Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation was the world's first community foundation

Community foundation

Community foundations are instruments of civil society designed to pool donations into a coordinated investment and grant making facility dedicated primarily to the social improvement of a given place...

. , it is America's second-largest community foundation, with assets of $1.62 billion and annual grant

Grant (money)

Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...

s of around $84 million.

The foundation serves Greater Cleveland

Greater Cleveland

Greater Cleveland is a nickname for the metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland, Ohio and is part of what used to be the Connecticut Western Reserve.Northeast Ohio refers to a similar but substantially larger area as described below...

, including Cuyahoga

Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Cuyahoga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It is the most populous county in Ohio; as of the 2010 census, the population was 1,280,122. Its county seat is Cleveland. Cuyahoga County is part of Greater Cleveland, a metropolitan area, and Northeast Ohio, a...

, Lake

Lake County, Ohio

Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 230,041. The county seat is Painesville, and the county name comes from its location on the southern shore of Lake Erie....

 and Geauga

Geauga County, Ohio

Geauga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 93,389. It is named for a Native American word meaning "raccoon". The county seat is Chardon...

 counties. It is made up of more than 800 funds representing individuals, families, organizations and corporations. The current president and chief executive officer is Ronald "Ronn" Richard.

History

The foundation was founded by Fredrick Harris Goff, a well-known banker at the Cleveland Trust Company, who sought to eliminate the "dead hand" of organized philanthropy. He created a dynamic, corporately structured foundation that could utilize community gifts in a responsive and need-appropriate manner.

In 2007, the foundation adopted a new logo and visual identity. Its web site also underwent a complete redesign (www.clevelandfoundation.org).

Mission

The mission

Mission statement

A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...

 of the Cleveland Foundation is "to enhance the lives of all residents of Greater Cleveland, now and for generations to come, by building community endowment, addressing needs through grantmaking and providing leadership on key community issues."

Grantmaking

The Cleveland Foundation awards most of its grants to 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

s. Some grants are made to government agencies

Government agency

A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...

. Grants support Greater Cleveland projects and programs that benefit its citizens, meet community needs and test new ideas. The foundation generally does not make grants to individuals, for-profit organizations, small businesses, endowment campaigns, annual fundraising or membership drives.

The foundation proactively directs two-thirds of its discretionary grant dollars to five areas considered among the community’s most vital needs:

• Economic development
  Economic development
  Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
  
   and transformation, including advanced energy
  Sustainable energy
  Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources include all renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal...
  
   and efforts to open foreign markets to Ohio companies and to bring foreign companies to Greater Cleveland
• Public school reform and improvement
• Early childhood and youth development
• Neighborhoods and housing, including the University Circle
  University Circle
  University Circle, is a neighborhood located on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. It is best known for its world-class cultural, educational and medical institutions, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Museum of Art, Lakeview Cemetery, and University...
  
  area
• Arts and culture advancement

The other one-third is awarded in response to direct requests from the community. In addition to the five areas listed above, grants are awarded in health, civic affairs and social services.