Children’s Defense Fund Ohio – $40,000 for backbone support for the Children’s Legislative Caucus in FY24
Cuyahoga County Office of Early Childhood – $5,000 to host a retreat for system actors in the early childhood ecosystem in Cuyahoga County
East End Neighborhood House – $5,000 to bring Strengthening Families training to more family-serving professionals
East End Neighborhood House – $27,000 to expand access to training on the Standards of Quality for Family Support and Strengthening in 2024
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. – $120,000 over two years, for backbone support for the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition in 2023 and 2024
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. – $122,000 for tax preparation outreach and assistance for families with young children in 2023-24
Groundwork Ohio – $100,000 over two years, for prenatal-to-five state policy advocacy in FY24 and FY25
Health Policy Institute of Ohio – $100,000 over two years, for research and advocacy to inform policies impacting the health and wellbeing of children and families in 2023 and 2024
Reach Out and Read Greater Cleveland – $40,000 for program support in 2024
Starting Point – $5,000 to bring Strengthening Families training to more family-serving professionals
United Way of Greater Cleveland – $42,000 to develop a FamilySpace curriculum/replication guide in 2024
University Hospitals Health System, Inc. – $225,000 over three years, for HealthySteps Implementation at the UH Rainbow Ahuja Center for Women & Children from 2023 to 2026
Responsive Grants
Learning
America SCORES Cleveland – $25,000 for literacy and fitness youth development programming in FY24
Art House, Inc. – $10,000 for the Urban Bright program in Cleveland schools in 2023-24
Arts Impact – $10,000 to provide arts-integrated residencies for CMSD students in 2023-24
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland – $15,000 for community-based mentoring in FY24
Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio – $10,000 for Academic Success programming at BGCNEO Cleveland Clubs in 2023
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeastern Ohio – $15,000 for programming to prepare low-income students for college and career success in 2023-24
Children’s Museum of Cleveland – $20,000 for the Museum for All program in 2023
City Year, Inc. – $15,000 for programming in 3 Cleveland schools in 2023-24
Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center – $7,500 for the preschool Language and Literacy Classroom program in summer 2023
Cleveland International Film Festival – $10,000 for FilmSlam and FilmSlam Streams for CMSD students in the 2023-24 academic year
Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank – $10,000 for program support in 2023
Cleveland Public Theatre – $10,000 for Cleveland Act Now after-school/summer programming in FY24
Cleveland Transformation Alliance – $10,000 for the Ambassador program to connect Cleveland families to information on school choice in 2023
Coach Sam’s Scholars – $10,000 for intensive literacy programming and academic support for CMSD students in 2023-24
College Now Greater Cleveland – $25,000 for college and career access advising services for CMSD students in 2023-24
Daily Dose of Reading – $14,981 for the Play and Learn early literacy program in FY24
DanceCleveland – $10,000 to provide arts and literacy programming in CMSD early childhood classrooms in 2023-24
Dancing Classrooms Northeast Ohio – $10,000 for dance residency programming in the CMSD in 2023-24
East Cleveland Neighborhood Center, Inc. – $12,000 for the Freedom Schools summer program in 2023
Esperanza, Inc. – $15,000 for after-school programming for Latinx youth in the CMSD in 2023-24
Facing History and Ourselves, Inc. – $15,000 for the Northeast Ohio Partner Schools Network in 2023-24
Family Connections of Northeast Ohio – $10,000 for Family School Connection, a family home-visiting and school based kindergarten reading support program, in 2023-24
Footpath Foundation – $10,000 for programming for CMSD 5th grade students in 2023-24
Fostering Hope Ohio – $10,000 to provide programming for youth in foster care in FY24
Great Lakes Museum of Science Environment and Technology – $25,000 for the CLE4SCI Collaborative for CMSD 6th, 7th and 8th graders in 2023-24
Great Lakes Theater – $10,000 for the School Residency program for CMSD students in the 2023-24 school year
Malachi Center – $15,000 for after school programming in FY24
Musical Arts Association – $20,000 for Musical Neighborhoods, an early childhood learning and teaching training program in CMSD schools in 2023-24
Nature Center at Shaker Lakes – $15,000 for CLE4SCI programming for CMSD preschool, kindergarten and first-grade students in 2023-24
NewBridge Cleveland Center For Arts And Technology – $10,000 for after-school youth programming in CMSD schools in 2023-24
Open Doors Academy – $25,000 for out-of-school time programming for scholars in grades K-8 in FY24
Playhouse Square Foundation – $10,000 for Disney Musicals in Schools programming in Cleveland schools during the 2023-24 school year
PRE4CLE – $75,000 for general operating in FY24
Rainey Institute – $10,000 for early childhood arts enrichment programming in FY24
Roots of American Music – $10,000 for music residencies in CMSD schools in 2023-24
Scranton Road Ministries Community Development Corp. – $15,000 for the Youth Jobs Partnership program in 2023-24
Seeds of Literacy – $25,000 to transition GED graduates to postsecondary education and training programs in FY24
Teach For America – $10,000 for program support in 2023-24
Teaching Cleveland – $10,000 to provide Cleveland history programming in the CMSD in 2023-24
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History – $15,000 for CLE4SCI programming for 2nd grade CMSD students in 2023-24
The MetroHealth Foundation – $20,995 for the Boot Camp for New Dads in 2023-24
Young Entrepreneur Institute – $10,000 to support entrepreneurship education in the CMSD in 2023-24
Youth Opportunities Unlimited – $20,000 for the Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates program in 2023-24
Safety Net
A Place 4 Me – $30,000 for peer navigation services for homeless youth in FY24
Benjamin Rose Institute – $15,000 for the Rose Centers for Aging Well home-delivered meals program in 2023
Catholic Charities Corporation – $10,000 for the 2023 annual appeal
Center for Employment Opportunities Cleveland – $15,000 for employment services for formerly incarcerated individuals in FY24
Child and Family Advocates of Cuyahoga County – $10,000 for CASA training in FY24
Cleveland Foundation – $50,000 to expand integrated health services for CMSD students in 2023-24
Cleveland Sight Center – $15,000 to provide services for seniors who are blind or visually impaired in 2023
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. – $25,000 to launch a pilot initiative to strengthen workforce programming for homeless youth in 2024
Family Promise of Greater Cleveland – $25,000 to help homeless families achieve stability in 2023
Journey Center for Safety and Healing – $15,000 to provide services to support families impacted by domestic violence in FY24
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland – $50,000 for housing services and advocacy in 2023
LifeAct – $10,000 for suicide prevention and stress management programs for students in grades 6-12 in Cleveland schools in 2023-24
Linking Employment, Abilities & Potential – $15,000 for benefits and employment services for individuals with disabilities in 2023
Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry – $20,000 to provide guardianship to vulnerable adults in 2023
May Dugan Center – $15,000 for the Education Resource Center in 2023
Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy Coalition – $25,000 for program support in 2024
OhioGuidestone – $24,518 for two-way radios for the residential treatment campus for youth in FY24
The Center for Community Solutions – $25,000 for research and advocacy to improve maternal and infant health and strengthen the safety net in 2024
The Salvation Army – $30,000 for programming at the Zelma George Emergency Family Shelter in FY23
Towards Employment – $20,000 for the Career Pathway program in 2023
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland – $10,000 for the OakLeaf program for adults with disabilities in 2024
University Settlement – $20,000 for family stability support after exiting the shelter system in FY24
West Side Catholic Center – $30,000 for housing stability services for homeless families in 2023
Other
Candid Midwest – $5,000 for program support in 2023
Family Connections of Northeast Ohio – $5,000 to plan a proposal to develop and document the FamilySpace curriculum to guide future replication
Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland – $10,000 for general operating support in 2024
The City Club of Cleveland – $100,000 for a new headquarters
Our Revised Grantmaking Strategy
In 2024, the Bruening Foundation’s Distribution Committee and staff completed a planning process to refine the Foundation’s grantmaking strategy. The process included a literature review to seek information about the current wants and needs of nonprofits, agrantee survey, interviews with stakeholders, and conversations with community leaders. The purpose was to collect diverse, external perspectives about needs in the community that are aligned with the interest areas of the Foundation and to determine what possibilities exist for the Foundation to have a greater impact through its grantmaking.
The new responsive grantmaking focus, to be known as Thriving Families, is designed to complement our proactive Strong Start grantmaking strategy and aims to help families in Cuyahoga County out of poverty. Because kids need strong and supportive families to thrive, the Bruening Foundation seeks to invest in parents and caregivers who raise them. “Family” will be broadly defined as we understand that the construct of a family varies greatly. There will be two funding priorities within Thriving Families: 1) Housing, Health and Skill Building and 2) Social and Emotional Well-Being.
While some of the programming the Foundation has supported in the past may no longer fit with our new focus area, we value every grantee relationship and are grateful for the opportunity we have had to support so many important services in the community. We look forward to making a continued impact throughout Cuyahoga County with our new priorities. Please reach out to staff at Foundation Management Services with any questions.
Beginning in 2027, the Bruening Foundation deadlines will be February 1, June 1, and October 1. Applications will be open one month ahead of each deadline.
Beginning in 2027, the Bruening Foundation deadlines will be February 1, June 1, and October 1. Applications will be open one month ahead of each deadline.
