CLEVELAND (May 26, 2015) – Neighborhood Connections, the community-building program affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation, has approved $288,536 in grants to support 126 different resident-led projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the local public funder for arts and culture in Cuyahoga County, will co-fund 54 of the projects that bring vibrant arts and cultural activity to neighborhoods. View the complete list of funded projects.
Some highlights of the grants include:
- Fresh Camp* in Glenville was awarded $3,000 for Glenville Summer Fresh Camp. This camp teaches youth self-expression through lyric composition, digital music making and performance. Students will also participate in farming at urban gardens.
- East Cleveland Girl Talk was awarded $3,000 for its Girl Talk Mentoring project. The project provides mentoring for girls ages 11-17 to help avoid negative outcomes such as poor scholastic behavior, teen pregnancy and alcohol and drug use.
- Duck Island Block Club* in Tremont was awarded $1,200 for the Duck Island Community Mural, a project that will bring community members together to create a mural to beautify the neighborhood through art and share the history of Duck Island.
- Pride Among Daughters and Sisters in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood was awarded $714 for Females Maintaining Dignity in Cleveland, which provides feminine hygiene products for those in need.
*Co-funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and Neighborhood Connections.
“At Neighborhood Connections, we’re proud to invest in the residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland,” said Tom O’Brien, program director of Neighborhood Connections. “We believe their projects have the power to reinvigorate our neighborhoods and provide a foundation for a sustained Cleveland Renaissance. Our collaboration with Cuyahoga Arts & Culture allows us to invest in even more resident groups.”
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture has invested $245,000 in Neighborhood Connections since 2013 to support more than 160 vibrant arts and cultural programs organized by and for residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland.
“Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is delivering on its promise to residents to support vibrant arts and culture activities throughout Cuyahoga County with public dollars through this program,” said Karen Gahl-Mills, executive director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. “We’re pleased that our partnership with Neighborhood Connections has allowed us to support resident-led arts and culture projects and make our community a more vibrant place to live.”
The next deadline for proposals is August 14, 2015. View the complete list of funded projects.
About Neighborhood Connections
Neighborhood Connections is the grassroots community-building program created by the Cleveland Foundation in 2003. Neighborhood Connections offers grants of $500 to $5,000 twice a year to groups of residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland who organize projects to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood. Groups are encouraged to work with partners, and to propose creative solutions to challenges in their neighborhoods. Neighborhood Connections is guided by a grant-making committee made up of Cleveland and East Cleveland residents with a history of community involvement. The citizens’ committee reviews and approves all grants. Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has invested in 2,190 resident projects totaling more than $7.4 million. For more information, visit neighborhoodgrants.org.
About Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s mission is to inspire and strengthen the community by investing arts and culture. CAC was approved by Cuyahoga County voters in 2006, and since then, CAC has invested more than $125 million in 300 arts and cultural organizations in Cuyahoga County.In addition, through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections, CAC has co-funded more than 160 resident-led arts and culture projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland since 2013. CAC’s vision for its first ten years of public funding for arts and culture is to help build stronger, more resilient arts and culture organizations, create vibrant and energetic neighborhoods infused with culture, and establish Cuyahoga County as a hub of creative activity and a destination for artists. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.
About the author
CAC Staff