Cleveland, OH – September 4, 2025 – The Board of Trustees of the Saint Luke’s Foundation has approved grants totaling $1,830,000 for fifteen organizations during its third-quarter board meeting. These investments advance the Foundation’s mission to achieve health equity by addressing social determinants of health, including:
- Educational attainment
- Financial stability
- Healthy eating and active living
- Safe and affordable housing
- Social connections
- Strengthening neighborhoods surrounding the former Saint Luke’s Hospital
“This quarter’s board grants reflect the strength and resilience of community-based organizations that are tackling the root causes of health disparities head-on,” said Tim Tramble, President & CEO of Saint Luke’s Foundation. “From food access and safe housing to education, financial stability, and leadership development, these strategy partners are advancing improved health and wellness in ways that uplift entire neighborhoods in our footprint. We are proud to stand with them as they create transformational change for families across Cuyahoga County.”
Highlights of the Third Quarter Board Grants Awarded to Close the Health Gap:
Centers for Families and Children – $100,000 for 1 year
This grant supports Improving Outcomes in Buckeye-Woodland: Wraparound Support for Harvey Rice School Families, a program that addresses social, economic, health, and academic needs while reducing absenteeism and promoting social-emotional learning. In the 2025–2026 school year, the program will expand family services, build new partnerships, increase access to fresh food through the Cleveland Food Bank, and advance community-wide safety efforts.
The Meeting Place – $50,000 for 1 year
Under the Foundation’s Neighborhoods of Choice strategy to support social-emotional well-being and educational attainment, this grant will provide general operating support to increase youth enrollment in out-of-school programs and high-quality preschools. The Meeting Place Learning Center will also expand its summer camp offerings for 2026.
Life Exchange Center – $50,000 for 1 year
This grant will provide general operating support for programs that deliver social support, education, and life skills training for individuals in recovery. It will also help expand transportation services and group job training programs to better serve people with disabilities.
NuPoint Community Development Corporation – $350,000 for 1 year
Formerly known as Union Miles Development Corporation, NuPoint Development Corporation has a long history of strengthening neighborhoods through housing, economic development, and community engagement. This grant will support the organization as it expands services into the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood, providing general operating support to deepen its engagement and increase its visibility in this new service area.
The Phe’be Foundation – $65,000 for 1 year
This grant will provide general operating support to strengthen efforts to improve family financial health and well-being through the flagship All Things Money and Wealth to Workforce programs. The organization will work with at least 60 families in Woodhill, offering personalized coaching on budgeting, banking, saving, asset protection, taxes, homeownership, financial goal setting, and more.
Seeds of Literacy – $100,000 for 2 years
This grant will provide general operating support to maintain in-person and virtual classes, expand workforce development activities, and serve at least 375 students from the SLF footprint as they pursue GED completion and improve literacy skills. Over the next year, the organization will also offer programming in college and career planning, including support throughout the college application process.
See You At The Top – $150,000 for 2 years
This grant will provide general operating support for See You at The Top (SYATT) to expand partnerships and deliver high-quality programs for youth and adults across Greater Cleveland centered around environmental education. SYATT will continue its youth leadership program, maintaining engagement with 200 participants while increasing opportunities in culturally responsive activities such as scuba diving, camping, and skiing.
Thea Bowman Center – $220,000 for 2 year and $20,000 for capacity building support
This grant will provide general operating support for Thea Bowman to continue programs that address the basic needs of school-age youth, families, and seniors in Mt. Pleasant. Services include afterschool and summer learning, computer literacy, job support, adult literacy and GED preparation, tax assistance, and food distribution.
United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland, Inc. – $200,000 for 2 years
Under the Foundation’s Neighborhoods of Choice strategies for social-emotional well-being and financial stability, the United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland (UBF) will use this grant to support nonprofits led by Black, Latinx, and Indigenous leaders. UBF will also expand programs that strengthen organizational capacity in areas such as board development, strategic planning, leadership development, asset management, and fundraising.
Environmental Health Watch – $100,000 for 1 year
This grant will provide general operating support for Perspective Filmworks. Perspective Filmworks will film and produce a 10-part episode series called “Defunded: But Not Defeated” that lifts the veil of financial attacks in our neighborhoods and city and frontline organizations that are supporting our neighborhoods to improve their overall health and well being.
Greater Cleveland Food Bank – $200,000 for 2 years
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank will use this grant for general operating support to continue providing food resources to families and individuals in need across Cuyahoga County. A portion of the funding will strengthen food pantries within Saint Luke’s footprint by upgrading equipment and expanding services, including helping eligible residents register for public benefits.
Food Strong – $40,000 for 1 year
This grant will provide general operating support for Food Strong’s programs addressing health disparities, food insecurity, and inequitable access to nutrition and agricultural education. Building on the success of its new outdoor learning kitchen at John Adams High School, Food Strong will use the space to deliver hands-on garden and nutrition education. Students will learn to grow, harvest, and cook fresh foods while exploring wellness, food systems, and sustainability.
Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland – $75,000 for 1 year
This grant will provide general operating support for the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland as it develops a Food Rescue Kitchen. The kitchen will transform healthy, rescued food into nourishing meals for immediate use or flash-freezing, increasing production and delivering more meals to families within Saint Luke’s footprint.
PolicyBridge – $50,000 for 1 year
Serving as a public policy “think and action tank,” PolicyBridge will use this grant to strengthen its work with community partners on systems-level change in economic mobility as part of its Urban Agenda Collective Impact project. Focus areas include homeownership, business ownership, and workforce preparedness. With this investment, PolicyBridge will host design charrettes to engage youth ages 13 to 30 and gather feedback on workforce readiness and pathways to home and business ownership.
Undivided Cleveland – $80,000 for 1 year
Undivided Cleveland, in partnership with Moody Environmental LLC, will use this grant to eliminate lead hazards in at least seven homes in Mount Pleasant and provide families with medical, relocation, and legal support. Led by young local leaders, the program also works to prevent lead exposure and promote lead-safe environments through proactive strategies and community engagement.
About Saint Luke’s Foundation:
The Saint Luke’s Foundation is dedicated to achieving health equity by addressing social determinants of health for people in neighborhoods surrounding Saint Luke’s and throughout Cuyahoga County. Saint Luke’s is committed to demonstrating grantmaking that is responsive to the community and believes that people thrive as a result of living free of racism and poverty and experiencing equitable economic opportunities and conditions that enable them to lead healthier lives. Since it was established with the charitable assets of the Saint Luke’s Medical Center in 1997, the Foundation has awarded over $170 million in grants. For more information on the work of Saint Luke’s Foundation, please visit saintlukesfoundation.org
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Media Contact:
Devonta Dickey
Communications and Marketing Officer
Saint Luke’s Foundation
216.431.8010
ddickey@stlukesfdn.org