Deadline: 15-Jul-20
Applications Open for George Gund Foundation Grant Program, it is rooted in Cleveland, the community that was the home of its founder and that remains the Foundation’s home.
The Foundation’s commitment to Cleveland derives not just from history but also from their belief that Cleveland can continue to develop original responses to issues that can benefit people everywhere.
The focus on Cleveland offers an important point of leverage to affect issues that go well beyond the city’s boundaries and includes its roles as a place for innovation, an example and a leader in Ohio, a politically important state that can wield outsized influence nationally and, therefore, globally.
Moreover, the urban emphasis of their work stems from a belief that thriving cities are and will remain one of the nation’s best hopes for addressing essential issues. They invest in this place with an eye toward building the sense of community—locally, nationally and globally—that human progress requires. They commit to this for the long term, working alongside those who are making concrete progress. They also must acknowledge, however, that the work is often propelled by recognition that both Cleveland and any larger sense of community are threatened by powerful forces and divisive issues.
Such challenges are many but three inter related issues stand out:
- climate change and environmental degradation,
- entrenched and accelerating inequality, especially racial inequity, and
- weakened democracy
Climate change is a threat to the very future of humanity. Its consequences grow more apparent even as many ignore both the evidence before their eyes and the scientific consensus that calls on all of them to act. In 2016 the world community reached an agreement in Paris that set targets for greenhouse gas reductions in order to limit global temperature rise to less than two degrees Celsius. The United States government has turned its back on that accord and its future is uncertain. In response, many states, cities, businesses and foundations—including The George Gund Foundation—have asserted their commitment to the Paris goals and are taking actions to help achieve them. Even if the Paris targets are achieved, however, human activity already has triggered a chain of damaging climate change and environmental degradation. Adaptation to these consequences is a growing need, and it is increasingly apparent that those who suffer first and foremost will disproportionately be people of color who live in more vulnerable locations and the poor who have fewer resources to adapt. Collective action across all sectors is required to meet these challenges.
The Foundation Fund
The Foundation organizes their work through program areas:
- Climate and environmental justice. They support the use of Cleveland’s unique environmental history and leadership, especially regarding water, to advance a healthy and sustainable future. In particular, they focus on projects and policies that contribute to the fight against climate change. Linked to every aspect of life, climate change increasingly threatens human lives.
- Creative culture and arts. They promote a vibrant, diverse and thriving arts community in Cleveland that enhances learning, strengthens pride of place, creates an emotional connection to our environment and deepens the impact of opportunities for those who might otherwise be denied them. They seek to balance support among Cleveland’s legacy institutions and smaller emerging organizations that reflect the full breadth of the culture and neighborhoods.
- Public education. They support public education because it is fundamental to American democracy. It promotes the common good, brings together children and families across different cultures, and serves all students, regardless of means, ability or circumstances. They believe in the premise and power of public education and they work to ensure every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has a multitude of great schools from which families can choose.
- Thriving families and social justice. Historic barriers to opportunity for both individuals and families must be removed to fully realize human potential. They strive toward a more just community and society that eliminate the conditions that create human need or limit fundamental rights. Consequently, they invest in growth and development opportunities for historically marginalized people at critical life junctures, such as pre-natal and early childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and when entering the workforce or forming a family.
- Vibrant neighborhoods and inclusive economy. They support work to achieve inclusive growth and opportunity for all of Cleveland’s neighborhoods and residents. City neighborhoods are essential to the regional economy as the largest concentrations of employers and employees, as talent magnets and as places where the exchange of ideas and insights can flourish. City neighborhood density, walkability, bike-ability and access to transit help to fight climate change.
For more information, visit https://gundfoundation.org/grantmaking/apply-for-a-grant/