Page 19 - UBF Report to the Community

ADVERSITY CREATES OPPORTUNITY

HOW OUR CURRENT STATE IS LEADING US TO A NEW WORLD

FOR RACE, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION INITIATIVES

While healthcare response was the imperative at the onset of the pandemic, it was quickly recognized that there was also an urgent need for

community support in the areas of race, diversity, equity and inclusion. UBF became a conduit and a partner for funding institutions to uncover

opportunities to make a positive impact on Greater Cleveland’s disadvantaged communities.

The George Gund Foundation provided a major gift in the amount of $500,000 to assist in our efforts to address racial equity and social justice. This

generous investment will be directed by UBF into three areas: 1) The establishment of the Center for Thriving Organizations to work directly with

Black, LatinX and Indigenous-led organizations; 2) Streamlining UBF’s grantmaking process; and 3) The diversification of UBF’s sources of revenue

to ensure the organization’s long-term sustainability.

Dominion Energy and the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation created the Social Justice Grants Initiative and selected UBF to receive $100,000.

The announcement was made on June 19, 2020 in commemoration of the Juneteenth holiday. UBF will use this grant to address the fundamental

causes of systemic racism in American society, culture, education and economy. Grants will also be designated to help minority-owned and small

businesses recover from a host of recent disruptions to their businesses.

In addition to the ongoing support of $500,000 UBF receives from the United Way of Greater Cleveland, August A. Napoli,

President and CEO, Helen Forbes Fields, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, established a committee that was also co-chaired

by UBF’s Executive Director, Cecil J. Lipscomb. The work of this Equity Leadership Council has planted the seeds and exposed additional

opportunities to improve race, diversity, equity and inclusion practices in our community. The Council, among other things, evaluates the

policies and practices of how United Way of Greater Cleveland engages with the community, including how their grantees are selected. From those

revelations came strategic planning and program design.

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18 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY