What Does Washington, D.C. Have to Do With Old Brooklyn?
One of the things I try to do in this role is pull back the curtain a bit on how our organization is funded and how that funding shapes the work we can take on for Old Brooklyn. People see our staff out in the neighborhood, they see the events we host, and they see our efforts to improve spaces for small businesses. What most people do not see is the complicated mix of funding that makes all of this possible.
Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation, like most CDCs in Cleveland, relies heavily on federal dollars that flow through the City of Cleveland. The primary source is something called the Community Development Block Grant program, more commonly known as CDBG. While it sounds straightforward, CDBG funding comes with very specific rules about how it can be used. An easy way to think about it is as a series of small buckets. Each bucket is labeled for a particular type of work, and the money inside can only be used for exactly what that label allows.
For example, one bucket can be used to provide counseling services to low- and moderate-income residents who are looking to purchase a home. Another bucket supports helping a small business navigate permits and inspections with the building department. A third bucket allows us to provide minor home repair work, like fixing a gutter or installing a hand railing. None of these buckets can be mixed together, and none of them can be used to pay for work that falls outside those narrow definitions.
So if a staff member helps a resident with a housing issue at 10 a.m. and then goes straight to a small business meeting at 11 a.m., their time has to be split between two completely different funding categories. Every hour has to be carefully tracked and documented so we remain compliant with federal rules. This structure keeps everything transparent and accountable, but it also creates real limitations.
One of those limitations is flexibility. We cannot simply shift funding to respond to emerging needs or new ideas, even when we know they would benefit the neighborhood. When you hear about a CDC doing particularly big or innovative things, it is often because they have funding outside of these federal buckets. That kind of support allows organizations to try new approaches, strengthen their staff, and launch projects that do not fit neatly into a government program.
Twenty years ago, Cleveland CDCs had access to roughly twenty different buckets, or CDBG funding categories to work within. Today, we are down to just three. That means there are many important activities we are no longer allowed to support using city-allocated CDBG dollars. Those include neighborhood cleanups, support for community gardens, helping organize block clubs or neighborhood watch groups, hosting community events like the old summer cinema series, and even operating our farmers market. All of that work still matters, but it requires other sources of support.
That is why local giving and private philanthropy are so critical. They give us the flexibility to respond to what residents are actually telling us they want and need. They help fill the gaps between narrow federal categories. Most importantly, they allow us to build programs that reflect the character, creativity, and priorities of Old Brooklyn, rather than the language of a federal spreadsheet. Our challenge is making the case that Old Brooklyn deserves the same level of investment and attention as other neighborhoods across Cleveland.
As we look ahead to 2026, our goal is to continue growing that flexible support so we can take on the kind of creative, community-driven projects that move a neighborhood forward. CDBG will always be an important part of our funding structure, but it cannot be the only part. With your help, we can build a more resilient organization that serves Old Brooklyn with the energy, care, and innovation our community deserves.