The Cleveland-based George Gund Foundation has announced grants totaling $16.2 million in support of efforts to address pressing issues across Ohio, including climate change, racial injustice and inequality, and democracy building.

Awards include $1.5 million to the Energy Foundation for the Ohio Climate Justice Fund, which invests in Ohio organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and other people of color who work at the intersection of racial justice and climate action; $800,000 to the Community Builders in support of resident engagement and to provide supportive services in a mixed-income housing community in the Woodhill/Buckeye area; and $500,000 to help launch a racial equity training series for Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) educators.

Other grants include $200,000 over two years to the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless in general operating support and in support of a housing justice fellowship; $250,000 to Case Western Reserve University for First Year Cleveland, which is focused on reducing racial inequities that lead to infant mortality, particularly for Black women and babies in Cleveland; $1.5 million over two years in support of the Say Yes Integrated Health initiative, which works to provide physical, mental, and behavioral health care to CMSD students through school-based services; and $150,000 to the Western Reserve Historical Society in support of the museum's African-American archives.

(Photo credit: The Community Builders)