10/15/2004 in Grantmaking

September 2004 Grants Awarded

CLEVELAND, OH — The George Gund Foundation awarded grants at its September meeting to organizations working to improve public policy in Ohio related to child welfare, public education, adoption and health care access.

“Year after year we make grants to organizations working to ameliorate social conditions that too often don’t seem to change,” explained David Abbott, the Foundation’s executive director. “We see our investment in public policy advocacy as helping to change the policies that create these conditions in the first place. Our policy grants also have the potential to leverage public dollars far beyond any funds for direct service a foundation might be able to provide.”

The grants were among 92 totaling $5,287,415 made at the board’s third quarterly meeting of the year to organizations working in human services, education, environment, arts and economic and community development.
The Foundation continued its support for Voices for Children of Greater Cleveland, an organization dedicated to improvements in the well-being of children through coordinated state and local advocacy, with a $60,000 operating grant.

The Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, which focuses on creating a fair, equitable method for funding Ohio public schools, received a $50,000 grant.

Other policy-related grants included $75,000 to Families USA, a Washington D.C. based group working on research and advocacy related to health care issues, and $75,000 over two years to the National Center for Adoption Law and Policy at Capital University in Columbus.

Other grants of interest included:

  • $60,000 to the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization for a capital campaign feasibility and implementation study for the Gordon Square Cultural Arts District.
  • $50,000 to Beyond Pesticides for a pesticides exposure reduction program in Greater Cleveland schools.
  • $37,500 to the Cuyahoga County Public Library for research on possible library consolidation in Cuyahoga County.
  • $50,000 to the Center for Teacher Leadership at John Hopkins University for the Institute for Progressive Teacher Union Leadership.
  • $66,080 to the Institute for America’s Future for an analysis of how existing manufacturing capacity in Northeast Ohio can be adapted to the growing renewable energy market.
  • $75,000 to MDRC to research and develop models for quality early childhood development programs.
  • $15,000 to the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation to provide environmental information to Cleveland television meteorologists.

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 and arts. Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $427 million.

For Further Information Contact:
Deena M. Epstein (216)241.3114