Announcing $299,162 in grants to support 113 projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland

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We’re thrilled to announce $299,162 in grants to support 113 projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the local public funder for arts and culture, will co-fund 16 of the resident-led arts and culture projects through a partnership with us. Cleveland Climate Action Fund will co-fund an additional 12 projects through a similar partnership.

A few examples of the grants include:

  • Car Seat Library in Ohio City received $537 to purchase car seats so mothers who do not have cars can leave the hospital after their baby is born. The group willlend mothers in their neighborhood a car seat so they can both leave the hospital after their baby is born while also providing rides to new mothers and babies.
  • West Park Public Art* in Kamm’s Corners is using a $1,996 grant to create a mural on the Puritas Bridge and I-71. The goal of this project is to bring neighbors together to put a “stamp” of community, create public art, and to promote a safe, healthy neighborhood that welcomes all people.
  • Food Strong+ in East Cleveland will use a $2,720 grant to promote urban agriculture and foster an appreciation for growing foods among a new generation of environmental stewards through creating a food garden, cooking classes and demonstrations, field trips and nutritional education.
  • Neighbors 2 Neighbors in Lee Harvard received a $3,900 grant to work with girls and women mentors from the community to increase awareness of healthy relationships, increase understanding of public policy related to women’s health and domestic violence, and to advocate for change in these areas.

*Co-funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture

+Co-funded by the Cleveland Climate Action Fund

For a complete list of grants awarded during this round, click here.

Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has invested more than $8.19 million in 2,548 resident-led projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland through the Neighbor Up Action Grants.  

“These small grants are fueling big change across the city,” said Tom O’Brien, program director of Neighborhood Connections. “The funded projects show that people are working together, sharing power and creating extraordinary neighborhoods right where they live.”

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture invested $75,000 in Neighborhood Connections in 2019 to support additional community-based arts and culture activities organized by and for Cuyahoga County residents.  Through this partnership with Neighborhood Connections, CAC has invested more than $530,000 to co-fund 332 resident-led arts and culture projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland since 2013.

“Through our longtime partnership with Neighborhood Connections, more Cleveland and East Cleveland residents can lead change in their communities using arts and culture,” said Jill Paulsen, interim CEO and executive director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. “Our investment is helping to shift power to residents and support the artists who live and the creativity that exists in every neighborhood.

Cleveland Climate Action Fund is funding additional projects that support residents taking climate action and raising awareness of the issue of climate change at a grassroots level. In this round of funding, 12 projects were funded through the CCAF for a total of $33,722. Neighborhood Connections, a nationally recognized community-building program established in 2003, offers Neighbor Up Action Grants from $500 to $5,000 to groups of residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland who organize projects to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Neighbor Up Action Grants are guided by a volunteer grantmaking committee made up of Cleveland and East Cleveland residents serving three-year terms. The committee reviews and approves all grants. The next deadline to apply for a grant is Friday, August 9, 2019.Click here for more information about the grants.

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is one of the largest public funders for arts and culture in the nation, helping hundreds of organizations in Cuyahoga County connect millions of people to cultural experiences each year. Since 2006, CAC has invested more than $182 million in more than 400 organizations both large and small, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.

The Cleveland Climate Action Fund (CCAF) was founded as the first community-based, open-access carbon reduction fund in the United States. Since then, the Fund has invested more than $100,000 in projects throughout Cleveland that both improve resident’s lives while mitigating carbon emissions. The Cleveland Climate Action Fund promotes and funds local carbon mitigation projects that foster economic development, social well-being, and environmental stewardship in our local communities. For more information, visit www.clevelandclimateaction.org.