In 1972, an internal reorganization resulted in a new name, Federation for Community Planning, and a new focus on planning, research, community education and advocacy. United Way Services took on the role of fundraising and allocation. Federation developed the first comprehensive, community-wide plan in response to the problem of abused and neglected children, which led to the creation of Bellflower...
1970s
The Federation facilitated the merge of five agencies into one organization providing comprehensive services for children and families. That organization continues to serve thousands of greater Clevelanders today as The Centers for Families and Children.
1960s
The Federation responded to increasing deinstitutionalization of persons with severe mental illness from state psychiatric hospitals by helping to establish community day treatment and rehabilitation facilities. We worked to pass state legislation establishing Community Boards for Mental Health and Mental Retardation. The Federation formed a Mental Retardation Development Project to plan overall community services for those with developmental disabilities, which...
1950s
A number of community information and referral services were consolidated into the Federation’s Community Information Services and eventually became an independent organization called First Call for Help. Today it is operated by United Way of Greater Cleveland and responds to over 250,000 requests for help.
1940s
The Federation held its first Health and Human Services Institute, an all-day conference on critical community problems for professionals and volunteers. The Federation created a committee on race relations and collaborated with the Jewish Community Council and the NAACP to form the present day City of Cleveland’s Community Relations Board.
1930s
The Great Depression caused unprecedented suffering and greater demands for the community’s human services agencies. In response, the Federation advocated for a welfare levy, which was placed on the ballot and approved by voters in 1932. This became one of two general-purpose human services levies that continue to support health and human services today. The Federation lent funds to form...
1920s
The Federation held the first Conference on the Care of the Aged with a focus on hunger, dementia, and will and inheritance taxes. This eventually led to the creation of the Council on Older Persons (COOP), which continues today.
1913
A group of community leaders set out to better coordinate the efforts of Cleveland charities. They founded the Federation for Charity and Philanthropy in 1913, along with one of the first modern Community Chests in the United States, the Community Fund. The establishment of the Federation was big news across the country and was covered in The New York Times.