Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development Receives $200K Grant to Support CentroVilla25 from Burton D. Morgan Foundation
CLEVELAND, January 31, 2023 – The Burton D. Morgan Foundation has awarded a $200,000 grant to the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development (NEOHCED) to support the construction of CentroVilla25, an adaptive reuse of a 32,500 square foot warehouse in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood. The project is expected to catalyze economic impact, create job opportunities, and celebrate Latino culture. CentroVilla25 will feature twenty-two micro-retail spaces, a commercial kitchen, a business innovation center, co-working space, office space for Latino and other neighborhood serving organizations, an outdoor plaza, and a community space for arts and culture programming. The total cost of the project is $10.3 million, with the grand opening slated for Spring 2024.
Jenice Contreras, President and CEO of NEOHCED, stated, “CentroVilla25 is a crucial step in creating a more equitable and inclusive economy for the Latino-Hispanic community in Cleveland. This funding commitment from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation will support the construction of the project and provide access to bilingual business services to entrepreneurs who will start and grow their business within this facility. We are grateful for their support.”
The grant is part of the nearly $1.7 million dollars in grants awarded by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation at the January board meeting for initiatives to support entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship education in Northeast Ohio. Other grants approved at the meeting include Bounce Innovation Hub, Greater Akron Chamber Foundation, Hiram College, SEA Change Incorporated, The Entrepreneurs EDGE, The Well Community Development Corporation, and University School.
Dan Hampu, Foundation President and CEO, commented, “We are excited to support Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurial ecosystem with this package of grants for organizations representing youth, collegiate, and adult entrepreneurship programming. We look forward to learning of the impact of these grants on our community and its diverse and talented group of entrepreneurs.”
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation periodically makes one-time community grants to deserving charitable organizations that serve the local area, including Children’s Advocacy Center of Portage County, Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, Northeast Ohio Medical University Foundation, Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, Project LEARN of Summit County, Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit Counties, Stewart’s Caring Place, and United Disability Services. The Foundation also made a grant to the American National Red Cross for disaster relief related to Hurricane Ian.
NEOHCED’s partnership with the Burton D. Morgan Foundation will provide access to bilingual business services to entrepreneurs and promote economic growth in Northeast Ohio. For more information about the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development, visit https://hbcenter.org.