Come and learn about The Cleveland Foundation from Robert Eckardt, Executive Vice President.

Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation is the world's first community foundation and the nation’s second-largest today, with assets of $1.9 billion and 2010 grants of nearly $87 million. The foundation improves the lives of Greater Clevelanders now and for generations to come by building community endowment, addressing needs through grantmaking, and providing leadership on vital issues.

About the Presenter

Bob Eckardt provides overall direction to the foundation's grantmaking, working with the board, staff, and community leaders to pinpoint the region's critical needs and leverage resources to help meet them.

He joined the foundation in 1982 and has served as senior program officer in the areas of health, aging, and environment. Bob is also an active leader in philanthropic professional groups. He served four terms on the board of the Washington, D.C.-based group Grantmakers in Health, which honored him in 2006 with its highest award. He was a founding board member of Grantmakers in Aging, the national peer alliance in Dayton, as well as Funders Concerned About AIDS, a national affinity group. He also is a past chair of the Grantmakers Evaluation Network.

Bob shares his wisdom as a consultant to many foundations on program development, strategic grantmaking and evaluation approaches. He is an elected fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and serves on the advisory committee of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. He holds a certificate in gerontology and a doctorate in public health with a specialty in health policy from the University of Michigan.