The Civic Innovation Lab Selects First Projects To Receive Funding

CLEVELAND, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Civic Innovation Lab, a project funded by The Cleveland Foundation has selected Cool Cleveland, the Cleveland Rowing Foundation, Microsystems Academy, and NEOBio as its first projects to mentor, support and fund.

The four projects were selected from among 35 proposals submitted to the Lab between October 1st and November 5th, 2003.

"We were very pleased by the number of quality proposals the Lab received for its first round," said Jennifer Thomas, director of the Civic Innovation Lab. "And we're excited to be working with the selected champions, whose initiatives all present an innovative approach to addressing economic development in our region."

Cool Cleveland will receive support from the Civic Innovation Lab to continue to promote "cool" arts and events happening in Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region, to engage and inspire the community to participate in those events, and to provide commentary on current issues that are critical to Cleveland's economic recovery and re-imagining of its own role in the future. Since its inception in October 2002, this free, weekly e-mail newsletter highlighting local events and issues has seen its distribution grow from a few friends and business associates to a network of more than 10,000 individuals across the Northeast Ohio region and beyond.

Creator Thomas Mulready is the project champion. Scott Roulston, president and CEO of Fairport Asset Management, Tom Furnas, senior director of technology for ideastream, RK Khosla, founder of Rumplestiltskin Toys, and John Polk, director of the Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship at John Carroll University, are serving as the project's mentors.

Cool Cleveland reflects economic development because its support of participation in arts and culture is a crucial part of creating a vibrant urban economy.

The Civic Innovation Lab also selected the Cleveland Rowing Foundation (CRF), formally known as the Western Reserve Rowing Foundation, for inclusion in the Lab. The Lab will provide support for efforts to raise funds and awareness toward its long-term goal of building a new boathouse with recreational and educational amenities. The CRF envisions the boathouse as a downtown destination for individuals and families interested in water sports, such as rowing, kayaking and canoeing, and other land-based activities such as bicycling, hiking and rollerblading.

The Lab awarded the CRF $30,000 to support a membership drive, marketing activities and financial capacity building. The CRF plans a capital campaign for January 2005. Peter Gozar, president of the CRF, is the project champion. Outside of his work with CRF, Gozar is a project manager and architect for schmidtcopelandparkerstevens, an architecture, landscape architecture, planning and interior architecture firm. Kate Hubben, executive director of Leadership Cleveland, and Jennifer Deutsch, president of Brandinsights, are the project's mentors.

The Cleveland Rowing Foundation addresses economic development because if successful, it will create an outdoor activity-based destination for families and young people that could help revitalize downtown.

Microsystems Academy has a goal of providing high school and community college students and displaced workers the opportunity to develop hands-on experience with micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) and Nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is the science of building electronic circuits from single atoms and single molecules. The technology is already being used in a variety of applications, including medical, environmental and manufacturing. MEMS technology is currently being used in the biomedical and optical and wireless communications industries. These technologies represent the future of manufacturing.

The Academy, located in Midtown Cleveland, will provide students with technician-level skills and prepare them to work in these fields, potentially placing them in internships with MEMS start-up companies.

The Civic Innovation Lab awarded $17,300 to Microsystems Academy. Colin Drummond, president of iACTIV Corporation, is spearheading the Microsystems Academy project. Eric von Hendrix, president and CEO of MWV Pinnacle Management Company, will serve as the project's mentor.

Microsystems Academy addresses economic development by offering the chance to connect young urban youth and community college graduates with experience in the emerging technology manufacturing sector.

NEOBio is dedicated to the clustering and growth of the bioscience industry in Northeast Ohio. Its goal is to encourage bioscience projects, companies and jobs in the region by providing support to the biosciences community and making the area known for its biosciences sector.

Working with the Civic Innovation Lab, NEOBio hopes to raise its profile and relevancy among the bioscience community and become a self-sustaining organization.

The Lab awarded $30,000 to NEOBio. Steve Goldberg, cofounder of NEOBio, and president of Evotech, LLC, a consulting company for engineering development of medical devises, is the project champion. Carol Staiger, owner of Vantage Point Marketing Consultants, John Polk, director of the Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship at John Carroll University, and Bettie Sogor, president of BioBiz Navigator, are the project's mentors.

NEOBio reflects economic development because it provides an active informational network for entrepreneurs in the emerging bioscience industry.

The Cleveland Foundation launched the Civic Innovation Lab in September 2003 as part of its economic development funding initiative. The Lab provides a vehicle for identifying and engaging new voices in economic development and connecting champions and their ideas with the appropriate resources in the community. The Cleveland Foundation, in conjunction with five partners, Business Volunteers Unlimited, Cleveland Bridge Builders, Council Of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), Leadership Cleveland and the President's Council, created the Civic Innovation Lab to provide support, including mentorship, networks, visibility and funding, to individuals with ideas for fostering economic development in Greater Cleveland.

To learn more about the Civic Innovation Lab, visit http://www.civicinnovationlab.org/ .

The Cleveland Foundation is a public charity dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Greater Cleveland. It is the oldest and second-largest community foundation in the nation. Its establishment in 1914 is cited as one of 10 events that most heavily influenced the development of the nonprofit sector in the 20th Century and it continues to be a leader in its field. The Foundation has assets of approximately $1.4 billion and in 2003 awarded more than $74 million in grants and low-cost loans to Cleveland area nonprofit organizations. Since its inception, it has provided more than $900 million to nonprofit organizations and causes.

The Cleveland Foundation is made up of more than 800 funds created by individuals, families, organizations and corporations. It offers donors of all means the opportunity to have a lasting impact on their community while maximizing income, gift and estate tax benefits.

For more information about the organization, visit http://www.clevelandfoundation.org/ .

The Cleveland Foundation

CONTACT: Jennifer Thomas, Director of Civic Innovation Lab,+1-216-861-3810

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