Strategic grantmaking is one part of the organization’s $18 million annual community investment strategy
CLEVELAND (December 11, 2023) – United Way of Greater Cleveland has announced its newest cohort of Community Hub grantee partners. Eighteen agencies within Cuyahoga and Geauga counties were strategically selected to receive a total of $2.24 million in grants in 2024, with an option to renew in 2025. Each organization will also receive an annual stipend of $7,500 for representatives from their organization to attend United Way’s Center for Excellence programming for nonprofit capacity building, bringing United Way’s annual strategic grantmaking total to $2.375 million.
“Our strategy is to invest directly in effective solutions that help make positive change happen across Greater Cleveland,” said Sharon Sobol Jordan, President and CEO. “We greatly appreciate the efforts of these impressive agencies and are excited to support their impactful work.”
United Way’s three community strategies are Economic Mobility, Health Pathways, and Housing Stability. As part of a rigorous application process, more than 100 local nonprofits submitted Requests for Ideas, with 49 invited to submit requests for proposals for projects that aligned with one of these strategies.
Below is a list of the selected organizations and their annual grant amounts.
Investment Strategy
Early Childhood Development
Organization
Black Child Development Institute – Ohio
Lexington-Bell Community Center *
Milestones Autism Resources
YWCA Greater Cleveland *
Annual Grant Amount
$100,000
$150,000
$100,000
$100,000
Investment Strategy
Income Pathways
Organization
Asian Services in Action *
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
New Bridge Cleveland
Passages Inc.
Ravenwood Mental Health Center (Geauga) *
Towards Employment *
Annual Grant Amount
$150,000
$150,000
$100,000
$125,000
$150,000
$100,000
Investment Strategy
Health Pathways
Organization
Catholic Charities Group (Geauga)
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Food Strong
Hunger Network
Spanish American Committee *
Annual Grant Amount
$100,000
$125,000
$100,000
$140,000
$100,000
Investment Strategy
Housing Stability
Organization
Enterprise Community Partners
Family & Community Services, Inc./
Next Step (Geauga)
Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry
Annual Grant Amount
$175,000
$100,000
$175,000
$100,000
To learn more about these agencies and their programs, visit the blog by Ken Surratt, Chief Development and Investment Officer.
Responsive grantmaking is one of the many ways United Way makes positive change within Cuyahoga and Geauga counties. In fiscal year 2023, United Way invested $18.9 million back into the Greater Cleveland community. Additional investments included grants to federated partners; designated gifts to donor-specified organizations; public/private partnerships tackling the root causes of poverty, such as the Louise B. Stokes Scholar House; and direct services, including United Way 211, a free and confidential service available to anyone in crisis or in need of resources and assistance.
United Way reinvented its investment strategy in 2021 to provide financial assistance to allow selected partner agencies to focus their work on the programs that impact the community and solutions they believe will work most effectively due to their intimate experience working directly with clients in our community. The first and current cohort of 16 partner agencies collectively served more than 60,000 clients in a variety of ways through June 30 of this year, from connecting families to more than 10,300 days of emergency shelter to increasing food security to more than 24,391 individuals and helping more than 83 percent of workers retain their job for at least 90 days after participating in workforce programs through June 30, 2023. The complete year-end results will be available in early 2024.
“On behalf of United Way’s board of directors and employees, we congratulate these 18 innovative agencies, and we are pleased to invest in their programs to make Greater Cleveland a place where opportunity exists for all,” said Vanessa Whiting, Board Chair. “Throughout the past two years, we have witnessed firsthand the innovative and exceptional work performed by our first cohort of grantee partners. As we begin this next funding cycle, we’re excited about the work that is yet to be done within our community by these organizations as they develop and implement the solutions necessary to address the important issues facing our community, from housing instability to food insecurity.
