Our Focus

The Foundation supports programs that advance both opportunity and equity in vulnerable communities.

Community Services

The Foundation believes that community-based organizations located in New York City’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods are valuable resources, targeting the needs of their surrounding neighborhoods.  Young people are provided with access to nursery programs, after-school academic and recreational activities, and summer camps. Programs are opportunities for youth to build new skills and foster relationships with their peers. For adults, centers provide program pathways to connect with supportive services. A quality center is an invaluable asset and operates as a hub of learning and community. The Foundation supports community-based programs for young people that both engage and advance their academic learning and skill building.

Representative Grants

East Harlem Tutorial Program, Inc.

Construction of a new 70,000 square foot Scholars Academy High School complex scheduled to open in summer, 2021

Madison Square Boys & Girls Club

Explorer’s Academy is an after-school and summer cross-disciplinary program for children aged 6 – 9 from under resourced communities. It includes homework help, and math, literacy, technology and arts enrichment.

Teaching Matters

Early Reading Matters is a teacher professional development program focused on improving literacy in Kindergarten through Second grade. Coaching includes support improvements in curriculum, assessment, data analysis and professional collaboration.

Early Childhood Programs

The Foundation recognizes the value of programs that address the needs of New York City’s youngest children. Early childhood programs in under-resourced communities can be key drivers of equitable opportunity for children as they start school. The Foundation seeks programs that develop a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs, with the goal of improving outcomes for young children and their families. We believe in programs that provide the following supports for early childhood education:

  • Highly engaging programs that improve the development of young children
  • Professional development for early childhood teachers
  • Capacity development for early childhood equipped classrooms
  • Family support including parenting skill development

Representative Grants

Children's Aid

Expansion of support for the growing Nursery Program with the hire of a coach for teachers. The coach provides appropriate toddler development coaching strategies to homebased staff and teachers working in two-year-old classrooms.

Readworks

Expansion of the digital content library for the early elementary grades in NYC public schools

Bank Street

Early Childhood Urban Education Initiative is a workforce development program that enables qualified, uncertified childcare workers from community-based childcare programs to obtain a master’s degree from Bank Street and teacher certification from New York State.

Foundation Legacy Organizations

The story of the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation is ultimately one of family. Since its earliest days, a portion of the Foundation grant-making has remained in support of its earliest grantees. These legacy organizations were, in many cases founded by members of the Dodge family or are the recipients of generations of family service and philanthropy. Each passing decade has brought its unique challenges to these organizations. The Foundation continues to support the specific capacities they bring in helping to solve societal problems. These organizations have withstood the test of time and continue to serve at-risk communities and deliver impactful programs and services. The Foundation continues its work with these direct-service organizations and supports targeted projects that align with the Foundation’s grant-making strategies.

Representative Grants

American University of Beirut

Teacher Training Scholarship Program whose goal is the development of a cadre of highly trained teachers who can contribute to efforts to improve the quality of teaching in Lebanon.

Teachers College, Columbia University

Development of the Rita Gold Early Childhood Center

YMCA of Greater New York

Bronx Is Up! Campaign funding towards two new community centers for under resourced Bronx communities