Cleveland Foundation
Cleveland, Ohio
Ph: 216.861.3810
This January will mark the 100th anniversary of the formation of the first community foundation in the world. The foundation was established a century ago in 1914 by Frederick H. Goff, who was a Cleveland lawyer, banker, civic leader and humanist.
Mr. Goff, was the first philanthropist to pool community dollars into a single endowment, to serve his local community. Today, there are over 1,700 community foundations working throughout the world.
To honor their centennial, the foundation has planned numerous events throughout the year, starting with monthly birthday gifts to the city. The foundation wants to honor the city residents and donors who have supported the foundation.
The first gift the foundation has announced will be given on January 16. Residents of Greater Cleveland will be able to enjoy the rapid, HealthLine, bus, or paratransit at no cost for the entire day. Other gifts will be announced near the beginning of each coming month to engage the community in the celebration of the Cleveland Foundation
Later in the year, the foundation will welcome two prominent figures in philanthropy for keynote speeches. First, in April 2014, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will serve as the keynote speaker during the Foundations’ third biennial African-American Philanthropy Summit.
In June 2014, the foundation will hold its Centennial Meeting to celebrate the work of community philanthropists, both locally and throughout the world, and to establish future foundation goals. Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who helped found America’s Promise, will deliver the annual Robert D. Gries Lecture at the Centennial Meeting.
Additionally, the foundation has created a new website to highlight its history and contributions to Cleveland. The site includes a detailed timeline, as well as videos, donor biographies and searchable content. Click here, http://www.clevelandfoundation.org/100, to access the new site.
For more information on the Cleveland Foundation, click here.