We envision a greater Cleveland.
and WE have a strategy to build it together.
Our Strategy
Our strategy is to invest in local changemakers serving women and advancing gender justice in Cleveland while advocating for the long-term change of policies and practices that have historically disadvantaged women+
Investing locally
Collaborate Cleveland’s Flourish Award directly supports local changemakers who invest their time, resources, and often their own well-being to serve women+ in Cleveland and champion gender justice. This one-time award hopes to help replenish and refuel local changemakers, sustaining them and their invaluable contributions to our whole Cleveland community.
In 2019*, philanthropic support for women and girls made up
ONLY 1.9%
of overall charitable giving
Source: *Based on data from 48,395 charitable organizations dedicated to women and girls. Women & Girls Index 2022: Measuring Giving to Women’s and Girls’ Causes
Advocating for Policy Change
We support the long-term change of policies and practices that have historically disadvantaged women. Our focus is at the intersection of gender, race, and economic security. We are active locally and regionally—always with an eye on opportunities to support and participate in advocacy at the state and federal levels.
The average earnings for Black Women who worked full time all year is less than the average for all women.
$41,719
Average earnings for Black Women
$49,263
Average earnings for all women
Engaging Our Community
We serve as a convener and sponsor for strategic discussions, campaigns, and collaborations to raise understanding and ultimately spark action.
On average, women perform
7 additional years
of unpaid work than men do over their lifetimes.
How we think about women & gender justice
Our understanding of gender justice is rooted in a recognition that our society’s systems, policies, and practices are structured to benefit some and deeply disadvantage others. We ground all of our work in gender, racial, and economic justice to address the disproportionate impact these systems and structures have on women — especially Black Women and other women of color.
We recognize that language around gender identity continues to evolve. We are committed to an inclusive understanding of gender expression centered on the systems that limit access to women’s and nonbinary and gender-expansive people’s safety, health, wellbeing, bodily autonomy, and opportunity.