Three prominent community development groups in Cleveland have merged, and staffers say the resulting alliance will help strengthen community revitalization efforts across the city, foster more unified advocacy, and allow for greater efficiency in citywide efforts.

Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI), a community development intermediary that provides grants and technical assistance to community development corporations (CDCs), has merged with Cleveland Neighborhood Developm... Read more >

A Shaker Heights High School project about the Kent State shootings will be brought into classrooms throughout the Cleveland area thanks to a nonprofit that believes education is the key to stopping such events from happening again.

Facing History and Ourselves awarded Shaker Heights High School teacher John Morris $3,000 to collaborate with Kent State University professor David Hassler on the project. American history, literature and theater students at Shaker ... Read more >

Summer traditionally is the season for kids to laze about or get shuttled off to camp by their parents. Cleveland Public Library has whipped up an imaginative way keep children engaged in reading during the hot months through its Summer Reading Club.

This year's Make it a Great Summer program will run until August 2. While it is designed to keep the minds of its young participants active and ready for a return to the classroom, that doesn't mean sitting them among... Read more >

Fifth Third Bank wants Northeast Ohioans who might be anxious about walking into a financial institution to get on the bus.

The bank has partnered with local community organizations to bring the Financial Empowerment Mobile, or eBus, to nine locations in the region from June 19 to June 29. The eBus is a rolling classroom providing credit counseling, financial literacy, home ownership assistance, and access to banking services directly to where people live, says Rob Soroka... Read more >

The proverb "It takes a village to raise a child"  has been transferred to the gridiron by Northeast Ohio Pop Warner, an organization inviting the region's children to participate either as football players or cheerleaders.

Kids aged 5-12 can play football, while the age range for cheerleaders is 5-13. The nonprofit is hosting two free preseason football and cheerleading training camps this month for the underprivileged children the program services. Th... Read more >

Young urbanist leaders who were in Cleveland this week for Next City's annual Vanguard conference were asked a provocative question about this city's future. With new development activity happening in neighborhoods across a city that still is devastatingly poor, how can we do a better job of ensuring that these projects will benefit our poorest residents?

"I'm a little concerned that as we build projects, we're creating a city for yuppies and a city f... Read more >

All women have the right to quality health care, including a full spectrum of obstetrical and gynecological treatment. A network of area women have started an initiative to ensure those needs are met.

Summa Foundation Circle of Women's Health Philanthropists is led by a collection of female executives, professionals and social philanthropists. The group launched in April and has raised over $65,000 in pledges to bring pre-natal care and other critical medical adv... Read more >

The Brain Gain Cleveland Project (BGCP) has teamed up with the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association to stage a lunchtime pep rally for the city they love.

The rally will be hosted by the legal organization and serve as its annual meeting, just with a far more diverse crowd than usual, says Debra Mayers Hollander, deputy director of scouting for BGCP.

Hollander is expecting 1,000 guests to make it to the floor of Quicken Loans Arena for the June 28 event. A... Read more >

Near West Theatre's new home will be nothing if not active when it opens next year. It will be filled with youth and adults rehearsing for its signature brand of community theatre -- large ensemble productions that bring the arts to youth and city residents.

And when its shows are running, it will draw up to 275 patrons per show into a new, state-of-the-art theatre that caps off a string of investments in the Gordon Square Arts District.

The building not only... Read more >

The Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, a nationally-recognized research organization, service provider and policy advocate that works with older adults and caregivers, is set to open a new 6,000-square-foot administrative headquarters and training center.

"What's new about the facility is that we intend to broaden the scope of our training to a couple of new audiences," says CEO Richard Browdie of the building at Fairhill Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive... Read more >

When every sector of a populace thrives, so does the community as a whole. The local chapter of a national philanthropic organization plans to shine a light on this and other issues during a series of programs in 2013.

Philanthropic support of black male achievement will be the subject of the Foundation Center's first Rising Tide program on May 22, says director Cindy Bailie. Nearly every major indicator of economic, social and physical well-being shows that black men... Read more >

Soccer, creative writing and volunteerism might seem like an odd mix, just don't tell that to the students helped by America SCORES Cleveland, an organization that has been providing unique after-school programming for almost 10 years.

The local chapter of America SCORES, which launched in 2004, serves more than 500 youths in 10 Cleveland public schools. The program is designed to create "poet-athletes" through an innovative triple threat of soccer, poetry a... Read more >

Nine young Northeast Ohio businesses were inducted into the Charter One Launch100 Leadership Circle on April 25. Local inductees included Nicole Zmij, CEO of Amplified Wind Solutions in Cleveland, Lindsay Sims, founder and CEO of Renter’s BOOM, Lissette Rivera, founder of SafeCare, all in Cleveland, and Shaquita Graham, CEO of King J Transportation in South Euclid.

“The Launch100 Leadership Circle really focuses on minority entrepreneurs and encourages them to... Read more >

On Thursday, May 2, Bad Girl Ventures celebrated nine finalists in its business plan competition during its spring 2013 graduation ceremony at The Galleries at CSU, announcing the winner of its $25,000 BGV loan and other awards.

Jewels Johnson, owner of the Sugar Plum Cake Company, earned the $25,000 loan for her custom cake bakery. She plans to use the loan to open and expand her new physical store and offices, as well as develop her Devour! Gourmet Baking Mixes line.Read more >

United Way of Greater Cleveland has been a steady supporter of Cleveland's schools for years. The charity organization is now looking for some outside assistance as the city works to change the fortunes of the struggling district.

United Way is inviting volunteers to invest their time and talent in conjunction with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's initiative to transform its underachieving schools. The CMSD volunteer opportunities have not yet bee... Read more >

 About 2,000 days pass from when a child is born to the moment he or she enters kindergarten. Officials from The Centers for Families & Children believe every one of those days is critical in preparing a child's educational future, and have created a new campaign to back up that point.

The 2,000 Day Pledge asks parents already involved with The Centers to keep their kids in an early learning program for as many days as possible within the first 2,00... Read more >

Barroco, a Colombian and Latin American restaurant with another location is in Lakewood, recently opened a small cafe on W. 6th Street to bring its signature Latin American street food to the Warehouse District.

The new eatery, which can seat about 40 inside and outside on its patio, offers the popular arepa -- thick corn tortillas that are split like English muffins and filled with a variety of meat and veggies -- as well as other favorites such as a Cuban sandwich, Colo... Read more >

The Cleveland Hostel welcomes travelers from all over the world, so it makes perfect sense for owner Mark Raymond to expand that welcoming attitude to an important issue impacting both the country and the state of Ohio.

On April 18, Raymond's Ohio City-based hostel hosted an event that raised awareness and signatures for the Freedom to Marry Ohio movement dedicated to ending marriage discrimination.

Over 75 attendees gathered to support the Freedom to Marry a... Read more >

The 2014 Gay Games was a great "get" for the Cleveland-Akron area, as the region was selected over larger competing metropolises like Boston and Washington, D.C. The Cleveland Foundation has reinforced the notion of the games' importance with some hefty financial support.

The foundation recently awarded the games a $250,000 grant, forming a partnership that makes the organization the games' top sponsor. The event is now named the 2014 Gay Games presented... Read more >