Healthy Lakewood Foundation Awards $180,000 In Community Grants And Is Accepting Applications For Neighborhood Opportunity Grants Funding

The Healthy Lakewood Foundation (HLF) Board of Directors awarded $180,000 in funding for its Community Grants program at its July Board meeting. Seven area organizations were granted funds to advance programs that address social determinants of health and address critical needs in the community.

HLF’s Board President Khalilah Worley Billy explains that “Through our Community Grants Program, HLF’s funding can support programs that target food insecurity, housing and neighborhood conditions, access to high-quality educational programs, and social and community connections.”

HLF places a priority on programs that support low-income single-parent families, children and youth, older adults, and immigrants and refugees.

Funding included awards to:

• Lakewood Community Services Center for their Summer Lunch and Enrichment Program that offers recreational, socialization, and educational opportunities to income-eligible families with free nutritious meals provided to Lakewood campers in grades K-5.
• Neighborhood Family Practice for patient advocacy services at the North Coast Community Health Center in Lakewood that increase access to care, enhance health care delivery, and to improve health outcomes.
• LakewoodAlive for Project Safe Senior programming that offers aging-in-place assessments, low cost/high-impact home improvements, and community resources and referrals for senior residents to increase their safety at home.
• Reach Out and Read Greater Cleveland for evidence-based literacy programming during annual child wellness visits (infancy- age 5) embedded in three Lakewood pediatric practices and the Cleveland Clinic’s Family Medicine Residency Program.

See the complete list of grant funding awarded on HLF’s website.

Additionally, HLF is excited to announce that it is accepting online application requests for Neighborhood Opportunity Grants funding starting on Monday August 14, 2023.

Neighborhood Opportunity Grants support small-scale community-based projects and initiatives that increase engagement, creativity, and connection. Funding is for projects in Lakewood that:

• Build and support community through activities, events, programming, and/or resource sharing.
• Address one or more social determinants of health.
• Advance our understanding of the needs of community members through innovative and creative projects.

Neighborhood Opportunity Grants funding ranges between $1,000 – 10,000. The grant application, along with additional steps, support and resources, can be found on our website. HLF staff support is also available on our site.

Applications will be accepted through Tuesday September 26, 2023, with funding awards announced in November 2023. To learn more about this opportunity, please visit HLF’s website.

Complete List:

• $10,000 to Reach Out and Read Greater Cleveland for evidence-based literacy programming during annual child wellness visits (infancy- age 5) embedded in three Lakewood pediatric practices and the Cleveland Clinic’s Family Medicine Residency Program.
• $20,000 to Journey Center for Safety and Healing for the Justice System Advocacy Program (JSAP) in Lakewood for domestic violence victim advocacy, support groups, safety planning, assistance with protection orders, and connections to resources in the community.
• $20,000 to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio (PPGOH) for the expansion of evidence-based sexual health curriculum for Lakewood high school students enrolled in in-school health education.
• $25,000 to LakewoodAlive for Project Safe Senior programming that offers aging-in-place assessments, low cost/high-impact home improvements, and community resources and referrals for senior residents to increase their safety at home. Additional funding for data management and program evaluation.
• $25,000 to Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) for the 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program that secures and mentors Lakewood high school students in meaningful and skill-building summer employment.
• $40,000 to the Lakewood Community Services Center (LCSC) for the 2024 Summer Lunch and Enrichment Program that offers recreational, socialization, and educational opportunities to income-eligible families with free nutritious meals provided to Lakewood campers in grades K-5.
• $40,000 to Neighborhood Family Practice for patient advocacy services at the North Coast Community Health Center in Lakewood that increase access to care, enhance health care delivery, and to improve health outcomes.