Staff
Tom O’Brien, Program Director
Tom O’Brien has been program director since July 2007. Prior to Neighborhood Connections, Tom was a community organizer in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood for five years. He worked with neighborhood residents on community building initiatives, issue campaigns, and leadership development. Tom earned his master’s degree from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. To contact Tom, please call 216.861.3810 or email him at tobrien@neighborhoodgrants.org.
Cynthia Lewis, Grants Manager and Office Administrator
Cynthia Lewis has been with the program since its inception in 2002. In her current role she handles the logistics for Neighborhood Connections’ grantmaking committee, and works with groups that have received funding from the program. Additionally, she works with foundation staff and consultants hired to provide technical assistance to grantees and evaluate the program. When calling Neighborhood Connections, more than likely you will hear Cynthia’s voice. To contact Cynthia, call 216.861.3810 or email her at clewis@neighborhoodgrants.org.
Lee Kay, Grantee Coach and Consultant
Lee A. Kay is a true believer in the greatness of Cleveland. She obtained her bachelors degree from CSU and her masters from Case/MSASS. She is also a graduate of Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland program. Her experience has included running childcare & latchkey programs, community organizing and development, community based prevention education, amd program development at the neighborhood level and in large organizations. She has always lived and worked in the area and knows that this town is full of talent and opportunities. Lee feels lucky that she was able to be a part of NC when it started back in 2002. Her role then was to meet with grantees and provide technical assistance to them as they implemented their grants. In her eyes Neighborhood Connections is an important tool for community residents to try new things and take the initiative to do things in their neighborhoods the way they want. Grassroots initiatives can have a powerful impact on the quality of life in a neighborhood or the entire city. Lee can be reached at lkay@neighborhoodgrants.org or by calling 216.245.5335.
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Resources & Supplies
216.615.7582
Our address is
1422 Euclid Avenue, Suite 1300
Cleveland, OH 44115
Cleveland Foundation and a member of Grassroots Grantmakers, an
international affinity group for grassroots funders.
