Recently, a retired teacher Paul Springstrubb wrote an editorial on the performance of the Cleveland Foundation.

https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2019/08/the-cleveland-foundation-could...

Scene Magazine's Sam Allard followed up:

https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/08/16/cleveland...

Allard's piece gives the Cleveland Foundation a space to respond to Springstrubb's assertion that the Cleveland Foundation could be doing more to address poverty and lead poisoning.  I don't ascribe to same concern that Mr. Springstrubb has for poverty and lead poisoning.  I think that both vague societal ills have become a perfect storm to conceal the machinations of what I call the cabal in Cleveland - the charlatans who outwardly pretend to care about social issues (housing, child welfare, schools, drugs) while, in reality, they mine these issues for federal and local monies.  This is the latest round of grants to come out of the Cleveland Foundation:

Youth Performing Arts Programming:

$150,000 to Cleveland Classic Guitar Society to expand its youth arts mastery programming to reach 500 students in at least 10 locations in neighborhoods across Cleveland. Our grant will be used to support instructional staff and teaching artists, guitars and other equipment, curricula, meals for student participants, printing costs and professional memberships for the organization.

$10,450 to Children’s Museum of Cleveland to create a performing arts program where young children and families can learn, play their own music and work collaboratively to explore topics such as rhythm and pitch. The funding will also allow the museum to work with community partners to host a performance or workshop in the museum’s theater with a goal of conducting one performance each season.

Health & Human Services for Vulnerable Populations:

$199,500 to CHN Housing Partners to complete Emerald Alliance XI, the final permanent supportive housing facility in the Housing First Coalition’s portfolio designed to end chronic homelessness. The facility will include 71 one-bedroom units for chronically homeless individuals with onsite wrap-around services to maximize their opportunity for housing stability.

$100,000 to Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (CRCC) to launch a coordinated care model that will engage and support survivors of human trafficking. In addition, CRCC will establish a Drop-In Center that will serve as a hub for all human trafficking services including trauma therapy sessions, justice system advocacy, support groups and more.

$15,000 to the Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center to support the Domestic Violence High Risk Team (DVHRT) initiative. This funding will allow DVHRT to partner with a community police department in Cuyahoga County to implement the evidence-based assessment tool Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement (DA-LE) to help identify individuals at the highest risk for violence.

Community Engagement

$200,000 to Global Cleveland to take a leadership role with the city, county and state Census Count Committees to reach hard-to-count immigrant populations and to convene immigrant-serving organizations to raise awareness about the Census. Our grant will also fund the creation of a dashboard to track the value of newcomers to our regional economy as well as planning for the 2nd Sister Cities Conference.

$25,000 to the Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation for the Lighthouse Park project. This project will create a public space amenity for downtown residents, employees and visitors to gather for recreation, socialization and relaxation while celebrating the Warehouse District’s significance to Cleveland’s history.

Educational & Professional Opportunities for People of All Ages

$84,250 to JumpStart, Inc. for the ongoing development and growth of the Core City: Cleveland Encore Mentoring Program. Our grant will allow the program to grow its mentoring pool, with a high percentage of African American and Latinx mentors. Our grant will also help Jumpstart evaluate the success of the program and increase the number of companies receiving support.

$119,000 in grants from the Sherman Johnson and Frances Battles Johnson Memorial Fund of the Cleveland Foundation to provide scholarships for 44 students who are residents of Lake or Geauga County in either their third or fourth year of medical school. The colleges receiving grants include Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, The Ohio State University, Ohio University – Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.