How do you help the community?
Grantmaking
Our Community Hub for Basic Needs grants fund innovative solutions that address both the symptoms and root causes of poverty in Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties. Through a rigorous process of applications, interviews, and input from community stakeholders, we identify impactful programs aligned with our community investment priorities.
For our 2024-2025 grantmaking cycle, we are excited to partner with 18 nonprofit agencies that exhibit exceptional commitment to change and alignment with our strategic areas of Housing Stability, Health Pathways, Economic Mobility: Early Childhood Development and Economic Mobility: Income Pathways.
2024-2025 Grantee Cycle - Housing Stability
Enterprise Community Partners
Mission/About: Together with partners and funders, Enterprise has created or preserved over 146,000 affordable homes by leveraging $10.1 billion in capital throughout Ohio. Enterprise convenes and leads coalitions to bring housing-based programs and creative policy solutions to support residents in achieving housing stability and economic mobility.
PROGRAM: MAKE IT HOME – CLEVELAND
Make It Home – Cleveland will improve housing stability for low-income households predominantly on the east side of Cleveland by providing financial assistance and support services for successful homeownership. The program provides asset-limited residents living in foreclosed homes the option to purchase their home before it goes to auction, increasing Black homeownership rates and housing stability while creating generational wealth.
The holistic Make It Home model includes mortgage assistance, home repair assistance, homeownership counseling, legal counseling, and one-on-one financial coaching, with the goal that renters become owners of safe, stable, healthy, and affordable housing.
2024 Investment: $175,000
AxessPointe Community Health Centers/Next Step
Mission/About: Next Step’s mission is to help young adults who have experienced hardships such as abuse, neglect, and homelessness transition into stabilized independence. Next Step is a community-based organization that empowers victimized youth on their path to self-sufficiency. Case managers assist youth in securing housing, employment, education, transportation, and health care.
PROGRAM: The Geauga County Housing Collaborative
The Geauga County Housing Collaborative addresses homelessness in Geauga County, where housing options for individuals and families in need are limited, and costs continue to rise. The collaborative will serve adults ages 18 to 24 who have been victimized and are homeless or at risk of being homeless; teens ages 14 to 17 who can no longer remain in their family home or another environment because of their mental health, a drug or alcohol diagnosis; individuals with severe and persistent mental illness in need of stable housing;
individuals with severe and persistent mental illness in need of stable housing; survivors of domestic abuse as they relocate to safe housing; and individuals seeking a safe, healthy, drug- and alcohol-free environment following the completion of primary substance use disorder treatment. Partners will work with individuals to identify safe, stable, and healthy housing options while also providing basic housing needs.
2024 Investment: $100,000
Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry
Mission/About: Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry promotes shalom (peace, well-being) and justice (right relationship) through a Christian ministry of service and advocacy with those who are oppressed, forgotten, and hurting. Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to addressing chronic needs, enabling people in our community facing adversity to become self-sufficient, and advocating for systems change.
PROGRAM: 2100 Lakeside Emergency Men’s Shelter
Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry is preparing to launch a Fair Chance & Flex Housing Assistance program that connects numerous intervention programs with a focus on flexible housing funds. The program will enable participants to have access to direct cash transfers, provide opportunities to transition in place, assist with landlord incentives like security deposits and first and last month rent, and offer rental assistance.
The housing program is designed for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability, vulnerable youth, and those who are returning from incarceration, empowering them to exit from shelters into safe and accessible housing.
2024 Investment: $175,000
2024-2025 Grantee Cycle - Health Pathways
Catholic Charities Group (Geauga County)
Mission/About: We offer quality services to provide help and create hope for individuals from all walks of life, regardless of beliefs or circumstances. Programs and services offered in Geauga County are wide-ranging, encompassing several areas such as mental health and substance use recovery, as well as family, children, and community events.
PROGRAM: Addressing Food Insecurity in Geauga County
Catholic Charities Group has built a network of partners to address food insecurity in Geauga County, including the Chagrin Falls Park Community Center, Family Pride, Catholic Charities, Next Step, Ravenwood Health, WomenSafe, Torchlight, and Lake/Geauga Recovery Centers.
Collectively, the network can ensure that those in need in Geauga County have access to food as case managers from each partner agency work to best address the needs of community members.
2024 Investment: $100,000
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Mission/About: Cleveland Rape Crisis Center supports survivors of rape and sexual abuse, promotes healing and prevention, and advocates for social change. Over the years, the center has grown from a volunteer-run hotline service to a nonprofit organization providing leading counseling services, victim assistance in the justice system, and 24-hour services to survivors of rape and sexual abuse in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Ashtabula counties.
PROGRAM: Access to Care Program
The Access to Care Program will allow for increased access to trauma-informed services and community resources for children, adolescents, and their families who have been impacted by sexual violence, with a focus on reaching BIPOC community members.
The highly trained Access to Care Team provides support and information to survivors of rape, sexual abuse, and human trafficking 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through our crisis hotline and in-person support.
2024 Investment: $125,000
Food
Strong
Mission/About: Food Strong’s mission is to utilize fresh local food as a tool to empower, educate, and cultivate health in communities across our region. We promote the cultivation, purchase, and consumption of fresh, local foods while simultaneously providing linkage to other vital services and resources. Food is the tool we use to convene community members, bring in vital resources, and foster overall community wellness.
PROGRAM: Food Strong’s Farm-to-School Expansion Project with Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Food Strong’s partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District will grow the district’s ability to serve more fresh produce to students, along with providing students with hands-on educational experiences focusing on agriculture, nutrition, and sustainability. Food Strong will bring its program, part of the National Farm to School Network,
to an additional 15 schools over the next two years, building more onsite school gardens and educating students about agriculture, nutrition, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship. The ultimate goal is for every student in the district’s 87 schools to have access to fresh, scratch-prepared, and locally sourced food for breakfast and lunch.
2024 Investment: $100,000
Hunger
Network
Mission/About: Hunger Network has been working to end hunger and build a healthier community for over 25 years. As one of Cuyahoga County’s largest emergency food providers, Hunger Network continues to lead the way through innovation and nontraditional approaches to serving our neighbors in need. We treat everyone with dignity and respect, are dedicated to building a healthy, hunger-free community, develop effective partnerships and relationships to increase our impact, and embrace new methods and non-traditional programs that improve our ability to feed our community.
PROGRAM: Food Rescue Program
An estimated 40 percent of America’s food goes to waste, while one in six residents in Cuyahoga County go hungry. Hunger Network’s Food Rescue program addresses both food insecurity and climate crisis by delivering food that would have otherwise gone to waste to those who need it most.
The organization is working to add a Routing Feature that will help deliver fresh produce and other food items to schools, recovery houses, transitional homes, senior centers, and the homebound.
2024 Investment: $140,000
Spanish American Comittee
Mission/About: The Spanish American Committee is dedicated to serving as the gateway to socioeconomic success for the Hispanic community of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Northeast Ohio. The organization has been creating opportunities that lead low-income individuals and families to self-sufficiency for over 55 years, making it the longest-operating Hispanic/Latino social services agency in Ohio. We provide opportunities through five core programs that provide clients with family support and bilingual childcare services, financial literacy and education training, housing education and guidance, employment training and services, and adult education opportunities such as English as a Second Language classes.
PROGRAM: Families First Program
Spanish American Committee’s Family First Program provides ladders of opportunity that help low-income individuals and families break the cycle of poverty and become self-sufficient. The organization will expand the program to provide increased services around food security through monthly culturally relevant hot meals and fresh produce distributions, an emergency food gift card program for those battling critical food
insecurity, along with intensive and comprehensive counseling to the broader Latino/Hispanic community. The ultimate goal is to ensure community members have access to healthy food options and provide tailored case management that leads to self-sufficiency, food security, and stability.
2024 Investment: $100,000
2024-2025 Grantee Cycle - Early Childhood Development
Black Child Development Institute
– Ohio
Mission/About: Established in 2017, Black Child Development Institute-Ohio, an affiliate of the National Black Child Development Institute, is dedicated to achieving positive outcomes for vulnerable children who suffer from the dual legacies of poverty and racial discrimination. BCDI-Ohio is dedicated to ensuring that Black and Brown children and their families can thrive throughout Ohio. It is our goal to empower children, teens, young adults, parents, and caregivers by shifting policy, linking resources, and building programming that will dismantle racial injustice, poverty, and racial disparities. Our comprehensive network of organizations and community stakeholders seeks to cultivate and implement equitable systems to support positive outcomes for Black and Brown children.
PROGRAM: Northeast Early Childhood Service Hub
Black Child Development Institute – Ohio will develop an early childhood hub with a family centered approach to provide culturally relevant and competent tools, resources, and direct programming, all delivered through a cultural lens. There will also be continuing professional development opportunities and resources available that focus on special
needs, lead poisoning awareness, and trauma-informed care, allowing participants to effectively respond to the needs of Black and Brown children. A parent liaison will also be available to connect families to resources, tools, and support, and assist in navigating available services.
2024 Investment: $100,000
Lexington-Bell Community Center
Mission/About: The mission of the Lexington-Bell Community Center is to strengthen, advocate, and empower the community through the delivery of quality social, educational, and recreational services with an emphasis on families and children. Lexington-Bell Community Center creates an environment for students to become life-long learners in a setting where they feel supported, safe, and respected.
PROGRAM: Bridge to Two
Lexington-Bell’s Bridge to Two program promotes equitable access to quality early education by providing home visiting and family support services to home-based caregivers. The program engages two Parent Connectors who utilize Partners for Healthy Babies, an evidence-based home visiting model, to build relationships with parents and caregivers, and administer development assessments, home-based learning, safety tips, and literacy services.
Parent Connectors can also assist families and pregnant women with finding available resources to prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to learn. The program focuses on families in the Hough, St. Clair/Superior, Glenville, and Collinwood neighborhoods.
2024 Investment: $150,000
Milestones Autism Resources
Mission/About: Milestones provides autism strategies for life, offering guidance to get you through the day and help you plan for the future. We understand the challenges and needs of the autism community because we live it every day. We improve lives through education and evidence-based strategies for school, home, community, and work.
PROGRAM: Early Intervention:
Equity in Autism Diagnosis through Community Partnerships and Collaboration
Milestones’ Early Intervention Program empowers caregivers of autistic individuals by equipping them with the awareness, tools, and resources needed to deliver early and effective interventions, which enhances positive health outcomes. This new project centers on addressing the gap in autism diagnosis for children under the age of 5, ensuring improved healthcare access, and bridging healthcare disparities by offering early intervention support, particularly within economically disadvantaged, diverse, and culturally varied communities.
Through strategic partnerships with MetroHealth, Starting Point, Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County, the project will help extend Milestones’ reach within the community.
2024 Investment: $100,000
YWCA
Greater Cleveland
Mission/About: YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. YWCA Greater Cleveland is committed to the liberation of all people marginalized by their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, housing status, or religion.
PROGRAM: Two-Gen Trauma-Informed Early Learning for Homeless Children
YWCA’s Two-Generational Early Learning Center incorporates an innovative trauma-informed model to assess and identify the social-emotional needs of children ages 3 to 5, while Cogswell Hall offers trauma-informed supportive services and permanent housing for 41 adults who make the facility a community of amazing and thriving individuals.
YWCA works to find the intersectionality of pressing issues like housing stability and early childhood education and addresses them in a collaborative, strategic way that aligns with United Way of Greater Cleveland’s priorities of Early Childhood Development, Health Pathways, and Housing Stability. By providing two-generational, whole-family supportive services through children’s first five years, we can create a healthy family environment that allows children to be successful.
2024 Investment: $100,000
2024-2025 Grantee Cycle - Income Pathways
Asian Services in Action
Mission/About: Asian Services in Action is the largest health and human services agency serving the Asian American/Pacific Islander community of Northeast Ohio. ASIA runs two federally qualified health centers that specialize in linguistically and culturally competent care for immigrants and refugees. ASIA also provides all of the wrap-around social services for this community to thrive in Northeast Ohio.
PROGRAM: Ready for Next
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including immigrants and refugees, often encounter challenges to securing employment that can provide family sustaining incomes. A primary barrier is the diversity of ethnicities, languages, and dialects of this population, posing a challenge for employment services that may have limited interpretation services and lack experience in dealing with a variety of cultures.
Asian Services in Action’s Ready for Next Program will address the social determinants of work that are unique to this population through comprehensive case management and financial counseling, including providing a safety net to avoid a benefits cliff, ensuring that individuals are seamlessly connected to employment opportunities that guarantee a sustainable living wage.
2024 Investment: $150,000
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Mission/About: Legal Aid’s mission is to secure justice, equity, and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes through passionate legal representation and advocacy for systemic change. This mission centers on our vision for Northeast Ohio to be a place in which all people experience dignity and justice, free from poverty and oppression. Legal Aid carries out its mission every day by providing legal services at no cost to clients with low incomes, helping ensure fairness for all in the justice system – regardless of how much money a person has.
PROGRAM: Economic Mobility, Justice, and Wealth Building through Legal Aid
Estate plans help people protect their homes, safeguard inheritances, and pass wealth on to future generations. Through this program, Legal Aid will promote economic equity and mobility by expanding free legal services to individuals with low incomes in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties to navigate their estate planning needs. Legal Aid will hire a new Economic Mobility attorney who can help people leverage estate planning to build wealth – particularly generational wealth.
The focus will be on supporting people of color and people with low incomes – including individuals who are asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed (the ALICE population) – one that is generally the least likely to have an estate plan and can least afford the consequences of not having one.
2024 Investment: $150,000
New Bridge Cleveland
Mission/About: New Bridge is a trauma-informed SEL learning center assisting our students to identify and pursue educational and career pathways that lead to fulfilled lives and a sense of purpose. We are committed to improving the lives of our students and our community, fighting inherently inequitable systems, being joyful and determined in our pursuits, and continuously listening and adapting to the needs of our community.
PROGRAM: Early Intervention: Adult Workforce Programs
New Bridge will expand on its current Earn and Learn training model in both Medical Assisting and Sterile Processing. The model allows students to be paid full-time wages and benefits, ensuring financial stability and success. Students in the Medical Assisting program learn to provide quality patient care and office procedures through class lectures, hands-on skills lab practice, and a 160-hour clinical externship.
Sterile Processing Technicians are an integral part of a healthcare facility, and the training program includes a 400-hour externship. The current program, which began in 2022 in partnership with University Hospitals, has achieved an 89 percent completion rate and a 100 percent passage rate on the National Healthcare Association’s Certification exam.
2024 Investment: $100,000
Passages
Mission/About: Passages has been serving Cleveland’s vulnerable families for nearly two decades. Our services empower families to improve their lives and successfully achieve family resiliency and financial independence, helping parents break cycles of generational poverty, early parenting, and incarceration for themselves and their children. We do this through five core tenets of programming: workforce development training, parenthood enrichment training, personal development, and barrier removal services, social enterprise exploration and creation, and education and advocacy.
PROGRAM: Cuyahoga County Services to Parents and Families
Passages assists fathers with the tools needed to rise above their circumstances, remove barriers to employment, and gain the skills needed to change lives. Passages’ programming provides low-income families with services and a social support network that encourages resiliency, employment, and positive behaviors.
In addition to workforce assistance and training, Passages addresses the issues community members face regarding permanent employment and positive socioeconomic security, including criminal records, low education, addiction, lack of work history, access to work-appropriate clothing, communication skills, and negative family dynamics.
2024 Investment: $125,000
Ravenwood Mental Health Center
(Geauga County)
Mission/About: Ravenwood Health is a Trauma Informed Agency that strives to provide a safe and compassionate community that supports and respects the unique journey of each person’s path to healing, creating hope for all those who walk through our doors. Trauma Informed Care is an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma, helping survivors rebuild a sense of control and empowerment.
PROGRAM: Geauga County Poverty Collaborative
As part of Ravenwood’s Geauga County Poverty Collaborative, case managers from seven different agencies in the county will join together to assist clients, particularly those in the asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed (ALICE) population who are experiencing barriers to economic mobility.
The case managers will work to connect individuals with existing resources and, when necessary, provide funding to help access needed resources. By coordinating resources, services, and providing financial assistance, Ravenwood can provide what community members need to significantly improve their circumstances.
2024 Investment: $150,000
Towards Employment
Mission/About: Towards Employment is a proven leader in workforce development that connects people to careers, which changes people’s lives, advances businesses, and strengthens communities in Northeast Ohio. We champion the potential of every person to succeed in a rewarding career while working to create an equitable and inclusive workforce for tomorrow. We do this through skill development, comprehensive support, strong employer partnerships, and continuous innovation.
PROGRAM: Industry-driven career pathway services
Towards Employment’s WorkAdvance model provides candidates and alumni with the opportunity to advance in their careers with proven higher wages, and increased resilience through addressing the social determinants of work (e.g., job flexibility, childcare, transportation, sustained education, Broadband access, and access to justice) and extended career coaching.
Through rigorously evaluated industry-driven Career Pathway programming, individuals gain the skills needed to overcome systemic injustice, find work, navigate life’s obstacles, and secure long-term careers, allowing them to be able to support their families and be engaged in their children’s lives.
2024 Investment: $100,000
