Partners & Funders

The City of Cleveland established the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund in 2023 and has championed the Midline as one of the most ambitious industrial redevelopment efforts in the city's history. The Midline is a cornerstone of Mayor Bibb's Cleveland ERA initiative — a citywide agenda focused on economic resurgence, neighborhood vibrancy, and ensuring every resident can share in Cleveland's growth.

Cleveland City Council has been an active partner in advancing the Midline, ensuring that the near east side communities most directly impacted have representation at every stage of development. Councilman Richard Starr, who represents Ward 5, has been a vocal champion for the project's commitment to real cleanup, real jobs, and real opportunities for the residents who live here today.

The Cleveland Foundation has been a foundational partner in making the Midline possible. In 2024, the Foundation established a Site Readiness Fund Endowment — seeded with $50 million in ARPA funds and anchored by a $10 million Foundation commitment — with a goal of growing to $100 million through additional philanthropic and donor contributions. This endowment provides SRF with capital to acquire, remediate, and prepare industrial sites for redevelopment in perpetuity, while retaining ownership stakes that advance long-term community and equity goals.

Established by the City of Cleveland in 2023 as an independent nonprofit, the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund is the driving force behind the Midline Business District — assembling land, leading remediation, and preparing sites for the next generation of Cleveland employers. SRF's mission is to reactivate 1,000 acres of vacant industrial land and help generate 25,000 jobs across Cleveland, with a focus on neighborhoods that have borne the brunt of decades of disinvestment and environmental harm.

LAND Studio is a Cleveland-based nonprofit creating places and connecting people through public art, sustainable design, collaborative planning, and dynamic programming. For the Midline, LAND studio is leading the greenway vision, public space design, and community engagement — ensuring the corridor is shaped by and for the people who live here.

The Cuyahoga Land Bank's legal and transactional tools help the Site Readiness Fund assemble sites, resolve title issues, and address environmental challenges that often prevent redevelopment. This partnership allows land to be more efficiently prepared for future investment and job-creating projects that benefit Cleveland's neighborhoods.