The Cleveland Browns are committed to championing youth football, education and social justice in local communities and throughout Ohio.
The Browns are dedicated to making positive change in the social justice space in two major focus areas: economic advancement of black and minority-owned businesses, and police and community relations. That commitment is reflected in the team's annual social justice contributions, totaling over $2.5 million since 2018. Additionally, the dedication to these causes is reflected through Be the Solution activations, inclusive of their Cleveland Huddle program and various days at training camp and OTAs (organized team activities).
"As an organization, we know how important it is to be part of significant change in our communities, especially as it relates to the social justice space," said Haslam Sports Group Chief Communications Officer Peter John-Baptiste. "Through our #BeTheSolution platform, we've engaged and supported Cleveland-based black and minority owned partners and businesses by assisting them with programming and funding in an effort to expand their reach across Northeast Ohio."
Each year, the organization's social justice committee collaborates with the team to determine local non-profit organizations most in need of support from the Browns. Organizations that have received funding from the team include EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, JumpStart and The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, as well as a new partnership with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress.
Through the organization's three-year partnership with JumpStart, the Browns have helped a variety of minority-owned small businesses. With the goal of increasing diversity, growing small businesses and furthering economic justice, the Browns have hosted multiple Cleveland Small Business Impact Program Showcases, Small Businesses Training Camps and a First in Tech networking event, each in partnership with JumpStart.
Through the Small Business Impact Showcases, nearly 50 small business owners have competed for funding for their business. Upon completion of the Impact cohort, businesses have seen their revenue grow by an average of 60 percent and jobs grow by 25 percent. The Browns' funding this past year supported JumpStart's 20th Anniversary Impact Showcase, which took place in May, and provided UnBar Cafe's owner Melissa Garrett with $20,000 for winning the showcase and $5,000 for the other four participants. Read more about the 20th Anniversary Impact Showcase here.
EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute serves as an invaluable steppingstone for formerly incarcerated adults preparing for the transition back home. Working tirelessly in the space of re-entry, Brandon Chrostowski founded EDWINS following his release from jail at 18 years old. To date, the Browns have donated over $400,000 to support various EDWINS initiatives and goals, including increasing student graduation rates, providing official cooking certifications to students at no cost, increasing leadership training for EDWINS student and maintaining its 95 percent employment rate.
Moving into 2024, the Browns announced their funding will aid in the launch of EDWINS' groundbreaking program, "Pathways to Ownership," which aims to empower business owners from disadvantaged backgrounds by leading them through a comprehensive six-week accelerator program toward establishing successful restaurant ventures.
Through a new partnership with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP), the Browns will support the Middle Neighborhood Initiative as CNP has led the revitalization of Cleveland's neighborhoods. Their positive impact on the community touches several areas by providing financial support, training and capacity building efforts to community development corporations (CDCs), supporting and performing placemaking activities to improve residential commercial and greenspace properties, and delivering economic opportunity programming to ensure city residents can thrive where they live.
Specifically, the Middle Neighborhoods Initiative aims to stabilize and advance housing markets and commercial districts in Cleveland. Middle Neighborhoods do not get the attention of "hot" real estate markets, where the housing market is healthy, nor do they get large public investments like disinvested neighborhoods that need massive intervention to change unhealthy market conditions. "Middle" neighborhoods sit between investment and disinvestment – but their position is uncomfortable and tenuous because they are in slow decline. CNP's Middle Neighborhoods program includes investments for main streets, which serve as the backbone of communities and are places where entrepreneurs and small businesses can thrive, and for side streets, where residents live and invest in their homes.
Finally, the Browns will again support the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, whose mission is to secure justice, equity and access to opportunity for and with people who have low incomes through passionate legal representation and advocacy for social change. Legal Aid provides legal services at no cost to clients with low incomes, helping ensure fairness for all in the justice system. Legal Aid works to "Be the Solution" through critical community and economic development projects, especially through proactive legal help for historically disadvantaged groups.
The Browns funding will be designated to the organization's work to support racial justice. Additionally, the partnership will amplify Legal Aid's mission in aiding business owners and entrepreneurs of color and community-based initiatives. Through the funding, the organization will hire a lawyer dedicated to these cases surrounding racial justice and empowering black business owners. The goal of the position is to help provide legal support through the organization's community development practice to black-led businesses through legal information, advice and representation for at least 40 cases. Additionally, Legal Aid will promote social justice for disadvantaged community members through legal information, advice and representation for at least 800 community members in need through our economic justice and wealth building practice.
Though all organizations that work in the social justice space are vital to Northeast Ohio, the Browns have chosen to dedicate funding to these four in 2024 since they are aligned with the team's focus areas of supporting Black and minority-owned businesses and economic development. The Browns' funding will help these organizations further their missions, with some even starting new programs. The team looks forward to seeing how these organizations use the funding to continue their work in such important ways.
The Browns encourage fans to get involved by also supporting black and minority-owned businesses across Cleveland. When there's an option to choose between a chain restaurant and a small restaurant, pick the small restaurant, volunteer in the community, donate your time and effort to any of the Browns' Be the Solution organizations. The Browns are committed to making changes in this space and invite fans to join in their efforts.
