Gund grant applications require essays on green

The Plain Dealer
May 31, 2007
By Barb Galbincea

Want grants? Think green.

Beginning with the Sept. 15 deadline, the George Gund Foundation will require organizations applying for support to include a one-page statement about ways they can protect the global climate.

The move comes on the heels of a joint announcement last month by the Gund and Cleveland foundations that they will award capital grants only to projects that adopt green building standards.

David Abbott, Gund`s executive director, said the foundation, which awarded nearly $28 million in grants last year, decided it was important to go a step further in advocating on behalf of the environment.

"Everybody has a role to play in responding to the problem of global climate change," he said. "We want to raise that awareness."

Grant applicants will be asked to outline environmentally friendly practices they use, or could use, in their daily operations, and to describe their programs that support similar stewardship.

Initially, that information won`t have an effect on whether an applicant receives money from the foundation, Abbott said. The idea is to build and share a list of promising practices. But he said a demonstrated commitment to the environment eventually could become a requirement for getting a grant.

As of today, the foundation`s Web site, www.gundfoundation .org, will include more information about the new policy, sample climate change statements, links to resources explaining the issue and suggested steps.

Abbott said those steps could range from recycling and double-sided printing to organizations subsidizing their employees` use of mass transit. The foundation itself has implemented practices such as using recycled carpeting and paint with low environmental impact, as well as evaluating the environmental impact of its operations with a sustainability audit.

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