The George Gund Foundation is rooted in Cleveland, the community that was the home of its founder and that remains the Foundation’s home. The Foundation’s commitment to Cleveland derives not just from our history but also from our belief that Cleveland can continue to develop original responses to issues that can benefit people everywhere. Our focus on Cleveland offers an important point of leverage to affect issues that go well beyond the city’s boundaries and includes its roles as a place for innovation, an example and a leader in Ohio, a politically important state that can wield outsized influence nationally and, therefore, globally. Moreover, the urban emphasis of our work stems from a belief that thriving cities are and will remain one of the nation’s best hopes for addressing essential issues. We invest in this place with an eye toward building the sense of community—locally, nationally and globally—that human progress requires. We commit to this for the long term, working alongside those who are making concrete progress. We also must acknowledge, however, that our work is often propelled by recognition that both Cleveland and any larger sense of community are threatened by powerful forces and divisive issues. Such challenges are many but three interrelated issues stand out: -climate change and environmental degradation, -entrenched and accelerating inequality, especially racial inequity, and -weakened democracy. Learn more of What We Believe here: https://gundfoundation.org/grantmaking/what-we-believe/