Since its creation, our foundation has had a strong environmental interest.  We supported land acquisition through the Nature Conservancy, helped to found the Shaker Lakes Nature Center and supported organizations with environmental programs such as the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

With the passage of time, our goals have evolved to include programming for urban revitalization and sustainability, environmental education and community health.

The Sears-Swetland Family Foundation gave grants to the following organizations in 2023 and 2024:

• ACE/ Alliance for Climate Education: Ohio operations
• Alliance for the Great Lakes: Ohio operations
• American Rivers, Inc.: Policy*
• Beyond Pesticides: operating support
• Birthing Beautiful Communities: Headquarters Campaign
• Boys and Girls Clubs of NE Ohio: operating support
• Brookdale Orchard: operating support
• Building Hope in the City: urban farming
• Cleveland Institute of Art*
• Cleveland Metroparks: Educational Barge in Lake Erie
• Cleveland Museum of Art: Fine Arts Garden Restoration*
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Human Health and Evolution Exhibits
• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
• Cleveland Tree Coalition: operating support
• Cleveland Zoological Society: Primate Forest*
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens*
• College Now: Scholarship support
• Conservancy for Cuyahoga National Park: CEEVC
• CWRU School of Medicine: Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health
• Downtown Cleveland Alliance
• Edwin’s Institute
• Environmental Law and Policy Center: Ohio projects
• Footpath Foundation: outdoor education
• Friends of Breakthrough Schools
• Foundry
• Global Cleveland
• Greater Cleveland Foodbank
• Habitat for Humanity
• Hathaway Brown School*
• Hospice of the Western Reserve
• Hunger Network: Food Rescue
• Ideastream: local environmental reporting
• lakeview Cemetery Foundation: Garfield Monument Restoration
• Lake Erie Nature and Science Center: nature education
• Midcoast Conservancy*
• Montessori Development Partners: Sustainable landscape at Stonebrook/White
• Nature Center at Shaker Lakes: NE OH youth climate institute hub
• Ohio Environmental Council
• Ohio Citizen Action Fund
• Planned Parenthood
• Rainey Institute
• Red Oak Camps
• RidAll Farm
• Two Foundation*
• Shaker Lakes Garden Club Charitable Projects Fund
• Spice Field Kitchen: camperships
• Smokey House Center*
• University Circle, Inc
• Vermont Chapter of the Nature Conservancy*
• Vermont Public Interest: Research and Education Initiatives*
• West Side Market: Restoration Capital
• YMCA (Maine) : Childcare*

Total: $324,000 in grants during

*Trustee Discretionary Grant

Photo of the Cleveland Botanical Gardens Green Corps.