Cuyahoga County’s Education, Environment & Sustainability Committee approved Resolution 20240356 on Oct. 30 awarding up to $10,000 from the District 9 ARPA Community Grant Fund to the National Congress of Black Women Greater Cleveland Chapter to support its “Bring Back the Village” initiatives.

The committee heard from the chapter’s financial secretary, who deferred to Ruth Gray, president emeritus, who outlined three uses for the funds: civic engagement programming for high school seniors (a debate/mediation seminar that previously served about 50 students), a teen academy (6–10 week camps at Saint Martin de Porres and Teens With a Purpose), and a new tutoring pilot targeting second- and third-graders with ten-week, three-days-per-week sessions. Gray said the chapter partners each child with an individual tutor and uses pre- and post-assessments.

Chair Stevens and other council members praised the chapter’s outreach and asked about leveraging additional partnerships. During the vote, a councilwoman said she is a member of the nonprofit’s board and recused herself from the funding decision; the committee recorded one recusal and otherwise approved the resolution by voice vote.

The committee noted an upcoming chapter fundraiser on Nov. 16 and requested continued collaboration between council offices and the organization.

The award is limited to the $10,000 specified in Resolution 20240356; committee discussion described program structure, past participation numbers (about 50 high schoolers in an earlier seminar and a 10-week tutoring cohort of 46 in Euclid), and fundraising plans but did not change the award amount.