Helping Individual and Institutional Donors Reach Their Charitable Goals
Donors who are passionate about supporting causes they care about and creating a more equitable community can access customized philanthropic guidance through the Cleveland Foundation Center for Philanthropy. The center supports donors throughout their charitable journey. Whether just beginning to define philanthropic goals, or planning to create a charitable legacy for generations to come, the Cleveland Foundation Center for Philanthropy offers something for everyone.
The center works with individuals and couples, large multigenerational families, and small, mid-size and Fortune 100 and 500 companies. The center also provides a foundation for young professionals who are just starting out on their philanthropic journey.
As the world’s first community foundation, the Cleveland Foundation brings more than 106 years of experience partnering with diverse donors to help them meet their charitable goals. The foundation’s team of experts includes attorneys, accountants and development professionals with decades of experience. We are accustomed to advising donors on all aspects of philanthropy – from exploring the issues and crafting charitable mission statements to strategic planning and nonprofit evaluation.
Strategic planning
The Cleveland Foundation Center for Philanthropy helps donors take their charitable giving to the next level with a focused philanthropic plan and a variety of enhanced services and experiences. We can help donors:
- Develop a deeper understanding in a certain field of interest or focus area
- Explore philanthropic values through structured exercises
- Identify one’s giving style, passions and desired results
- Review giving history and identify patterns and themes
- Set goals and create a thoughtful philanthropic mission and vision statement
- Formulate achievement-based giving strategies
Grantmaking support
To achieve the greatest impact, donors need access to the people, resources, knowledge and tools that can turn charitable goals into reality. The foundation’s strategic planning methods translate ideas and intentions into a program that provides a clear path forward.
Community Expertise
Cleveland Foundation staff have a broad understanding of the community’s needs and the nonprofits that serve them.
We can help donors:
- Investigate the core issues at stake
- Draft a community needs assessment
- Create a philanthropic budget and action plan to make the largest impact with the charitable dollars available
- Identify new and emerging giving opportunities that align with certain philanthropic goals
Research
The Cleveland Foundation is prepared to help research qualified nonprofits and projects that will help achieve the desired results. We can help donors:
- Research causes and nonprofits of interest
- Arrange site visits
- Review proposals
- Prepare written grant recommendations