The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, a community-based funder committed to addressing the needs of the poor and underserved by addressing the social drivers of health, has named Stella Singer as program officer. When she joins the foundation on October 19, she will work to define and develop program areas, provide technical assistance to applicants and grantees, review grant applications, monitor existing grants and more. The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System.
“As the current director of foundation relations & government grants with the Sisters of Charity Health System, Stella has proven herself to be very adept as a fund development professional with a knack for building relationships with internal and external stakeholders,” said Michael Goar, president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland and president & CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System. “Building those relationships will be especially important as we continue to ramp up operations at the foundation, especially with our focus on serving Cleveland’s Central neighborhood in addressing the areas of health, education and social services.”
At the health system, Singer has created institutional giving plans for initiatives under development, new collaborations and ongoing activities for Cleveland-area ministries of the health system. She has also worked to identify new funding opportunities to advance the health system’s interests and goals. Previously, she was senior manager of foundation relations with the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center, director of corporate & foundation relations at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry and foundation gift officer at The Cleveland Orchestra.
“I’ve been working in philanthropy on the grant-seeking side of the business for over a decade. That experience, along with my familiarity with the Sisters of Charity and Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, equips me to elevate grantmaking at the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland,” said Singer. “This is an exciting time for the foundation and I’m looking forward to using the knowledge, expertise and relationships I’ve developed through my career as a grants professional to advance the foundation’s work in the Central neighborhood and beyond.”
Singer holds a Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Barnard College at Columbia University.
About the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland advances the mission and legacy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine through strategic philanthropy that improves the health and well-being of individuals and families. Following a strategic review of its philanthropic priorities, the Foundation has renewed its grantmaking with a focused commitment to supporting organizations that strengthen Cleveland’s Central neighborhood—the historic community served for generations by St. Vincent Charity Hospital and now home to the St. Vincent Charity Health & Healing Hub. Learn more at
socfcleveland.org.