September Member Spotlight on the Cleveland Foundation

In September, GIA's website photo banner features organizations supported by the Cleveland Foundation. Established in 1914, the Foundation is the world's first community foundation and one of the largest, with assets of $1.8 billion and 2011 grants of nearly $80 million. The arts and culture program brings international artists to the Cleveland area for long-term residencies, contributes to the development of arts audiences and arts-supportive public polices, and strengthens important, but under-capitalized, arts organizations. Below, the staff of the Cleveland Foundation reflect on their upcoming centennial.

Cleveland Foundation | 2014: A Century of Community Philanthropy

In 2014, the Cleveland Foundation will mark a century of community philanthropy. Because we are the world’s first community trust, our celebration will also mark the centennial of the community philanthropy field. Centennial preparation affords us an occasion to reflect anew on our bond with Cleveland, and on how we can strengthen this connection as we progress toward our second century.

The foundation connects to Cleveland in two ways: by listening and responding to our community, and by collaborating with additional partners on big, innovative initiatives in specific areas that we have defined as critical to our area’s future. One of these areas is arts advancement.

Year round, the Cleveland Foundation supports local arts organizations of all sizes. We have also created special arts initiatives such as Creative Fusion, which brings international artists to Cleveland for extended residencies at local universities and other institutions.

To date, seven Cleveland institutions have hosted eleven artists from Turkey, South Africa, Cuba, Chile, and Uganda. This fall, area institutions will host artists from Sri Lanka, Croatia, Indonesia, Armenia, India, and the Republic of Korea.

Last June, we launched another arts initiative, called Engaging the Future. It aims to help our esteemed arts organizations navigate amid change, adapting to shifting demographics, technologies, and tastes, and attracting the younger audiences they need to survive.

The knowledge gained by the eleven participating organizations will be widely shared so that our entire treasured arts sector – so important to Cleveland – will not just survive, but flourish, in the 21st century.

 Photo: Project Access participants, Duffy Liturgical Dance. Photo: Janet Century.