Cleveland Foundation Award $740,000 to Lake and Geauga County Groups

LAKE COUNTY, OH - The Cleveland Foundation is spreading $741,781 in grants to nonprofits in Lake and Geauga Counties. In the fourth quarter of 2016 alone, the foundation will have given $2.5 million in grants in those two counties.

Here's how the money will be awarded:

• $73,000 to Crossroads: Lake County Adolescent Counseling Service - The grant will be used to support behavioral health service work and collaborative efforts between Crossroads and Beacon Health. The two groups will also explore a merger of their respective services.
• $55,000 to Lake County Educational Service Center - The grant will be used to implement Lake and Geauga Counties Manufacturing/K-12 Partnership. Specifically, the money will be used to acquire career advising software designed to guide students to college and post-secondary opportunities.
• $48,000 to Lake County Free Clinic - The grant will be used to help the Clinic hire two new staffers and expand its services. There is a lack of free medical and dental service in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties.
• $65,000 to Lake-Geauga Habitat for Humanity - The grant will be used to get more volunteers, staff, and raise awareness of the group's efforts.
• $57,000 to Lakeland Foundation - The grant will be used to help develop an Anchor Institution strategy for Lake and Geauga counties. This grant will particularly support staff in establishing the institution and their efforts in data collection and research.
• $88,400 to United Way of Geauga County - The grant will go to the agency's Geauga Income Collaborative, with the goal of expanding its reach. The Collaborative is a group of public/private sector volunteers that help vulnerable families achieve self-sufficiency. This grant will help establish a program for re-entrants, to connect them to employment opportunities and create support systems to reduce their chances of recidivism.

Photo from the Cleveland Foundation