Cleveland Gets New Civic Incubator

The Cleveland Foundation has recently launched a new project as part of its economic development funding initiative. The Cleveland Foundation, in conjunction with five collaborating partners, Business Volunteers Unlimited, Cleveland Bridge Builders, Council Of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), Leadership Cleveland and the President's Council, started the Civic Innovation Lab to provide support, including mentorship, networks, visibility, and funding, to individuals with ideas for fostering economic development in Greater Cleveland.

The Civic Innovation Lab will support projects that produce a tangible and measurable economic impact in the community, such as attracting and retaining talent and resources; encouraging entrepreneurship; increasing international opportunities and economic connections; and creating a vibrant place to live and work. Individuals who apply and are selected into the Lab will be paired with a mentor or group of mentors that will help them finalize and implement their project idea.

The Cleveland Foundation, a public charity dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Greater Cleveland, is the original and second-largest community foundation in the nation. Its establishment in 1914 is cited as one of 10 events that most heavily influenced the development of the nonprofit sector in the 20th Century and it continues to be a leader in its field. The Foundation has assets of approximately $1.3 billion and in 2002 awarded more than $74 million in grants and low-cost loans to Cleveland area nonprofit organizations.

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Visit the Civic Innovation Lab here.