CLEVELAND,OH - At its fourth quarter board meeting, The Cleveland Foundation's board of directors approved $15.4 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations.

The fourth quarter distributions bring the Foundation's total 2002 grantmaking to $75.6 million, an increase over 2001 grantmaking, which was $74.3 million.

In the single largest grant of the quarter, the board allocated $1.45 million over three years to Cleveland Scholarship Programs (CSP) for renewal of the organization's Post-Secondary Education Access Initiative. Foundation funding will support three aspects of the Initiative:

1. Scholarships (approximately 400) and advisory assistance for Cleveland Municipal School District graduates.

2. The Tri-C Transfer Program, which encourages Cleveland high school graduates to use the community college as a stepping-stone to four-year institutions.

3. The Adult Learner Program, which provides scholarships, advising, academic and career planning and intervention services for adults aged 25 and older attending college.

Also in the education area, the Foundation made five grants totaling over $670,000 to support reform of the Cleveland Municipal School District (CMSD). Since January 1999, The Cleveland Foundation has granted $14.1 million for support of the district, with $3.68 million going directly to the CMSD.

Of the five grants made this quarter, the following four will go directly to the CMSD:

-- A $245,660 grant for the Technology Instructional Support project, which will aid in developing a web-based software application to assist guidance counselors in better tracking students and to provide teachers with a wide range of classroom assessment items and standards-based lessons and activities. The project will also create an intervention tracking system to help the district manage grade promotion and retention records.

-- A $95,000 grant for the Teaching Math and Science Standards project, which focuses on improving the district's ability to teach math and science courses.

-- A $50,000 grant to the CMSD CEO Support and Development Fund to assist the CEO in building internal leadership capacity and enhancing the district's visibility.

-- A $30,000 grant to the CEO Conversations and Strategic Communications Initiative will support the Educating Cleveland's Children television show, which is utilized to enhance outreach efforts.

The fifth grant, $250,000 over two years, went to the Federation for Community Planning for implementation of a comprehensive health plan for students in the CMSD.

"These grants represent another critical step in the Foundation's support for major changes in the Cleveland Municipal School District," said Bill McKersie, senior program officer at The Cleveland Foundation. "Each of the grants continues important work in the district that has been underway for several years."

A $233,500 grant was awarded to the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education (NOCHE) for a project to clarify the status of area college and university teacher preparation programs relative to best practices on a national level. This initiative is tied to a nation-wide teacher reform effort being led by the Carnegie Corporation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation and other national foundations.

The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture received a $300,000 grant to support the continued implementation of the 2002 Northeast Ohio Arts and Culture plan. The goals of the plan include connecting Northeast Ohioans to arts and culture, establishing lifelong arts and culture education, making arts and culture a partner in development, and developing financial and other resources to sustain and grow our area's arts and cultural sector.

A $229,500 grant went to the Cleveland Museum of Art to support the planning and re-installation of the Museum's African collection. The project will also be used to create a model for engaging the community, which will help the Museum learn the best ways to develop its services and educational efforts surrounding collections. This should help inform the art museum's capital expansion plan.

The City of Cleveland received a $250,000 grant for the historic renovation and conversion of the former West Technical High School building into apartments. The project will create nearly 200 rental units and an additional 40 for-sale houses.

ParkWorks received a $250,000 grant for the creation of a public space at Huron Point as part of a comprehensive plan for enhancing open and green spaces in the downtown area. An informal coalition, made up of the City of Cleveland's Planning Commission, Department of Public Service and the Mayor's office; Cleveland Public Art; Kent State University's Urban Design Collaborative and downtown development organizations, produced the downtown green space plan.

Neighborhood Progress Incorporated (NPI) received a $250,000 grant to support a transition plan that will increase capacity to positively impact the quality of life in Cleveland through neighborhood revitalization. The grant will help the organization expand its staffs' skills and abilities and increase the capability of the community development corporations NPI supports. As part of the transition plan and to increase NPI's capacity, The Cleveland Foundation also restructured a previous program-related investment (a low-interest loan) to allow NPI to attract additional public and private sector resources.

The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes received a $145,000 grant to support the Center's facility and program expansion and enhancement project. The grant will provide funding needed toward completion of the $2.2 million campaign.

For a complete list of fourth quarter grants, please visit The Cleveland Foundation's Web site at www.clevelandfoundation.org.

The Cleveland Foundation, a public charity dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Greater Cleveland, is the original and second-largest community foundation in the nation. Its establishment in 1914 is cited as one of 10 events that most heavily influenced the development of the nonprofit sector in the 20th Century and it continues to be a leader in its field. The Foundation has assets of approximately $1.5 billion and in 2001 awarded more than $72 million in grants and low-cost loans to Cleveland area nonprofit organizations.

The Cleveland Foundation is made up of more than 800 funds created by individuals, families, organizations and corporations. It offers donors of all means the opportunity to have a lasting impact on their community while maximizing income, gift and estate tax benefits.

For more information about the organization, visit www.clevelandfoundation.org.

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