Bishop Anthony M. Pilla created The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Foundation in 2000. It is a faith-based foundation designed to foster philanthropy throughout the eight-county Diocese, which includes Ashland, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit and Wayne Counties. On behalf of the Bishop, the Foundation coordinates fundraising for schools, agencies and organizations owned and operated by the Diocese.

Divisions We Serve
The Foundation was created to assist Diocesan Divisions with Annual Appeals, Capital Campaigns, Endowment Management, Donor Cultivation and Communications, and Grantseeking and Proposal Development.

Some of the Divisions We Serve Include:

Catholic Charities Health and Human Services
Catholic Education
Chancery
Clergy and Religious
Parish Life and Development

Annual Appeals
Through the coordination of annual fundraising appeals, the Foundation applies its resources to developing solicitation materials, scheduling direct mailings, preparing gift acknowledgements and receipts and conducting telephone follow-up of direct mail efforts.

Capital Campaigns
A capital campaign is an ambitious fundraising enterprise. The Foundation can take many of the unknown elements out of capital campaign planning by offering services ranging from advising to planning and preparation to direct counsel and oversight.

Endowment Management
The Foundation can assist organizations in the creation and professional management of their endowment funds. By partnering with the Foundation, organizations join a larger pool of invested funds achieving greater efficiency in the management of their endowments, and reducing management fees.

Donor Cultivation and Communications
Educating existing and potential donors is a critical part to encouraging them to truly become a part of the church. The Foundation is able to develop and distribute communication materials that are interesting, motivational and specific to a particular school, agency or cause.

Grantseeking and Proposal Development
Grantseeking is an important element in a comprehensive fund-development program. The Foundation provides a variety of resources and services to support grantseeking by schools, agencies and other organizations within the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. The Diocesan process is a proactive effort to further the strategic initiatives of the Diocese and its constituent organizations. The process concurrently provides an organization with the opportunity to evaluate itself and its programs while assessing the greatest needs of those it serves.

Financial Benefits
The Foundation will manage an organization's funds, provide a monthly report describing funds held and fund performance and report money available for spending from endowment reports. The Foundation will also monitor the performance of its investment managers.

Staff Contact: Patrick Grace, (216) 696-6525, ext. 5750