About Deaconess Foundation
The Deaconess Foundation concentrates its giving on Greater Cleveland economic mobility by investing in workforce development and youth employment programs. It tends to fund organizations that provide job training, placement and youth opportunity services, and supports regional collaborative efforts that strengthen the local workforce ecosystem. Grants are frequently multi-year or repeat awards aimed at sustaining operations and launching pilots rather than one-off project grants.
Focus Areas
Youth employment and career pathways in Cleveland (e.g., out-of-school youth programs)Workforce development and job training for disconnected adultsCapacity/general operating support for workforce nonprofitsRegional workforce ecosystem building and funder collaboratives (membership/support for local economic initiatives)
Who They Fund
youth and high school students (including summer program participants)adult job-seekers transitioning into healthcare and trade occupationsjustice-impacted returning citizens (reentry clients)
About Deaconess Foundation
Deaconess Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by a $300,000 membership grant to Fund for Our Economic Future for the Workforce Funders Group, showing how often it backs collaborative infrastructure as part of its workforce strategy. The foundation’s grant records point to a Cleveland-centered funder that supports both direct service providers and regional convenings, with awards ranging from youth programming and career pathways to adult job training and systems-change work. Youth Opportunities Unlimited appears multiple times in the recent grant list, including support for its Greater Cleveland career consortium leadership and for summer youth programming, which places youth employment at the center of the foundation’s portfolio. Towards Employment is another repeated recipient, funded for career pathway support, general operations, and a pilot with Neighborhood Connections, indicating interest in organizations that combine employment services with capacity building and neighborhood-connected pilots. Other recent awards extend to legal aid, college-to-career advising, and healthcare workforce programs, suggesting a broad but locally focused approach to economic mobility in Greater Cleveland.
What Deaconess Foundation Funds
Youth employment is one of the clearest themes in Deaconess Foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $230,500 to Youth Opportunities Unlimited in 2024 for general operating support, summer youth programming, and a meeting stipend, and $110,000 to Open Doors Academy for its High School Plus program. The foundation also supported college and career navigation. College Now Greater Cleveland received $180,000 to train school and community personnel to integrate career planning within CMSD and beyond through the C4CI program, followed by $130,000 in 2024 for its Center on Education to Career Advising. Health-care workforce training is another strand. Cleveland Center for Arts & Technology (dba Newbridge) received $176,248 for adult healthcare workforce development programming and continuous improvement coaching, while Cuyahoga Community College Foundation received $84,000 for retention and advancement support to Tri-C graduates in health care occupations.
How Deaconess Foundation Gives
Deaconess Foundation’s typical grant size is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $21,000 at the median, and $73,750 at the 75th percentile, showing a portfolio that includes both smaller support grants and larger awards. The recent record also shows repeated funding to the same organizations across multiple years, especially for workforce and youth-serving nonprofits, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-time grants. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and uses both programmatic and general operating grants, including invite-only multiyear support. It also has a Mission Outreach Fund with $500–$3,500 grants and accepts unsolicited applications there, while some multiyear awards are invitation only.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2M
Total Assets
$65.4M
Total Revenue
$4.2M
Total Expenses
$2.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $74K, with a median of $21K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$21K
75th Percentile
$74K
Geographic Reach
Local3 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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