may be used for a wide variety of projects, and groups are encouraged to think in new ways about what will work in their communities and with whom they might partner.

Applications are reviewed and decisions are made by a committee of Cleveland and East Cleveland residents. Learn more about previously funded projects here.

Grant applications for the next round of funding are due by Monday, August 14th, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

Grantseeker Workshops

Online via Zoom. No registration required.

• Grantseeker Workshops will be held in July 2023. They will be posted to this webpage in June 2023.

For answers to Frequently Asked Questions, click here.

To download the Power Point from the Grantseeker Workshop, click here. 

How to Apply

The Neighbor Up Action Grant application will be available in May 2023. Stay tuned!

Questions?

Please review our frequently asked questions, here.  Contact grants manager Cynthia Lewis by email or call 216-229-4688.

Grant Focus Areas

Please choose one focus area for your grant

Arts & Culture: Includes initiatives that focus on literature, theater, music, dance, ballet, painting, sculpture, photography, motion pictures, architecture, archaeology, history, natural history, or the natural sciences.

Circular Economy (Sustainability):  Includes initiatives that reuse products, repair products, and renew land to reduce our environmental impact related to Climate Change. A circular economy diverts waste from the landfill and reduces pollution, keeps products and materials in use and restores and renews the natural system. Examples include clothes swaps, repairing bicycles, sharing rides, community gardens, urban farms, beekeeping, saving water, using renewable energy sources.

City Repair (Land reuse, Design): Includes initiatives that take vacant land and make into a park or gathering space, paints alleys and walkways, natural building, beautification projects.

Civic Participation: Initiatives that encourage civic participation in the political process, including Get Out the Vote campaigns, voter education, candidate forums, issue education and mobilization, or educate on civics (the study of the rights and duties of citizenship). These grants cannot be for a specific candidate.

Communications: Initiatives that improve the transfer of good, timely and accurate information and stories within and across neighborhoods. Neighborhood newsletters, neighborhood newspapers, websites, social media.

Digital Equity: Initiatives that support all individuals and communities to have the information technology necessary to participate in society.

Economic Interdependence: Initiatives where people swap, share, co-own, and co-create together. Examples include funds for local, small business associations to implement an initiative, local hiring initiatives, co-operative development, local buying initiatives, sharing economy (bartering, ride shares, time banks, etc.)

Education Equity: Initiatives that support and promote learning for all children and adults, where students have access to opportunities, resources, and support they need at the right moment in their education so they are prepared for success. Initiatives include providing resources (book bags, school uniforms, supplies, etc.), developing early childhood co-operatives and playgroups, creating learning pods, college exposure trips, after school programs, literacy initiatives, etc.

Get Outside: Initiatives are intended to welcome people from a variety of backgrounds into public spaces. Grants are intended to support people finding new ways to use outdoor spaces and overcoming the barriers to getting outside. Examples include skiing, snow shoeing, camping and road tripping with Zervs motorhome, use of public parks, summer camps, etc.

Health Equity:  Initiatives that work towards everyone having a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Examples include initiatives that support healthy eating and active living or work address to improve neighborhood safety, reduce infant mortality, address trauma and mental health, provide better access to healthy food, better access to medical care, and/or reduce obesity.

Racial Equity: Initiatives that work to build understanding of racial disparities and a willingness to adopt practices that create equitable opportunities for all. Examples include education on the history of white supremacy, initiatives that support people of color and indigenous people’s cultural heritage, conversations and action that bridge understanding on racial oppression, join or create a movement, spotlighting black or brown led organizations through storytelling, and initiatives that create opportunities for people who have been historically marginalized because of their race.