19.7 Cleveland Neighborhood Progress

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress is a crucial component of the community engagement ecosystem in Cleveland. This is an umbrella organization that supports a network of CDCs and other community organizations—helping them to collaborate, share resources, and amplify their impact. The Partnership provides funding, technical assistance, and strategic planning support to enhance the effectiveness of CDCs.

Cleveland’s CDC system has long been seen as a national model, thanks in part to Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and their regranting program. The regranting program is a way to fund smaller, community-based organizations. Cleveland Neighborhood Progress gets large grants from major foundations or the government and then redistributes these funds to local groups, like CDCs. This method helps target resources more effectively, allowing local organizations to address their community’s specific needs with development projects and initiatives. In Cleveland, the regranting program has helped local CDCs with neighborhood improvements, including housing repairs, economic growth, and community services, leading to sustainable community development.

One example of how the regranting process works in Cleveland involves the Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and a local CDC.

First, the Cleveland Foundation awards a large grant to Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, an organization specializing in community development. Professionals at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, who are experts in identifying effective community programs, assess various initiatives across the city. They select the best programs based on their potential impact and alignment with community needs.

For example, they might identify a housing rehabilitation program proposed by a specific CDC, like the Northwest Neighborhoods CDC. Cleveland Neighborhood Progress then allocates a portion of the grant money to the Detroit Shoreway CDC to fund this specific program. As a result, the Northwest Neighborhoods CDC can implement their housing rehabilitation project, improving housing conditions and supporting economic development in their neighborhoods.