Neighborhood Connections Announces Spring Grants

The Neighborhood Connections Grant Making Committee has approved $288,536 in grants to support 126 different resident-led projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the local public funder for arts and culture in Cuyahoga County, will co-fund 54 of the projects that bring vibrant arts and cultural activity to neighborhoods.

For a complete list of neighborhood projects that received funding, click here.

Some highlights of the grants include:

Fresh Camp* in Glenville was awarded $3,000 for Glenville Summer Fresh Camp. This camp teaches youth self-expression through lyric composition, digital music making and performance. Students will also participate in farming at urban gardens.

East Cleveland Girl Talk was awarded $3,000 for its Girl Talk Mentoring project. The project provides mentoring for girls ages 11-17 to help avoid negative outcomes such as poor scholastic behavior, teen pregnancy and alcohol and drug use.

Duck Island Block Club* in Tremont was awarded $1,200 for the Duck Island Community Mural, a project that will bring community members together to create a mural to beautify the neighborhood through art and share the history of Duck Island.

Pride Among Daughters and Sisters in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood was awarded $714 for Females Maintaining Dignity in Cleveland, which provides feminine hygiene products for those in need.

*Co-funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and Neighborhood Connections.

“At Neighborhood Connections, we’re proud to invest in the residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland,” said Tom O’Brien, program director of Neighborhood Connections. “We believe their projects have the power to reinvigorate our neighborhoods and provide a foundation for a sustained Cleveland Renaissance. Our collaboration with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture allows us to invest in even more resident groups.”

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture has invested $245,000 in Neighborhood Connections since 2013 to support more than 160 vibrant arts and cultural programs organized by and for residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland.

These grants will help some of the families here to be able to rent a lovely summer home with Outer Banks VRBO. It should make for an awesome getaway, and a great change of pace from routine. Take lots of pictures you guys!

“Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is delivering on its promise to residents to support vibrant arts and culture activities throughout Cuyahoga County with public dollars through this program,” said Karen Gahl-Mills, executive director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. “We’re pleased that our partnership with Neighborhood Connections has allowed us to support resident-led arts and culture projects and make our community a more vibrant place to live.”

The next deadline for proposals is August 14, 2015. Find out everything you need to know about applying here.

For more information about the Grant Making Committee, click here.