Fund For Our Economic Future

01/23/2024

Today, we announced a job posting for Director, Recompete Plan – Cleveland to help lead the ex*****on of a $500,000 Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete) strategy development grant awarded through the Economic Development Administration in late December.

Our application was one of just 24 to receive a Strategy Development Grant award of more than 550 proposals submitted across the country. The funding will enable us to develop a project plan for the Site Readiness Initiative, which aims to bring vacant and underused industrial land back into productive use to create thousands of good-paying jobs for Cleveland residents.

We're seeking candidates for an 18-month term to lead this project. Please review and share the position description (at thefundneo.org/careers) with your networks!

EDA funds strategic planning for inclusive job creation January 23, 2024   WE'RE HIRING! Director, Recompete Plan – Cleveland Today, we announced a job posting for Director, Recompete Plan – Cleveland

11/13/2023

We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Bishara Addison, Fund Director of Job Preparation/Workforce Innovation, in being named a Crain's Cleveland Business 40 Under 40 honoree! She joins some of the best and brightest in our region, working to make Northeast Ohio a better, stronger economy rich with opportunity and brighter futures for all who call our region home. We're honored to work alongside her, and continue to be inspired by her contributions and thought leadership! Celebrating you today, Bishara!

For Bishara Addison, it’s all about the work, and doing it in the place that you love best.For Addison, a native and resident of Shaker Heights, that means helping to advance workforce issues in and around Cleveland.She came home to the region after attending George Washington University and then ...

11/08/2023

We’re looking forward to joining Team NEO in Medina November 14 to celebrate the launch of Developing Opportunities and explore the data around site inventory demand that can help the region compete better and support inclusive growth. Register for this free event here:

Please join us for the Developing Opportunities launch event. We will release a research & insights based on recent site inventory demand.

11/07/2023

New look, same enduring vision. Our new brand is making its debut! Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news and insights from the Fund for Our Economic Future, a civic collaborative working to grow the everyone economy, where good jobs and rising incomes are within reach for all Northeast Ohioans.

11/03/2023

Congratulations to Fund President Bethia Burke for once again being named to the Fall 2023 Ohio 500 list by Ohio Business Magazine for her significant work in inclusive economic development. The list celebrates 500 of the most powerful and influential Ohioans who are working to make our state great. As you flip to page 32, you'll see she's in outstanding company — alongside several other recognized Fund members and influential leaders across Northeast Ohio. Applause to all for continuing to enrich and advance Ohio's ever-evolving economy! https://buff.ly/3G1uhZX

11/02/2023

Big news! This week marks the official launch of Where Matters — an open-source site analysis tool that reveals the hidden insights that support more equitable, sustainable communities across more than 380 metros nationwide. Click below to read the press release or visit https://buff.ly/40oICJi to explore how place influences your organization's talent, equity and sustainability goals.

Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/gz-xAQN9

09/25/2023

Transportation access is a critical factor in finding and keeping a job. In a guest blog post for the Deaconess Foundation, Senior Director of Applied Research Jeffrey Weston Sleasman elevates what we've learned about worker mobility and talent through our work at the Fund for Our Economic Future.

"In late 2021 ... Only 4% of employers listed transportation as a top HR/talent acquisition strategy during the previous two years and only 3% said it was something they were considering in the next five years." Thanks to the Deaconess Foundation for elevating this work and supporting a more equitable Northeast Ohio economy.

Read more at

Transportation Lessons for Better Worker Mobility from the Paradox Prize This is a guest post by Jeffrey Weston Sleasman, Senior Director of Applied Research at the Fund for Our Economic Future. As the Fund for Our Economic Future has worked to elevate and address mobility challenges facing Northeas...

09/01/2023

In a letter to the editor published this week in Crain's Cleveland Business, Fund Senior Director of Applied Research Jeffrey Weston Sleasman encourages Northeast Ohio municipalities to take a closer look at how outdated parking mandates could be stifling development, costing residents and businesses, and worsening traffic, among other negative effects. The City Club of Cleveland recently passed new legislation to address these issues. Read the full piece at

The city of Cleveland recently passed legislation that will update parking mandates and include mobility alternatives for projects that are near high-frequency transit routes. These regulatory changes are important.

08/11/2023

The Fund is always proud to partner with innovative organizations advancing inclusive and sustainable economies. Current is Chicago’s water innovation hub — and as one of Current's Great Lakes ReNew partners through the Cleveland Innovation Project we are pleased to share that the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced Current is among 16 national finalists in the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program — looking to yield up to $160 million over 10 years to boost Great Lakes leadership on sustainable ecosystems.

The ReNEW initiative is a six-state, cross-sector collaborative aiming to meet the increasingly urgent global need for safe, secure, and affordable water. It aims to transform the Great Lakes region by accelerating resource recovery from wastewater — to drive a decarbonized circular blue economy and create inclusive, innovative ecosystems in this region and beyond.

See more info about the program on the NSF Regional Innovation Engine website:

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

08/04/2023

On Fast Company today, Fund for Our Economic Future President Bethia (Cullis) Burke shares five ways employers can help good workers keep their jobs by rethinking transportation. These strategies emerged from The Paradox Prize initiative that funded eight worker mobility pilots across Northeast Ohio and led to enduring solutions to break the 'No car, no job. No job, no car' paradox for workers. Read the article at https://buff.ly/3rXpq88

How someone gets to work is a hidden issue that can cost employers good workers and people their jobs.

08/04/2023

This week, The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland hosted "The Benefits Cliff: How It’s Impacting Workers, Employers, and the Economy."

Our 2022 survey explored this topic, revealing that among the top barriers to work Northeast Ohio residents reported was ‘pay too low to support a family’ -- a critical reality along with other factors that make up the benefits cliff. Head to our Strengthening Workplaces dashboard at https://buff.ly/3GS0vYG to learn more about what’s drawing Northeast Ohio workers in—and keeping them out—of work.

Interactive dashboards to explore