Cleveland Cavaliers and Monsters Community Foundations Announce Nearly $300,000 in Nonprofit Grant Awards to Fall 2023 Recipients
Jan 4, 2024The Cleveland Cavaliers Community Foundation and the Cleveland Monsters Community Foundation today announced the distribution of nearly $300,000 in community grants as part of the 2023 fall grant cycle. The recent donations will benefit 16 nonprofit organizations that serve youth in Northeast Ohio. With this fall disbursement, the two philanthropic Foundations, which are part of Rock Entertainment Group, have collectively distributed over $500,000 in their 2023 bi-annual grant cycle (fall and spring) to over 35 NEO nonprofits that specifically cater to youth development through education, mentoring and meeting basic needs.
Since its inception in 1993, the Cavaliers Community Foundation has invested nearly $25 million to support the ongoing work of organizations that are committed to addressing the various needs of the youth in the Northeast Ohio community. Over three decades, the grant allocations have helped supplement necessary funding to enable community organizations to develop enriching programs, provide educational resources, promote youth wellness, create safe spaces, and address food security for local youth.
“The Cavaliers Community Foundation is committed to uplifting the youth of Northeast Ohio to ensure they are on the best path to leading healthy and productive lives,” said Pam Frasco, Executive Director of Cavaliers Community Foundation and Cavaliers Vice President of Social Impact. “The organizations selected to receive grants continuously demonstrate their commitment and intentionality to aid, educate and motivate youth in our community to have a promising and positive outlook on the future.”
The Cavaliers Community Foundation fall 2023 grantees include Adaptive Sports Ohio, Beech Brook, NEO Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Children’s Hunger Alliance, CHN Housing Partners, Cleveland Kids Book Bank, Esperanza, INC, NEO Girls on the Run, Good Knights of Lorain County, Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, Journey Center for Safety and Healing and Thrive Scholars.
The Monsters Community Foundation’s fall 2023 recipients include A Kid Again, Talespinner Children’s Theatre, The Turn and Vineyard Food Resource Center. Nine of the total 16 grantees are first-time recipients.
“Each of these first-time grantees displayed a unique approach to supporting the health and well-being of at-risk populations in Northeast Ohio in alignment with the Monsters Community Foundation’s mission,” said Ben Adams, Director of the Monsters Community Foundation and Monsters Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “We are excited to partner with these organizations and look forward to the positive impact they have on our community.”
Grants are awarded bi-annually, following review by the Cavaliers and Monsters Community Foundation Board. The Cavaliers and Monsters will begin the spring 2024 cycle in late winter. Those interested in being considered for a grant should submit a letter of intent by April 1, 2024. For more information on the Cavaliers Community Foundation, please contact CCfoundation@cavs.com or find the application here. For consideration by the Monsters Community Foundation, please contact monsterscommunity@clevelandmonsters.com or find the application here.
Monsters Community Foundation 2023 Grant Recipients
A Kid Again: A Kid Again’s mission is to foster hope, happiness, and healing for children living with life-threatening conditions and their families through events, called Adventures. Adventures are year-round, cost-free, large group events for the immediate family designed to keep families social, active, and positive. A Kid Again covers the cost of Adventures (including admission, parking, food, and crafts/games) and plans the entire Adventure so families can enjoy a time out without added stressors.
Talespinner Children’s Theatre: Talespinner’s mission is to serve as a theatrical home for all children and families, creating inclusive, accessible, and meaningful professional productions and educational opportunities that engage, empower, and inspire. Talespinner makes intentional choices that allow them to put their values into action, through initiatives that ensure that all children have access to their productions and programs.
The Turn: The Turn offers programs to over 200 clients year-round from youth, adults, and veterans with a broad range of physical disabilities, including visual impairment, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, and more. They provide opportunities for non-clinical adaptive fitness and recreation to improve balance, coordination, muscle strength, and self-esteem, with a focus on golf programming.
Vineyard Food Resource Center: Vineyard Food Resource Center runs comprehensive food resource programs that encompass a range of initiatives that directly help the community they serve. Programs include their core weekly food distribution, monthly produce giveaways, senior food box initiatives, and eco-friendly park bench installations.
Cavaliers Community Foundation 2023 Fall Grant Recipients
Adaptive Sports Ohio: Adaptive Sports Ohio removes barriers to ensure that individuals with physical disabilities have a chance to play and utilize sport to elevate their ability and empower their futures. Founded in 2009, Adaptive Sports Ohio is now the largest organization offering adaptive sports opportunities within the state of Ohio.
Beech Brook: Beech Brook was founded in 1852 as an orphanage but over the last 171 years has evolved to meet the changing needs of children and families, including those who have been affected by neglect, abuse, and violence. Beech Brook offers an array of services ranging from family life and education to the treatment of severe emotional disturbances in children and youth. The continuous development and expansion of community-based services to provide earlier intervention and preserve families has expanded Beech Brook’s reach to residents throughout the Greater Cleveland area.
Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NOHOCOC): NOHCOC is an economic and cultural center of the Latino community in Greater Cleveland. Through arts, music, education, entrepreneurship, and social and civic events, La Villa will tell its individual and collective stories, including and culminating in the blended heritage that is Cleveland. The Hispanic Business Center (HBC) provides business education and resources to the Hispanic community in Northeast Ohio.
Childrens Hunger Alliance (CHA): CHA focuses on ensuring that children without access receive healthy food, nutrition education and physical activity by strategically partnering with schools, libraries, faith and community-based organizations and state and local governments.
CHN Housing Partners: CHN is an affordable housing developer, housing stability service provider, and residential lender to create generational wealth. Their focus is to address housing abandonment and the lack of affordable housing in Cleveland through two key mechanisms: salvaging vacant homes and creating pathways to homeownership for Low- to Moderate-Income (LMI) neighborhood residents. The goal is to leverage the power of affordable, stable housing to change lives and improve communities.
Cleveland Kids Book Bank: The Kids Book Bank fosters literacy and the enjoyment of reading by distributing free books to children in need. Founded in 2016, the Kids Book Bank’s mission is to make free books accessible to children in low-income neighborhoods. They reach more than 100,000 children annually through 1,600 partner organizations and have distributed 4+ million free books with the help of 9,500 volunteers since inception.
Esperanza, INC: Esperanza’s mission is to improve the academic achievement of Hispanics in Greater Cleveland by supporting students to graduate high school and promoting post-secondary educational attainment. The youth programming has been providing meaningful, culturally competent, bilingual academic and social-emotional support to CMSD students for 15 years with an emphasis on Latinx students.
Girls on the Run, NEO (GOTRNEO): GOTRNEO uses physical activity as a platform for teaching life skills and promoting positive social, emotional, and holistic health outcomes through developmentally appropriate lessons for 8- to 15-year-old girls. GOTRNEO helps girls learn critical life skills and behaviors such as how to manage emotions, help others, make intentional decisions, and resolve conflict that they can use long after the program’s conclusion.
Good Knights of LC: Good Knights partners with organizations to receive raw goods and find those in need to assemble and transport beds & other essential items for youth in Lorain County. Founded in 2020, GoodKnights partners with the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority and other social service agencies for referrals to support clients in need of assistance.
Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland: The Hunger Network addresses food inequity & injustice through a collaborative consortium of 79 hunger centers in Cuyahoga, food donors and non-profit partners that serve the neighbors in need by providing them with accessible, healthy, culturally relevant foods, hygiene items, and resources free of charge. Their environmentally conscious Food Rescue program utilizes innovative app technology to recover fresh food and deliver it to nearby community distribution locations in under one hour.
Journey Center of Safety and Healing: Journey provides services that foster safety and healing to those affected by child abuse and domestic violence; and to prevent abuse through education, advocacy, and systemic change. They provide an array of prevention and intervention services that help people experiencing abuse find strength and support as they determine their best path toward health and safety. Journey works closely with a variety of allied organizations to ensure that clients receive coordinated, comprehensive services.
Thrive Scholars, Cleveland Chapters: Thrive Scholars is a nationwide college access and success organization that aims to help high-achieving students of color from economically disadvantaged backgrounds get into and graduate from top colleges. Their Career Pathways Program delivers tailored support that includes 1-on-1 career coaching, industry-specific skill development, financial support, 6-week residential summer experiences on college campuses for 11th and 12th-grade high school students, mentoring, and job shadowing through partnerships.