The people closest to a community’s challenges are often closest to its solutions, according to Saint Luke’s Foundation president and CEO Tim Tramble.

The St. Luke's Foundation invested $2.15 million in grants to 13 organizations working to advance health equity in Greater Cleveland.“The experts are the people of the community,” Tramble says. “How we leverage their advice, guidance, and wisdom is key to fostering radical social and metaphysical transformation—transcending mind, body, and spirit.”

That belief is reflected in the Saint Luke’s Foundation’s latest round of grantmaking. During its second-quarter board meeting, the foundation’s board of trustees approved $2.15 million in grants to 13 organizations that are working to advance health equity across Greater Cleveland.

The grants align with the St. Luke’s refined strategic framework, which focuses on five areas: Belonging and People Power; Economic Vitality; Placemaking and Place keeping; Holistic Well-Being; and Lifelong Learning.

“Last year, we engaged in a deliberate process of listening, learning, and refinement—not to change our direction, but to more clearly articulate the conditions that allow communities to thrive,” Tramble explained in the St. Luke’s Foundation’s press release.

The updated framework, he added, was shaped by community voice and grounded in lived experience.

Among the organizations receiving support is Art of Me Productions, which received $40,000 to support youth and adult storytelling workshops and film education programs. The organization engages students and adults in creating stories through writing, film, and art.

LegalWorks Inc. is among the organizations to receive funding in Saint Luke's Foundation's latest round of grants.Village of Healing received $250,000 in operating support for holistic physical and mental health care services, as well as peer support programs designed to address gaps in culturally responsive care across Northeast Ohio.

City Year Cleveland was awarded $200,000 to support academic coaching, social and emotional learning, and school climate programming at Harvey Rice Wraparound and A.J. Rickoff elementary schools.

The largest grant, $1 million, was awarded to Cuyahoga Land Bank Charities to support housing stabilization, redevelopment planning, neighborhood revitalization efforts, and other community development work in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood.

The remainder of the funding will support projects focused on urban agriculture, environmental education, youth development, arts programming, small business assistance, and athletic and community programming.

Tramble says the Foundation's approach is rooted in the communities it serves.

“We fundamentally believe self-agency and liberated ideation among marginalized groups will lead to the best solutions for resolving pervasive problems within distressed communities,” he says. “We are guided by community voice.”

The grants arrive at a time when many nonprofit organizations face financial challenges.

“We know of few organizations thriving in the current funding landscape,” Tramble says. “Nearly all nonprofit organizations are forced to do more with less resources.”

Saint Luke's Foundation's latest grant recipients include organizations focused on urban agriculture, environmental education, and community development.Despite those challenges, he says many community organizations continue to innovate.

“Many of the organizations we invest in have always had to operate through scarcity and on thin margins,” he explains. “They are used to such challenging circumstances and because they never had access to the wells that have run dry—they are, in fact, leading the way in innovation in service delivery.”

Dr. Teresa Dews, Saint Luke's Foundation board chair, says the organizations selected this quarter reflect the St. Luke’s commitment to listening to community voices.

“This quarter’s strategy partners exemplify exactly why that commitment matters,” Dews said in the release. “They reflect a deep understanding of the challenges faced in the communities we serve and a shared vision for solutions that advance belonging, well-being, and long-term opportunity for every resident.”

For Tramble, he says the grants represent an investment in Cleveland residents and their potential to shape their communities.

“Valuable under-utilized human capital exists in plain sight,” he says. “Give us an opportunity and we will give you something exceptional.”

Since its establishment in 1997 with the charitable assets of Saint Luke’s Medical Center, the Foundation has awarded more than $231 million in grants.