The George Gund Foundation

10/07/2003 in Grantmaking

Recent Grants – September 2003

Cleveland, OH — The George Gund Foundation made grants at its September meeting that will encourage formation of sound public policy in Ohio related to higher education, public school funding, prisoner re-entry and smart growth development.

The Foundation made a two-year $240,000 grant for the start-up of Greater Ohio, an organization that will assemble a broad-based coalition to advance smart growth policy at the state, regional and local levels.

Three education grants were directed at statewide policy efforts. A $100,000 grant was made for the work of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education and the Economy that will propose policies to make Ohio competitive in the knowledge economy, ensure access to higher education for more Ohio citizens and provide a high return on the state’s investment in higher education. The Ohio Fair Schools Campaign received a $25,000 grant for its efforts to improve the equity and adequacy of school funding in Ohio, and the Federation forCommunity Planning was awarded up to $50,000 to continue its efforts on educating the public about education-related policy issues in the state.
The Washington-based Urban Institute received a two-year $200,000 grant for a study of four states, including Ohio, and their current and proposed policies related to the re-entry of released prisoners into local communities.

These grants were among 99 totaling $5,324,921 awarded by Trustees at the Foundation’s third quarterly meeting of 2003 to a wide range of organizations addressing education, human services, economic and community development, environment, arts and civic affairs issues.

Other grants of interest included:

  • $2 million to the Foundation Fighting Blindness for research on the causes, nature and prevention of inherited retinal degenerative diseases.
  • Up to $250,000 to BioEnterprise Corporation for support of its efforts to create, attract and accelerate the growth of bioscience businesses in Northeast Ohio.
  • $70,000 over two years to Playhouse Square Foundation for Partners in Performance, a new arts education partnership with the Cleveland Municipal School District.
  • $25,000 to The Cleveland Green Building Coalition for Collaborating for Success II: A Midwest Conference for Multi-Tenant Nonprofit Centers.
  • $35,000 to the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland for its Syringe Exchange Program.
  • $7,500 to the United Labor Agency to create a Community Hiring Hall to place temporary day labor.
  • $100,000 to Cleveland Public Art for operating and project support.
  • $75,000 to The Urban Institute for its new Tax Policy Center.

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 quarterly in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, environment, arts and civic affairs. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $398 million.

For Further Information Contact: Deena M. Epstein (216)241–3114