Mission Statement

The Cyrus Eaton Foundation is committed to providing financial support to qualifying non-profit organizations in Cleveland and northeast Ohio, whose programs enhance the quality of life in this area, and whose aims are in accord with those of our founder, the late Cyrus Eaton.

Who We Are

We are a family foundation located in Cleveland, Ohio, where Mr. Eaton made his home. All Trustees live or have lived in Cleveland, affording us a direct connection with the life of the city, and first-person involvement in its welfare.

The Foundation’s early giving patterns reflected Mr. Eaton’s belief that what makes a city great is the quality and diversity of its institutions. He was a founder of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and a sustainer of the Cleveland City Club, both of which are Cleveland landmarks. In later life, he donated land to the fledgling Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (now the Cuyahoga Valley National Park).

Since Mr. Eaton’s death in 1979, the Foundation has focused its support upon newer organizations that have arisen to meet community needs in new ways, such as Community Shares of Greater Cleveland, Facing History and Ourselves, and the Heights Observer. We have also been pivotal supporters of Cleveland Opera and other arts institutions during their formative years.

As philanthropists, one of our greatest satisfactions is watching as these newer, less-known organizations grow and become important institutions whose work changes the face of our community – an aim that Mr. Eaton would surely have approved.

In addition, we are proud to continue support for what Mr. Eaton would probably call his greatest achievement: the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. Concurrently, we are proud to support the revivification of the historic property in Pugwash, NS, where Mr. Eaton hosted the first Pugwash conference: Thinkers Lodge.

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