The Circular Cleveland Community Grants will provide financial assistance to grassroots neighborhood groups, faith-based organizations and small non-profit organizations (with an operating budget of less than $250,000) to support their community work related to the circular economy.

Before you begin your grant application, consider how your project contributes to transitioning Cleveland to a circular economy.

Please answer the following questions to determine if your project idea is a good fit for the Circular Economy grant:

1) Is material being diverted from the landfill? Some examples of how materials might be diverted are:

  • reuse
  • repurpose
  • share
  • repair
  • redistribution
  • redesign
  • repackage
  • restore
  • refurbish
  • remanufacture
  • recycle
  • upcycle
  • recover
  • refuse
  • rethink
  • reduce
  • other

2) If materials are being diverted, what are those materials?

  • textiles and clothing
  • food
  • metals
  • electronics
  • plastic
  • construction materials
  • other

3) Is energy from fossil fuels being saved?

4) Is a natural system being restored or renewed?

If you can answer yes to some of the above questions, your project does contribute to the circular economy. Please read the Grant Guidelines below.

GRANT GUIDELINES

  • Team members must all live, work or worship in Cleveland.
  • Applicants must demonstrate their connectedness to their community.
  • Proposals must be from grassroots neighborhood groups of at least three persons, faith-based organizations or small non-profit organizations (with an operating budget of less than $250,000).
  • Applicants must demonstrate their capacity to make change in their community.
  • Applicants must show the need in their community.
  • Projects must build off the assets in the community (wisdom, skills, talents, and networks of individuals in the community, civic groups, institutions, physical space, local economy, and/or community culture).
  • Only one proposal can be submitted by a group or organization at a time.
  • Groups and organizations with or without 501(c)(3) designation are eligible for funding and encouraged to apply. Groups and organizations without 501(c)(3) designation will need to find a fiscal sponsor. If you need assistance finding a fiscal sponsor, please contact us.
  • These grants do not fund individuals, large non-profit or large faith-based organizations, religious organizations for religious purposes, political campaigns, endowment funds, fundraising campaigns, for-profit entities, single businesses, or government entities.
  • Grant applicants will be notified of funding decisions via email by early June. If approved for funding, you will receive an email letting you know, and you will be required to fill out some simple paperwork to receive your funding. If your proposal is declined funding, we are available to talk through the reasons why.
  • Funds are GENERALLY dispersed within two weeks from when approved grantees complete their paperwork.
  • Grants will cover a 6 month period and will range between $250 and $3,000.

QUESTIONS

If you or someone you know does not have access to a computer and/or to the Internet but wants to apply or if you have questions about the application, please contact one of the people below:

GRANTMAKING COMMITTEE

  • Divya Sridhar, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress: 614-284-4680
  • Cathi Lehn, City of Cleveland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability: 216-664-2421
  • Morgan Taggart, FARE (Food Access Raises Everyone): 216-544-1833