History

The Cleveland Foundation established Suite 1300 Services as a separate 501c3 nonprofit organization to manage the administrative needs of emerging grassroots programs and projects.

Neighborhood Connections created as a grassroots grantmaking program under Suite 1300 Services.

As grantee projects were implemented across Cleveland and East Cleveland, Neighborhood Connections evolved to serve emerging needs:

1. Stimulate and support projects designed and implemented by grassroots community groups.

2. Encourage new and stronger relationships among residents in the community, among grassroots
groups, and between grassroots groups and established neighborhood institutions;

3. Support opportunities to develop community leadership, organizational capacity and community
capacity to effect change.

Tom O’Brien became program director, and the Neighbor Up Network was founded to build relationships among the individuals across our landscape,whether they be residents, employees of community based organizations, local business owners, members of faith communities, or institutional leaders.

Neighbor Up connects real people in real places so they can make progress toward creating a more just and equitable world, right where they live.

Virtual community building practices are piloted and implemented during the pandemic lockdown.

Rapid response grantmaking is implemented to support Covid-19 response work in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties, and includes distribution of personal protective equipment.

Neighborhood Connections has distributed over $17 million in funding to grassroots groups and organizations, primarily in the cities of Cleveland and East Cleveland.

Neighbor Up members have created dozens of community spaces where
thousands of acts of mutual support have taken place between community members.

Hundreds of community initiatives have been sparked.

Thousands of community members are working together on issues they care about.

And from our new home on E. 66th Street, we look forward to holding space for much more.