The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland traces its roots back to 1851, when the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine (CSA) arrived in Cleveland from France to serve as the first public health nurses. In 1973 the sisters used the proceeds of the sale of Saint Ann Hospital to endow the Saint Ann Foundation, the first health care conversion foundation and the first foundation formed by a congregation of Catholic sisters in the United States. In 2006, the Sisters of Charity Health Foundation of Cleveland merged with the Saint Ann Foundation and the two foundations blended their missions. Central to the mission of both foundations and a deep-seated facet of the foundation today is supporting congregations of Catholic sisters and their ministries.
The Saint Ann Legacy Grants are responsive grants to support the ministries of Catholic sisters in Northeast Ohio as they work to meet the needs of God’s people. Ministries of Catholic sisters include those that are sponsored or led by Catholic sisters or programs at other organizations where sisters are significantly involved. The purpose of these grants is to support the sisters at work in our region today.
Consistent with the Foundation’s mission, the Saint Ann Legacy Grant gives special attention to ministries reaching out to those most in need, particularly low-income women, children, and youth. The program, however, also recognizes the call of women religious to address other areas of need, such as spiritual needs, social justice, or ecology.
Use of funds: Funds may be used for program expenses, planning, operations, training, technology needs, salary support and capacity-building for ministries. Grants will not support endowments, annual appeals, membership drives, debt retirement, individual scholarships, or capital expenses.
Use of funds timeline: The timeline for use of funds is up to one year.
Funding available: Due to the increased needs of organizations at this time, the Saint Ann Legacy Grant Program will award grants of up to $20,000 in 2021. Please note, funding requests always exceed the grant program budget and an effort is put forth to ensure members or ministries of congregations across the Dioceses of Cleveland and Youngstown are represented in the funding decisions.
Congregational leader support letter: Proposals should be accompanied by a support letter from the current congregational leader of the religious order of the sister(s) involved in the ministry.
Eligible ministries: Applicants must be ministries of Catholic sisters, defined to include ministries sponsored by orders or led by women religious or organizations where women religious are significantly involved in northeast Ohio as defined as the Dioceses of Cleveland and Youngstown. Applicants must have tax-exempt status as nonprofit organizations, as identified by the Internal Revenue Code. Grants are not made to individuals. Special attention will be given to ministries reaching out to those most in need, particularly low-income women, children, and youth.
Grant cycle: Grant recipients can receive three consecutive Saint Ann Legacy grants and then must take a year off before reapplying. Please contact Ursula Craig if you are unsure of the status of your ministry.
Current Saint Ann Legacy grantees: Organizations that have previously received grants under this program must submit a report on the activities and funds spent to date as part of their application. If grant funds have not been fully spent by the time of the application, please contact Ursula Craig to request a Progress Report. If grant funds have been spent, a Final Report will be required and is available in the grants system.
Site visits: During the review process, applicants may be asked to schedule a phone call to discuss their proposals.
Deadlines: This year, there will be two deadlines for this grant program. It is possible that if you submit an application during the first round that your proposal would be deferred to the second round. See the grant deadlines below:
Our grants management system is online. To successfully submit an application, please follow the directives listed below:
Application deadline: April 16 and July 22, 2021, at 4:59 p.m.
Attend a virtual information session about the 2021 Grant Process on March 11th at 11 a.m. by registering here.
For technical assistance questions for application submission, please contact:
Ursula Craig ucraig@socfcleveland.org
For grant development:
Margaret Eigsti, 216-225-6034 or meigsti@socfcleveland.org.
Get a PDF copy of the 2021 Saint Ann Legacy Grant Program guidelines here: 2021 Saint Ann Legacy Grant Program guidelines
