What might have been unfathomable during a donor’s lifetime can come to fruition – thanks to unrestricted gifts. Consider advanced energy. In 1935, albert convers, a Cleveland industrialist, left the foundation $3 million, the largest unrestricted grant in the foundation's short history. Because of gifts like his, the foundation can fund new opportunities, like the Great Lakes Energy Institute, whose aim is to establish Cleveland as a force in the burgeoning advanced energy field. dr. norman tien, dean of the School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, home of the institute, is dreaming big for Cleveland. And when donors put their trust in the foundation, it can help those dreams become reality.
We Nurture Innovation
When the foundation was formed in 1914, Cleveland was the nation’s sixth largest city. Population was exploding, and business was thriving. Cleveland was known for its innovation and manufacturing muscle. With the decline of local R&D and manufacturing in the 1970s, population suffered along with the city’s image as an economic powerhouse. Cleveland has needed to reinvent itself to survive and thrive. Fortunately, scientific research and advanced manufacturing are making a comeback. Once again we can lead the way – this time in promising areas of biotechnology and renewable energy. We can leverage our traditional strengths, skilled workforce, and geography to become a highly desirable location for global companies. The current economic crisis is showing us that a new vision for Cleveland is needed now more than ever, and the foundation has no shortage of ideas, projects, and talented people to support this transformation. Read more about our economic development plans at www.ClevelandFoundation.org/Economy
hub for international business The goal of our international business efforts is to create jobs and wealth for Clevelanders by persuading foreign companies to locate their U.S. operations here. Our approach is proving effective, with many successes.
For example, Germany’s IBC Solar company opened its first U.S. office here after working closely with the foundation, city, and state. Europe’s SME Union, a business group representing some 300,000 small and medium businesses (similar to a chamber of commerce), opened its first U.S.
office in Cleveland. Housed at the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the office is linking SME members with business opportunities in Ohio and the Midwest.
beyond business We are building international relationships beyond business. With our help, Costa Rica recently selected Cleveland’s University Hospitals Ireland Cancer Center to promote state-of-the-art cancer screening and treatment for its citizens and training for its physicians. More patients may avail themselves of care at University Hospitals, expanding the reach of medical care to another overseas market. The Costa Rican government is reaching out also to Northeast Ohio teachers for help with its national goal for all citizens to speak Spanish and English.
With U.S. government approval, we have initiated arts and cultural contacts with Cuba. In the first of what we hope will be many cultural exchanges with Cuba, the Cleveland Institute of Art recently hosted “Cuba through the Arts,” a moving lecture by renowned Cuban art historian Helmo Hernandez.
winds of positive change We continue to nurture the emergence of wind turbine research and manufacturing in Cleveland. We are strengthening the region’s wind power supply chain, helping local companies expand capabilities to serve the industry, educating the public on wind’s potential as an economic driver here, and advocating for public policies allowing us to become a major global player. We continue to promote offshore wind in Lake Erie as a long-term opportunity. An important first step is installing a pilot wind farm offshore of downtown Cleveland. If we are successful, ours would be the first freshwater installation in the world and the first Great Lakes installation in the United States.
Our investment in helping to establish Case Western Reserve University’s Great Lakes Energy Institute (GLEI) is bearing fruit. Our funds supported the hiring of a world expert in wind energy control systems and an executive director with senior experience in the energy field. Our support, in turn, has helped GLEI to win a $3 million Ohio Third Frontier grant.
supplying new demand Since passage of Ohio’s “renewable energy portfolio standard” legislation in 2008, requiring utility companies to buy an increasing percentage of their power from advanced energy sources, we have focused on growing local renewable sources of electricity to supply the new demands. We have seeded the startup of Ohio Cooperative Solar, a for-profit, employee-owned business in Greater University Circle, to install solar energy systems atop anchor institutions in the circle, with an eye toward building a workforce trained to serve the new statewide requirements cost effectively.