Resource Development

Burten, Bell, Carr Development ($1,000,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Community Navigator Pilot Program) – A viable, navigated pathway to thriving for underserved small and micro-businesses in overlooked neighborhoods in the City of Cleveland. With historic and ongoing disinvestment in Black and Brown neighborhoods like those in Cleveland, to enable success, we took an uncommon approach because the right business ecosystems can mitigate or negate the effects of structural obstacles to business building. The ecosystem combines a collaborative, grassroots, bottom-up approach with a navigator framework where the “Hub” in partnership with seven (7) unexpected but necessary expert community partners as “Spokes”. One of 32 awards across the country. October (2021).   

Rid-All Foundation ($888,413 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service) — The project will improve the resiliency of agricultural producers in historically underserved communities in urban and remote rural areas by increasing energy independence and developing soil conditioning byproducts to support cropping systems and aquaculture operations. October (2020).

Union Miles Development Corporation ($800,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Community Economic Development) – an innovative multi-faceted and comprehensive strategy to create sustainable employment and business opportunities that facilitates self-sufficiency for low- income individuals and low-income veterans. October (2019).

Propel Cuyahoga: Enterprise Workforce Collaborative ($4,400,000 from the Cuyahoga County Department of Jobs and Family Services) – A cohesive workforce strategy designed to improve the employment outcomes of public assistance recipients with work requirements in the TANF and SNAP programs to move them towards self-sufficiency employment that will also meet their work requirements. April (2019).

Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development ($760,416 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Community Economic Development) – This grant will develop El Mercado, a culturally-based public market with space for 21 microenterprises. El Mercado will also house additional offices and retail for other small businesses, community-serving organizations, a restaurant, and a commercial kitchen. El Mercado will be located in the densest population of Hispanic/Latino residents in Ohio with numbers over 22,000. This project will create/expand 60 sustainable employment/business opportunities that did not previously exist, attract additional investment, and improve quality of life. August (2018).

Midtown Cleveland ($800,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Community Economic Development - Healthy Food Financing Initiative) – This grant will address two key social determinants of health—access to healthy affordable food, and employment. Via jobs and helping individuals, parents and children make healthier food choices we are able to change the course of lives. EAT Well creates 32 employment and business opportunities; brings healthy, affordable food choices to high need communities; and leverages cross-sector institutional partnerships. October (2016).

Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center ($475,000 from the State of Ohio, Victims of Crime Act) – This grant will develop a child advocacy center for Cuyahoga County to provide a coordinated response to abuse allegations transforming an exhausting, time-consuming, and overwhelming process for the entire family to a one that reduce trauma and stress for the child and family. October (2016).

Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation ($420,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Community Economic Development) – This grant will develop the REVITALIZE Construction Company to actualize an innovative business model to cultivate, hire and retain low-income individuals across construction occupations from Youngstown, Ohio to meet the both the long-term regional needs of the in-demand construction industry and the short-term demands of the city of Youngstown. September (2015).

Famicos Foundation ($100,000 from United States Department of Agriculture) – This grant funds the Glenville Food Vendor Readiness Program to provide training, marketing and social media technical assistance, mentoring/coaching and funding for Farmer’s Market Booth rent.  In this way, based upon actual barriers, Famicos will work with food vendors to increase domestic consumption of and access to locally and regionally produced agricultural products. September (2015).

The Centers for Families and Children ($762,539 from Ohio Jobs and Family Services) – This grant will improve the economic well-being and quality of life for Ohio Works First cash recipients to provide Job Readiness, Job Placement, and Job Retention activities to transition at-risk and hard to employ Cuyahoga County residents from unemployment and a dependency upon public assistance to employment and economic self-sufficiency. May (2015).

Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority ($3,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development) – This Jobs Plus grant represents an evidence-based strategy for advancing employment outcomes and increasing earning for public housing residents to address acute joblessness and poverty in public housing developments. For the Jobs Plus Pilot a 0.25-mile radius targets two public housing developments to provide employment services at an on-site job center, changes in rent rules provide financial incentives to work, and community support for work through “community weavers” involved in neighbor-to-neighbor conversations. April (2015).

NewBridge Cleveland ($2,000,000 from the Cleveland Foundation) - This grant trains unemployed, underemployed and difficult to employ (e.g., low skill, high barriers to employment) adults for in-demand careers in the healthcare sector. This economically viable, market driven, and scalable business model also exposes youth to the digital arts and ceramics with after-school programs as an evidence-based strategy utilizing the arts to re-engage youth with education. This program creates renewed energy and urgency, making the promise of a brighter future a reality for economically disadvantaged persons in the City of Cleveland. March (2015).

Famicos Foundation ($916,000 from the City of Cleveland) – This grant will fund the rehabilitation of the East Side Market. In partnership with Famicos Foundations, Evergreen Cooperative will establish its fourth cooperative – Evergreen Creamery & Evergreen Bakery – to serve as the flagship tenant and fulfill a significant contract from University Hospitals to provide rolls and butter. Known nationally as “The Cleveland Model” worker-owned businesses called the Evergreen Cooperatives are building community wealth. The Evergreen Cooperatives create living wage jobs in low-income neighborhoods.  The collaboration will guide neighborhood transformation for residents and businesses in the City of Cleveland. February (2015).

St. Clair Superior Development Corporation ($800,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Community Economic Development - Healthy Food Financing Initiative) – This grant will address food insecurity in its community by establishing Hub 55, a food hub, farmers market, café and brewery. Located in a food desert, Hub 55 will spark the essential commercial vitality that will improve Cleveland’s east side neighborhoods and help the local economy flourish. This food hub will create a distribution opportunity for food suppliers and entrepreneurs, thus simultaneously ensuring employment for low-income individuals and bringing healthy food choices to low access and low-income areas. September (2014).

Burten, Bell, Carr Development ($741,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Community Economic Development) – This grant will develop the Iceberg Project, a venture to support low-income construction workers and entrepreneurs in the construction industry. The first component of the project, the worker pipeline, will manage the intake of job seekers, conduct skills and needs assessments, channel individuals to and through programs and services, and support job readiness. September (2014).