Foundation Awards $3.5 Million in July

CLEVELAND OH - Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD) students will benefit from $875,000 in grants made by the George Gund Foundation at its July board meeting.

The Foundation made a $500,000 grant for renovation of a building at General Electric’s Nela Park facility that will serve as the freshman campus for the new MC2STEM High School scheduled to open in September.

A $250,000 grant to OneCommunity includes funding for an information technology director who will work exclusively with Cleveland schools and a “green computing” manager who will coordinate donation of recycled computers to area schools.

Young Audiences will use its $125,000 grant to develop a whole school arts-infused model of instruction, where every student in eight CMSD schools will have access to the arts everyday.

The Foundation also made a $40,000 grant to the Northern Kentucky Children’s Law Center and a $100,000 grant to Kent State University’s Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence for their efforts to reform the juvenile justice system.

The grants were among 71 totaling $3,522,711 approved at the board’s July meeting for education, human service, environment, arts and community development and revitalization projects.

Other grants of interest include:

• $75,000 to the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio for voter education regarding payday lending

• $65,000 to the United Labor Agency for the Youth Voices program that encourages young people to become involved in state policy and budget issues that affect them

• $40,000 to The Intergenerational School for exploration of collaborative projects with Citizen’s Academy and the Entrepreneurship Preparatory School

• $50,000 to the West Creek Preservation Committee for wetlands restoration at the confluence of the West Creek with the Cuyahoga River

• $57,836 to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland  to help the organization’s refocus and increase its research and policy work

The George Gund Foundation was established in 1952 by George Gund, former chairman of the Cleveland Trust Company.  The Foundation funds programs that enhance our understanding of the physical and social environment in which we live and increase our ability to cope with its changing requirements.  Grants are made quarterly in the areas of education, human services, economic and community development, environment and arts.  Foundation commitments to date have totaled more than $510 million.

For further information contact:
Deena M. Epstein (216) 241.3114