The George Gund Foundation

11/14/2014 in Grantmaking

Foundation Grants $9.7 Million at Final Meeting of 2014

The George Gund Foundation continued its commitment to ensuring a quality education for Cleveland children with major grants supporting Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools and Invest in Children’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program (UPK.)

A $1,333,700 grant will provide continued support for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s (CMSD) new and innovative schools, planning for additional new schools and development of systems to assist CMSD with its new student-based budgeting model and interventions in low-performing schools.

Invest in Children, based in Cuyahoga County’s Office of Early Childhood, received a two-year $500,000 grant to continue development and promotion of UPK, the “gold standard” preschool experience promoting school readiness for young children ages 3 to 5.

These grants were among 84 grants totaling $9,759,184 made by Foundation Trustees at the last meeting of 2014. Grantmaking for the year totaled $25,755,129.

The Foundation also made a $2 million grant to the Foundation Fighting Blindness for research on the causes, prevention and treatment of retinal degenerative eye diseases. Ideastream received a two-year $1 million grant for plans to significantly increase its radio, television and online news and public affairs programming.

Other grants of interest included:

  • $400,000 to the Care Alliance for  construction of its new Central Neighborhood Clinic
  • $100,000, over two years, to Beyond Pesticides for the Safe Lawn, Landscapes and Public Spaces Campaign
  • $350,000 in operating and flexible project support to LAND studio
  • $40,000 to Case Western Reserve University for the collaborative Violins of Hope project
  • $100,000 to the Ohio Organizing Collaborative for work on fracking-related issues
  • $25,000 to Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity to open a second ReStore

The George Gund Foundation was established in 1952 by George Gund, former chairman of the Cleveland Trust Company.  The Foundation funds programs that enhance our understanding of the physical and social environment in which we live and increase our ability to cope with its changing requirements.  Grants are made three times a year in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, environment and arts.  Foundation commitments to date have totaled almost $657 million.