At its winter meeting last week, The George Gund Foundation approved 59 grants for local organizations totaling $10.3 million. Among the more notable:
—A grant of $3.75 million to Neighborhood Progress Inc., so they can continue mapping the (evidently very expensive) frontiers of vibrant urban neighborhood development.
—A grant of $880,000 to implement CMSD's Cleveland Plan, including a new vision for the Cleveland School for the Arts.
—Eight grants for organizations working on healthcare reform.
—Grants in honor of George Gund III to organizations on whose boards the late philanthropist served: the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque.
—A grant of up to $250,000 to the Downtown Cleveland Alliance for "operating support."
—A grant of $180,000 over two years to the Cuyahoga Valley Conservancy for its work in preservation of local farmland and promotion of local food.
—A grant of $150,000 over two years to The Nature Conservancy for support of its Ohio office.
—A grant of $20,000 in start-up support for Ohio City Writers.
