Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland awards $1.2 million in grants in first half of 2019

Tuesday, July 09, 2019

Tags: Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland , Foundations

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As seen in Crain's Cleveland Business:

In the first half of the year, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland invested more than $1.2 million in the area.

Its investment focused on supporting three main areas: ending homelessness, supporting Catholic sisters and their ministries, and strengthening Cleveland's Central neighborhood through health and education initiatives, according to a news release.

The 2019 investments in housing and homelessness include $100,000 awarded to YWCA of Greater Cleveland to continue to lead A Place 4 Me, a collaboration of 30 public and private partners committed to ending homelessness among young people between the ages of 15 and 24, particularly those with histories of foster care.

The foundation also awarded a grant of $100,000 to Enterprise Community Partners and Housing First, an initiative led by Enterprise that is on track to bring an end to chronic homelessness in Cleveland next year, according to the release. Established in 2002 in partnership with the foundation and the local Office of Homeless Services, Housing First has created nearly 800 units of permanent supportive housing in the community.

"With the sustained commitment and support from the foundation, our community has demonstrated that effective collaboration, coordination and a focus on data can end homelessness," Susanna Krey, SOCF president, said in a prepared statement. "And we recognize that individuals living with chronic homelessness are only a percentage of those unstably housed in Cuyahoga County. We will continue to advance strategies that support youth and families experiencing homelessness as we continue this bold work of ending homelessness in our community."

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland includes in its endowment the St. Ann Foundation, a health conversion foundation and the first foundation founded by Catholic sisters, according to the release. SOCF distributes $100,000 annually to sister-led or sister-founded organizations seeking ministry support. This year, it will be divided among 14 recipients: Blessing House, Collinwood Neighborhood Catholic Ministries, House of Champions, Jennings, Maggie's Place, Magnificat High School, Metro Catholic School, St. Martin de Porres High School, Sisters of Notre Dame, Slavic Village Development, St. Paul Catholic Church/Centro San Pablo, The Catholic Worker of Akron, The Village at Marymount and Ursuline College.

In the first half of 2019, the foundation contributed more than $300,000 to health initiatives, focusing especially on organizations that address policy, such as Health Policy Institute of Ohio and Policy Matters Ohio, according to the release.

To see the complete list of the foundation's first- and second-quarter 2019 grants, click here.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System.