Reinvention

…found an immediate ally in Sherwin, who had become troubled by the unimaginative nature of most of the grants presented to the board for approval. As he would later bluntly put it: “I got tired of [receiving] applications to buy a new station wagon for some institution. I always felt that [we were] not there to … just support existing budgets…. I felt it was our job to start things … to look into matters of civic interest.” Sherwin marshaled the…

Malvin E. Bank

Thompson Hine LLP, a business law firm established in Cleveland in 1911, celebrated its centenary by presenting the first Malvin E. Bank Award for Exemplary Client Service, named in honor of Thompson Hine’s distinguished specialist in federal income and estate tax matters, whose continuing service to the firm spans more than half its history. Bank’s tenure as general counsel for the Cleveland Foundation from 1967 to 2003 certainly reflects the…

Grant Search

…es Social Services Organization The Cleveland Foundation awarded more than 50,743 grants between 1988 and 2013. As part of the foundation’s commemoration of its centenary, a searchable archive of these grants has been placed online, providing public access to a detailed record of the foundation’s support of the community’s aspirations. Each grant listing provides the name of the recipient, the amount of the grant, its date, program area and…

Ensuring the Cleveland Orchestra’s Next 100 Years

…eveland Foundation underscored the importance of securing the future of the Cleveland Orchestra—an international treasure recently ranked as the world’s favorite orchestra by Bachtrack, the international concert reviewer and online listing resource—with a 2013 grant of $10 million, the largest award to an arts organization in the foundation’s history. A leadership gift to the orchestra’s “Sound for the Centennial” campaign leading up to the…

First City-History Encyclopedia

…s and 1,127 pages, the encyclopedia had first been suggested to its eventual co-editors, David D. Van Tassel and John J. Grabowski, by retired Cleveland Foundation director Homer C. Wadsworth. A series of foundation grants supported the research and writing of more than 2,300 entries. An updated edition of the encyclopedia can now be found online….

The Built Environment

…not customarily devote a major portion of its income to capital fund drives. However, the board recognized the urgency and importance of meeting the growing demand for higher education and workforce preparation. In 1956, it approved grants totaling more than $200,000, or about $1.7 million in today’s dollars, to help underwrite capital improvement projects at Baldwin Wallace College, Case Institute of Technology, Fenn College, John Carroll…

Belle Sherwin

…ked the Cleveland Foundation’s survey director Allen Burns, who was a member-at-large of the welfare council, to consider commissioning a study of how to strengthen the city’s relief effort. The foundation’s Survey Committee approved this request, and Burns hired Sherman C. Kingsley, director of the Elizabeth McCormick Memorial Fund of Chicago, and Amelia Sears, welfare director for Cook County, Illinois, to conduct the study. The “Survey of…

Public Funding for Arts and Culture

…County. Issue 18, which called for a 10-year increase in the cigarette excise tax to fund the district, was placed on the ballot in 2006. Thanks to the hard work of CPAC’s dedicated corps of arts advocates, this time voters approved the funding plan. Today, Cuyahoga County’s arts and cultural organizations receive public monies for operations and programs, awarded annually in a competitive application process. To date, $112 million has been…

Frank H. and Nancy L. Porter Fund

…t in giving the foundation’s board of directors the discretion to make grants from the fund for priority community concerns. Gratefully considering the bequest a gift from the entire Porter family, the foundation’s directors approved the use of a portion of the endowment as a donor-advised fund so that the Porter children—Frank Jr., George, Frederick, Elizabeth and Steven—can recommend awards in their parents’ names to organizations and causes…

L. Dale Dorney Fund

…organization that had been created in 1992 could be of even greater benefit to the Findlay area if it were granted independence. In 1999, the Cleveland Foundation spun off the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation and approved a one-time distribution of $18 million from Dorney principal to the new trust. Since its inception, the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation has awarded $25 million in grants. The cumulative impact of its…