Grant Makers

The Cleveland Foundation’s mission is to enhance the lives of all residents of Greater Cleveland, now and for generations to come, by working together with our donors to build community endowment, address needs through grantmaking, and provide leadership on key community issues.

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s mission is to inspire and strengthen the community by investing in arts and culture. In 2016, we set a new vision and set of values that will, together with our mission, support our efforts for the next ten years.

The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

​​The John P. Murphy Foundation was established in 1960 by attorney and businessman John P. Murphy and his wife Gladys T. Murphy to distribute grants for “charitable, educational, scientific, literary and religious purposes” in the Greater Cleveland area. In the past twenty years, the John P. Murphy Foundation distributed nearly $57.0 million in grants.

The Kulas Foundation was established in 1937 by the industrialist Elroy J. Kulas and his wife Fynette Hill Kulas with the primary purpose of supporting the musical arts in the Greater Cleveland area. In the past 20 years, the Kulas Foundation has distributed more than $50 million in grants.

The George Gund Foundation was established in 1952 as a private, nonprofit institution with the sole purpose of contributing to human well-being and the progress of society. Over the years, program objectives and emphases have been modified to meet the changing opportunities and problems of our society, but the foundation’s basic goal of advancing human welfare remains constant.

The Rex Foundation aims to help secure a healthy environment, promote individuality in the arts, provide support to critical and necessary social services, assist others less fortunate than ourselves, protect the rights of indigenous people and ensure their cultural survival, build a stronger community, and educate children and adults everywhere.

Together, Martha Holden Jennings and her nephew, Arthur S. Holden, Jr., founded the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation in 1959. Their intent was to recognize and support Ohio’s public school teachers and students, a population they believed had been overlooked in philanthropic circles in favor of higher education.

The Abington Foundation was established to support organizations that promote education, health care, economic independence and cultural activities in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The current priority is urban education.

The Bruening Foundation was founded by Eva and Joseph Bruening, successful Clevelanders who cared deeply about the success of their city. The foundation’s mission is to fund crucial efforts today that help every child in Cuyahoga County grow into adulthood with health, wellness and dignity.

The Thomas H. White Foundation focuses its grantmaking on organizations located in Cuyahoga County that provide early childhood enrichment, educational success and workforce readiness programs for City of Cleveland residents.