Cleveland Development Foundation.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Cleveland Development Foundation

The Cleveland Development Foundation was incorporated in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 23, 1954, as a private, non-profit corporation. Its purpose was to assist in the development of Cleveland by providing leadership and financial support for community development and renewal projects. A two million dollar revolving fund was created by investments of Cleveland businesses and industries. This fund was to provide seed money to expedite specific projects. Operating funds of the foundation were provided from the income of a five million dollar grant received from the Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund.

The foundation has participated in numerous renewal projects throughout the city of Cleveland. These projects have ranged in size from single buildings to entire neighborhoods, and have involved cooperation with the federal government, state and local governments, business and industry, and private organizations. The foundation has been instrumental in coordinating these groups and in many cases has acted as their collective spokesperson. In some projects, the foundation's aid was merely advisory. In others, it was the principal agent. Projects in which the foundation has played a major role include: St. Vincent Urban Renewal Project; Cleveland State University; Erieview; Garden Valley Housing Project; Longwood Housing Project; University-Euclid Urban Renewal Project; Hough Area Corporation; and the Near West Side Development. The foundation has financed a movie, "Cleveland: City on a Schedule," a book, Open Space in Urban Design (New York, The Spiral Press, 1864), and a study of unemployable persons in the Greater Cleveland area.

From the guide to the Cleveland Development Foundation Records, 1953-1970, (Western Reserve Historical Society)