CLEVELAND (November 30, 2017) – Neighborhood Connections has approved $195,660 in grants to support 65 projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the local public funder for arts and culture, will co-fund 15 of the resident-led arts and culture projects through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections.
Highlights of the grants include:
- Caledonia Community Center* in East Cleveland received $2,000 for their Fine Arts for Children in Crisis project, which seeks to teach fine arts to students with behavioral issues.
- Simply United Together in Glenville was awarded $2,326 for Princess to Queen. This mentoring project seeks to empower girls ages 11-18 to pursue higher education, and become engaged leaders in their community.
- Elu Dance Company* in Clark Fulton received $2,000 for “A Journey Home.” An after school arts collective supporting new immigrant and refugee students through music, dance and storytelling.
- Fenwick Block Club in Stockyards was granted $4,700 to revitalize the community garden and grassy area along the highway fence into a functional green space for residents' recreation and relaxation.
*Co-funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
“These grants show that you don’t have to move to live in a better neighborhood,” said Tom O’Brien, program director of Neighborhood Connections. “With a small amount of funding, people can turn their good ideas into real, concrete examples of positive change, of what’s possible in a neighborhood when people work together. It’s inspiring.”
Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has awarded more than 2,375 grants totaling more than $7.78 million.
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture invested $75,000 in Neighborhood Connections in 2017 to support additional community-based arts and culture activities organized by and for Cuyahoga County residents. Through this partnership with Neighborhood Connections, CAC has co-funded 286 resident-led arts and culture projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland since 2013.
“Through our partnership with Neighborhood Connections, CAC is investing public dollars into important Cleveland and East Cleveland neighborhoods," said Karen Gahl-Mills, CEO + executive director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. “We’re proud to support community-led efforts to use arts and culture to make Cuyahoga County a better place to live."
For a complete list of Neighborhood Connections grants awarded, see the list here or visit neighborhoodgrants.org.
Neighborhood Connections’ grant program offers grants of up to $5,000 to groups of residents in Cleveland and East Cleveland who organize projects to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Groups are encouraged to work with partners and to propose creative solutions to challenges in their community. The next deadline to apply for a grant from Neighborhood Connections is Friday, February 9, 2018.
About Neighborhood Connections
Neighborhood Connections is a nationally recognized community-building program established in 2003. Its mission is to fuel the power of neighbors to create, together, an extraordinary world right where they live. Its small grants program is the largest in the country and is guided by a grantmaking committee made up of 23 Cleveland and East Cleveland residents. The committee reviews and approves all grants. Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has awarded more than 2,375 grants totaling more than $7.78 million. For more information, visit neighborhoodgrants.org.
About Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is one of the largest public funders for arts and culture in the nation, helping hundreds of organizations in Cuyahoga County connect millions of people to cultural experiences each year. Since 2006, CAC has invested more than $170 million in 375 organizations both large and small, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.
About the author
CAC Staff