Place-based foundations have a unique capacity to bring people together, address systemic inequities, and improve quality of life for residents. But to continue building that capacity in response to evolving community needs, foundations must be truly and deeply of and for the communities they serve. When The Arras Foundation in Lancaster, South Carolina, (formally J. Read More

The Debate About School Safety Is No Longer Relevant: The Atlantic offers a thought-provoking article about reopening schools within a pandemic and the specific, often ignored, and almost insurmountable challenge of staffing challenges that were tough before the pandemic began. The most salient take away might be the following: “The staffing shortages should, to be blunt, change Read More

School and early childhood education are both equally important, fostering brain development and a foundation for life-long learning.  This Opinion piece in The New York Times argues that our country’s education systems should give them equal weight. Several cities around the US have helped parents of elementary school students with the lack of childcare when Read More

Congrats! Cleveland Schools Graduate Rate Increases Nearly 30% The number of students graduating from Cleveland Metropolitan School District has increased 27.9% since the 2010-2011 school year when the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools was launched. That means CMSD’s 4-year graduation rate has reached 80.1% — among the fastest growing in the state. School District CEO Read More

ACS Wins Again! Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC takes Bronze in coveted Stevie® Awards International Business Award for Company of the Year Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS) was selected out of more than 3,800 nominations to receive bronze for Company of the Year. ACS, an Ohio-based minority and women-owned firm that has been in Read More

Queens Village In 2011, Hamilton County, Ohio (Cincinnati), had the second-highest infant mortality rate in the United States. Throughout the 2000s, about 125 infants died per year; 71, on average, were Black. Black mothers said they didn’t feel seen, valued or heard, which they thought contributed to their infants’ outlying mortality rates. In response, Cradle Read More

4 Steps to Effectively Engage in Electoral Advocacy this Year Do you want to educate the public about important issues before the election? But, do you worry that encouraging civic engagement might affect your 501(C)(3) status? Don’t worry – you can engage in electoral advocacy (performing advocacy efforts that do not support or oppose a Read More

Census Count – Hard to Reach Communities Ensuring everyone participates in the 2020 Census is no easy feat, so several Cleveland organizations got creative to make sure all communities are properly represented in the count. For example, the Young Latino Network launched the Cleveland Caravan. A pickup truck wove through the streets of a predominantly Read More

School nurses have to plan for every possible outcome when students return to school during COVID-19. But what happens when school buildings don’t have nurses? Ohio Association of School Nurses is advocating for a school nurse in every building. Right now, only 50% of Ohio school buildings have a registered nurse; the others rely on school Read More

Congress is hearing our call to save child care. Both the House and Senate have passed proposals to include stabilization funding for child care in the COVID-19 recovery package, but we need to keep up the pressure to ensure child care relief makes it to final negotiations. The Senate Republican HEALS Act would provide $15 Read More