CLEVELAND (May 17, 2016) – Neighborhood Connections, the small-grants and grassroots community-building program affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation, has approved $288,672 in grants to support 120 different projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, the county’s public funder for arts and culture, will co-fund 44 of the resident-led arts and culture projects through a partnership with Neighborhood Connections.
Highlights of the grants include:
- Bus Stop Moves – Collinwood was awarded $3,690 for Bus Stop Moves. Residents will have the opportunity to exercise at local bus stops while waiting for the bus. Each stop will have a different theme with different exercises.
- Riverside Park Community Outreach Committee* was awarded $2,000 for Reaching for the Stars: Science Discovery in our Community and Beyond, which will offer activities in Kamm’s Corners for community youth that focus on science, nature, and the environment.
- Put Your Best Food Forward was awarded $780 for Back to Fatherhood. The goal of this project in Old Brooklyn is to help fathers who were once incarcerated rebuild healthy relationships with their children through events such as a dinner and trip to the zoo.
- Fulton West Block Club* was awarded $4,950 for City Repair @ Newark Creek Court in Clark-Fulton. Neighbors will come together to paint a river mural on the Newark Court alleyway. This project is part of a series of projects neighbors have done to revitalize the alleys in the neighborhood.
*Co-funded by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
“The power is with the people,” said Tom O’Brien, program director of Neighborhood Connections. “These projects demonstrate that neighbors can work together to address issues in their own neighborhoods,” he said. Since 2003, Neighborhood Connections has awarded more than 2,375 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 2016 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 222 resident-led arts and culture projects in Cleveland and East Cleveland since 2013.
“Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is proud to support projects that help connect Cuyahoga County residents to arts and culture,” said Karen Gahl-Mills, CEO and executive director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. “Our partnership with Neighborhood Connections leverages public funds to bring additional vibrant programs and events to Cleveland and East Cleveland neighborhoods.”
For a complete list of Neighborhood Connections grants awarded, 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 12, 2016.
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.
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s mission is to inspire and strengthen the community by investing in arts and culture. Cuyahoga County residents created Cuyahoga Arts & Culture in 2006 when they approved a tax on cigarettes to support arts and culture in our community. In 2015, the community affirmed its commitment to arts and culture by extending the tax through 2027. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture has invested more than $140 million in more than 300 organizations to deliver on the promise made to support thousands of enriching arts and culture experiences in every corner of the county. For more information, visit cacgrants.org.
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CAC Staff