Responding in Tough Times

Who knew when 2008 began how difficult a year it would prove to be for our community’s nonprofits? Many saw their county and state funding slashed, while donations decreased. Those with endowments saw them drop, while facing increasing demands for services.

With these challenges, we wanted to do everything we could to be even more responsive; we couldn’t continue with business as usual.

We held events out in the community where we invited local nonprofits to talk to us about their issues, how they were coping, and how we could help. More than 250 organizations participated in the events, and we are planning to make these forums a regular part of our outreach.

We shortened our response time to proposals and have created more flexibility with our grant dollars, while also directing a greater portion of our grants to organizations dealing directly with the aftermath of the recession.

But we also want to keep our eye on the future. As we make grants with long-term implications, we are sowing seeds to ensure that Cleveland is strong enough to withstand future challenges.

Our 2008 grant highlights feature a mix of small and large grants, all with the goal of making Cleveland better.

Robert E. Eckardt
Senior Vice President for Programs and Evaluation

View all 2008 grants in PDF or interactive format.