Welcome to the first edition of the Racial Equity Newsletter from the Cleveland Foundation

This week we announced plans for the initial round of grantmaking from the Cleveland Black Futures Fund. The Fund was launched in September in the midst of a global pandemic, during a time when we have also borne witness to what is believed to be the largest civil rights movement in the history of the United States. As more people across our community and our country engage in a long-overdue reckoning with the ugly reality of structural racism in America, we want to help share information about efforts to address racial inequities in Northeast Ohio with this new quarterly e-newsletter.

Cleveland Black Futures Fund announces plans for initial round of grantmaking

Beginning at noon on Jan. 25, Cleveland-based nonprofit organizations that have Black chief executive leadership AND that serve the Black community can apply to the Cleveland Black Futures Fund for its initial round of grantmaking. The deadline for applications is Feb. 26, 2021. Virtual support – including a webinar, office hours and a town hall – will be available prior to the application deadline.

On Jan. 28 at 1 p.m., we will host a webinar to share more information about the current grant opportunity. Register now.

Learn more and apply

Facebook awards $1 million to Cleveland Black Futures Fund

Catalyzed by a $1 million grant from Facebook, the Cleveland Black Futures Fund has amassed more than $4 million since inception on Sept. 1.

Aligned Action Network to address structural racism and promote social and economic mobility

The Cleveland Foundation has been selected to join the inaugural cohort of The Community Foundation Opportunity Network (CFON)'s Aligned Action Network, a collaborative effort to dismantle structural and systemic racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility in American communities.

My Brother's Keeper chapter launched in Greater Cleveland

The Urban League of Greater Cleveland (ULGC) has announced the launch of My Brother’s Keeper Greater Cleveland Chapter to support boys and young men of color in our community, in partnership with My Brother’s Keeper Ohio 2021. Joining the League as funding and planning partners are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Foundation.

Learn more

Graphic with photos of India Pierce Lee and Courtenay Barton

Watch "Understanding Systemic Racism"

In case you missed it or want to catch the conversation again, the Cleveland Foundation Annual Meeting discussion led by Cleveland Foundation Senior Vice President of Program India Pierce Lee, and Cleveland Foundation Program Director for Arts & Culture and Racial Equity Initiatives Courtenay Barton, is available on our YouTube channel. Watch now, download the slide deck or check out other resources from the presentation:

Cleveland is the worst metropolitan area for black women, new study shows. Why?

The Status of Black Women in the United States report

Detroit, Chicago, Memphis: The 25 most segregated cities in America

Infant Mortality Within Cleveland: An In-Depth Analysis (2012-2015)

Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History

Interested in learning more? Visit our YouTube channel to watch all 10 live breakout sessions from the Cleveland Foundation Annual Meeting Presented by KeyBank.

Watch now

Disrupting the Cultural Landscape Through Philanthropy: The Conversation Continues with Eddie and Sylvia Brown

On Nov. 10, Baltimore philanthropists Eddie and Sylvia Brown joined Margaret Bernstein, director of advocacy and community initiatives at WKYC, to continue the conversation that began at the first, all-virtual Cleveland Foundation African American Philanthropy Summit on May 30. In front of a virtual audience of 250, the couple discussed how they have blazed new trails in their approach to charitable giving.

Learn more

Cleveland Foundation African American Philanthropy Committee commits more than $25,000 to support COVID-19 relief

The Cleveland Foundation African American Philanthropy Committee has announced $25,050 in grants from the African American Philanthropy Committee Legacy Fund to support three Northeast Ohio nonprofit organizations working to help communities most impacted by COVID-19 recover from the effects of the pandemic: Cleveland VOTES, the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition and Peel Dem Layers Back.

Learn more

Promoting racial equity through financial operations and structures

The Cleveland Foundation upholds a longstanding commitment to racial equity engrained in our grantmaking and community engagement initiatives and heightened by the recent national reckoning on systemic racism. As an urgent and timely extension of this work, including the 2020 launch of the Cleveland Black Futures Fund, our board and staff are taking a close look at internal structures that can be used as instruments to further promote racial equity. We’re proud to report on three fall 2020 developments, including the launch of a Racial Equity Investment Pool, establishment of a Police Brutality Bond exclusion and adoption of an official Anti-Hate Group policy regarding grants from donor-advised funds.

Looking to learn?

Over the past several months, the Greater Cleveland community – together with communities across the country and the world – has engaged in challenging and necessary reflections, conversations and actions around the painful and fundamental reality of systemic racism in America. For those seeking to learn more about the history, current reality and implications of systemic racism, visit our blog for some resources that may be helpful.

Learn more

Sign up for more news from your community foundation

Interested in the work going on across the Cleveland Foundation's various areas of impact? Sign up for quarterly updates on the topics that interest you:

Arts and Culture
Cleveland Black Futures Fund
Cleveland Foundation Public Service Fellowship
Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship Program
Common Ground
Digital Excellence
Economic and Workforce Development
Education
Environment
Leadership Development
Neighborhood Revitalization and Engagement
Youth Development and Social Services

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6601 Euclid Ave.
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www.ClevelandFoundation.org

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