Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Nonprofit Strategic Plan Capacity Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Catholic Charities reports $176,200 in renovations and new programs at Saint Martin de Porres after county capacity grant
Summary
Catholic Charities told the county Health, Human Services & Aging Committee that ARPA capacity funding helped Saint Martin de Porres Family Center complete facility renovations, hire development and communications staff and launch program expansions including scholarships, emergency assistance and a proposed job-training hub.
Catholic Charities representatives told the Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services & Aging Committee that county capacity funding for a strategic plan helped Saint Martin de Porres Family Center expand services, complete building renovations and attract new donors.
Kearnyce McKenzie, agency director for Catholic Charities Corporation, said the county-funded strategic-planning work and subsequent capacity dollars supported consulting, new development and communications staff, facility upgrades and program growth. "This wasn't just a plan," McKenzie said. "It was a living roadmap that actively drives our growth and decision making."
McKenzie said renovations completed in 2024 include senior-services restrooms finished in June 2024 at a reported cost of $176,200 and youth-services bathroom upgrades completed in February 2025 at a reported cost of $87,100. She said acoustical gym-panel work is scheduled to begin in August or September 2025 at a projected cost of $28,723.
Program expansions cited by McKenzie include a private donor contribution of $27,000 to fund summer-camp scholarships in partnership with St. Aloysius Elementary School, a $5,000 emergency-assistance award secured in 2024 and a planned grant submission of $10,000 on Aug. 1 to support food pantry purchases and rental and utility assistance. She also said the Jewish Federation of Cleveland committed $50,000 for gym renovations and youth basketball programming.
McKenzie said Catholic Charities has brought on a fund-development consultant and a social-media consultant through ROSA Consulting Services; the fund-development work has already identified $10,000 in new funding and the social-media work will support a video for an Oct. 18 fundraiser at the Western Reserve Historical Society (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.). She added that the agency submitted a grant on July 18 to house a job and career training hub at the Saint Martin de Porres Family Center targeting TANF-eligible families.
McKenzie told the committee the capacity funding has helped Catholic Charities secure or pursue approximately $100,000 in new or potential funding streams and has expanded the agency's ability to generate donor engagement and program growth. "This wasn't just capacity building. It was capacity unleashing," she said.
Council members acknowledged the work and its connections with county services, including children and family services and senior and adult services. Council President Michael Miller and other members thanked McKenzie for the report; no committee action was taken on the presentation.
McKenzie said the Oct. 18 fundraiser at the Western Reserve Historical Society will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will showcase the organization's work; she invited committee members and the public to attend. She closed by thanking council members for funding the strategic-planning and capacity work that she said helped the family center better serve Glenville residents and surrounding neighborhoods across Cuyahoga County.
No vote or ordinance was attached to the presentation; the item was a report to the committee.
