Joel Ratner stepping down at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
Tells board “right time to make a change”
By R. T. Andrews
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| Joel Ratner |
Joel Ratner, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) president & CEO since 2011, will be leaving the organization on December 31 of this year. Ratner told the board, “After 10 years, this is the right time to make a change.”
In a statement announcing Ratner’s departure, Board Chair Grace Gallucci said CNP staff grew to 28 professionals during his tenure and moved to new headquarters in the rehabilitated Saint Luke’s Hospital. Other major achievements this past decade include establishing local Community Financial Centers, initiatives to build awareness for racial equity and inclusion, and support for neighborhoods affected by redlining and disinvestment including significant reinvestment in the Buckeye neighborhood. The statement also credited Ratner for strong fundraising and advocacy work in Columbus and Washington.
Gallucci said that Ratner would be working with government, the non-profit sector and private business as a consultant to Vibrant NEO, to help Northeast Ohio grow faster and smarter, with a focus on sustainable economic development. He is also expected to help that organization as it turn its recently developed plans into practical action and implementation.
Galluci is chair of Vibrant NEO’s executive committee in addition to her full-time employment as executive director of NOACA, the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency.
Looking ahead, Gallucci said that CNP intends to focus tightly on its commitments to Cleveland’s neighborhoods through programs such as facilitating small business loans to address economic challenges related to COVID-19. “During this time of national civil unrest, we especially want to build on our efforts to address racial inequity.”
The board has hired Sally Sterling Executive Search, the Washington-based firm that recently completed the search for the new president and CEO of the St. Luke’s Foundation. Candidate recommendations may be submitted to Sally Sterling at CNP@sallysterlingexecutivesearch.com.
One candidate could be Stephanie McHenry, who joined CNP as vice president of government relations and strategy a few months ago after serving for several years as vice president for business and financial affairs at Cleveland State University.
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Cleveland Foundation announces $26.2 million in Q2 2020 grantmaking
The Cleveland Foundation board of directors this week announced $26.2 million in grants approved in the second quarter of 2020, bringing its year to date community grantmaking in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties to more than $58 million in the community year-to-date.
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| India Pierce Lee |
“This has been an unprecedented time for all of us,” said India Pierce Lee, Cleveland Foundation senior vice president for program. “It has been heartening to see the community respond, first to the pandemic, and now to the national reckoning with racism. It’s more important than ever for the foundation to continue to fund across all of our priority areas, identifying opportunities where philanthropy can disrupt systems that have created barriers to equitable prosperity for all who call Greater Cleveland home.”
In addition to the board of directors authorizing a significant grant to help launch the Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund alongside corporate, civic and philanthropic partners across the region, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in dollars granted from donor advised funds at the Cleveland Foundation. In the weeks after COVID-19 cases were first identified in Ohio, giving from donor advised funds jumped 70% from the same period last year, reflecting a nationwide trend.
Highlights of grants approved in the first six months of 2020 by the foundation’s board of directors include:
Youth, Health & Human Services
· Sinai Health Care Foundation ($1,000,000) – Funding to the fiscal agent for the Lead Safe Cleveland Home Fund for a first-of-its kind, public-private partnership that will provide families and property owners the resources they need to make homes lead safe. This, along with investments from the City of Cleveland, State of Ohio, and philanthropic partners, brings the total pool of funds to more than $19 million.
· Famicos Foundation ($2,946,000) – Funding to the fiscal agent for My Commitment to My Community (MyCom) for full-time staffing to meet the increased needs of the Say Yes Cleveland partnership, in addition to MyCom’s regular out-of-school-time programming and employment assistance for more than 8,000 youth across Cuyahoga County.
· Cleveland Rape Crisis Center ($200,000) – To support an expanded service footprint – new offices in Shaker Square and Clark-Fulton – as well as ongoing outreach efforts supporting the African American and Latinx communities in order to become more accessible, both geographically and to individuals from underserved populations.
· Kinnect ($105,250) – To continue to provide individual and group counseling to LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system via the Chosen Affirming Family Program, which also engages adult caregivers, providing outreach, education and counseling regarding LGBTQ issues.
Arts & Culture
· SPACES ($50,000) – To expand the emergency relief grant program so that working artists in all disciplines may apply for a grant of up to $1,000 to replace income lost due to the COVID-19 crisis.
· Rainey Institute ($300,000) – To continue to provide El Sistema (“The System”) youth classical music education training to 240 students at four different sites, with the goal to expand to more than 320 students by 2022.
· Twelve Literary Arts ($175,000) – To expand the organization’s programmatic reach in the literary community through its various offerings, including in-school writer-in-residence programs at 12 partner schools, the after school youth poetry fellowship and poetry slam competitions.
Neighborhood Revitalization
· MidTown Cleveland, Inc. ($600,000) – Two-year funding to help accelerate growth focused on equity and inclusion via a new master plan that will include catalyzing innovation, cultivating a mixed-income residential community, placemaking projects and strengthening AsiaTown.
· Neighborhood Connections ($3,792,000) – Three-year funding to continue to invest in the people and neighborhoods of Cleveland and East Cleveland via its small grants program and community building work.
· Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation ($1,183,737) – Two-year funding for the continued implementation of the Greater Circle Living initiative, which provides assistance to the employees of participating Greater University Circle non-profits and anchor institutions who wish to buy, rent, and/or rehabilitate housing in the surrounding neighborhoods.
· Downtown Cleveland Alliance ($500,000) – To support the Downtown Cleveland Recovery Fund, which was established to provide grants and business support services to small independent businesses in danger of closing following the property damages suffered after peaceful protests turned violent on May 30, with a focus on vulnerable and minority owned small businesses.
· Group Plan Commission ($200,000) – To provide funding for the Group Plan Commission to continue to adapt and retool its operations, programming and maintenance in response to COVID-19 in Public Square and on downtown Malls A, B & C, including staff training, visitor education and awareness, installation of handwashing stations and virtual programming.
Environment
· Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) ($100,000) – To support the organization as it expands into Ohio, with the goal of educating young people on the science, impacts, and solutions of climate change, while also creating a cohort of Action Fellows from area high schools.
· Cleveland Water Alliance ($300,000) – Two-year funding to help strengthen and expand clean water innovation and research, to foster “blue economy” business attraction and to position Cleveland as a center of freshwater innovation.
Workforce & Economic Development
· Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network (MAGNET) ($415,000) – For continued development of the Early College Early Career (ECEC) program, with the goals of increasing the number of students in internships across the 10 participating schools, growing the number of participating employers, and expanding the educational options by offering additional industry certifications.
· NewBridge ($850,000) – To help the organization expand its no-cost workforce training in phlebotomy and patient care, while growing its school-based offerings at John Adams High School and New Tech West.
Education
· Cleveland Metropolitan School District ($989,700) – To support the start-up and phase-in of nine new innovative high schools, including Campus International High School (Year 4); Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School (Year 4); Garrett Morgan School of Engineering and Innovation (Year 1); Garrett Morgan School of Leadership and Innovation (Year 1); John Adams College and Career Academy (Year 4); Lincoln-West School of Global Studies (Year 5); Lincoln West School of Science and Health (Year 5); Rhodes College and Career Academy (Year 3); and Rhodes School of Environmental Studies (Year 3).
· College Now Greater Cleveland ($950,000) – To address postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion in Cleveland via the organization’s Say Yes advising program within Cleveland Metropolitan School District, as well as programs, services and scholarships for the more than 424,000 adults (aged 25+) in Cuyahoga County who are eligible to start or continue their postsecondary education; additional funding will support the Say Yes Scholars Program that provides coaching, comprehensive services and financial assistance for Say Yes-eligible Cleveland Metropolitan School District graduates who enroll as full-time students at Tri-C.
· Friends of Breakthrough Schools ($500,000) – To enable the continued phase-in of grade levels at Citizens Leadership Academy Southeast in the Lee-Harvard neighborhood, as well as the expansion of the E Prep & Village Prep Woodland Hills campus in Union Miles by 50 additional seats.
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Summit and Medina County United Ways merge to form United Way of Summit & Medina
The local United Ways of Summit County and Medina counties today announced that they had merged to become United Way of Summit and Medina. The merger, which took effect on July 1, follows extended discussions between the boards of the Summit County and Medina County United Ways, which began late last year.
Drew Liebrecht, former board chair-elect of United Way of Medina and newly appointed board member of United Way of Summit and Medina, said in a press release that the “merger will allow us to better leverage our resources to benefit the children and families of Summit and Medina counties.”
Before the merger, United Way of Summit County was the largest single-county United Way in the country in terms of revenue.
“United Way remains committed to serving the residents of both Summit and Medina counties, especially as we respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jim Mullen, president and CEO of United Way of Summit and Medina. “Summit and Medina share deep economic ties, and once we get through this crisis together, we will continue to ensure we build thriving communities.”
The newly merged nonprofit will maintain a physical presence in both counties, with headquarters in Downtown Akron and in Downtown Medina. The merger will allow the new organization to coordinate a regional strategy for community impact.
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Cuyahoga County Library branches will
reopen next week
Cuyahoga County Public Library re-opens its branches to the public on Monday, July 6. Patrons should expect more physical distancing, more frequent cleaning, and the continuation of the county system’s 72-hour quarantine on returned materials.
All Library users and staff members will be required to wear a face covering. More details about the re-opening can be found here.
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