Greater Cleveland Congregations

Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) is a multi-faith, multi-racial, county-wide power organization in Cleveland, Ohio. GCC is made up of congregations, community organizations and schools from across the county organizing poor, working and middle class families on issues like education, jobs, criminal justice, healthcare, and gun violence. Over 5 years, GCC has organized victories to help pass three Cleveland Municipal School District levies. These three levies will bring over $100 million dollars for operational purposes and build/renovate over 40 schools. GCC led the fight to reduce low-level nonviolent crimes charged as felonies which resulted in a 25% overall reduction over four years. In 2013, GCC was the leading organization to form the Northeast Ohio Medicaid Expansion Coalition made of hospitals, foundations, community organizations and faith communities. GCC pushed for Medicaid by door-knocking in key neighborhoods, organizing statewide actions, and gathering thousands of signatures for support. In 2014, the state of Ohio expanded Medicaid and as a result over 700,000 Ohioans now have access to healthcare. 

GCC is an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the nation’s first and largest network of faith, community and civic organizations. IAF has seven decades of experience winning tough battles across the nation including: winning the first living wage ordinance in Baltimore, establishing crisis intervention centers in Chicago to decriminalize mental illness, expunging hundreds of records to allow citizens a fresh start in NYC, building 39,000 affordable housing units along the East Coast and nearly $1 billion in school construction financing in Baltimore.

What’s different about IAF?

· We teach the proven power of relational person-to-person organizing

· We invest in building power in communities long-term, not just swooping in during an election cycle

· We win concrete victories that people can see