CLEVELAND (June 5, 2017) – Neighborhood Connections has approved $250,745 in grants to support 100 projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the local public funder for arts and culture, will co-fund 23 of the resident-led arts and culture projects through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections.
Highlights of the grants include:
- DKMNOW, a group of 8 business men in the South Collinwood neighborhood, was awarded $2,000 for their neighborhood youth empowerment project. The project targets teens 13-17 and develops their self-esteem and social skills by organizing and joining community sports events and creating their own sports show which will air on ESPN radio station.
- Love Soldiers* will receive $5,000 for a Community Art for All gathering that invites neighborhood residents to come together to paint on canvas while getting to know one another. These community building gatherings will be held in the Lee Harvard neighborhood over the spring and summer.
- RollinBuckeyez Foundation was awarded $3,500 for the Turning Wheels program designed to provide educational awareness on the art of roller skating and how it can reduce illnesses associated with the heart and obesity. The goal of the program is to build a healthier community in the Bellaire Puritas neighborhood by being more physically active.
- Untapped Potential Productions* was awarded $3,500 for their program designed to educate the community on breaking the cycle of incarceration. A series of plays will be performed in the Central neighborhood as a way to deliver the message.
*Co-funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
“Residents working together, and supported with a small grant, can make extraordinary change in their own neighborhoods,” said Tom O’Brien, program director of Neighborhood Connections. “It’s always exciting to see these projects come to life.” Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has awarded more than 2,475 grants totaling more than $7.78 million to support resident-led grassroots projects in neighborhoods.
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 271 resident-led arts and culture projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland since 2013.
“By investing public dollars in Neighborhood Connections, we expand CAC's reach into important Cleveland and East Cleveland neighborhoods," said Karen Gahl-Mills, CEO + executive director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. “We’re proud to support residents' efforts to use arts and culture to improve their community."
For a complete list of Neighborhood Connections grants awarded, see this list or visit neighborhoodgrants.org.
Neighborhood Connections’ grant program offers grants of up to $5,000 twice a year in May and November 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 August 11, 2017.
About Neighborhood Connections
Neighborhood Connections is an innovative, 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 with a history of community involvement. 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 $158 million in 350 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