The Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation (f. 1987) was established in Cleveland, Ohio, through the estate donations of Joseph M. Bruening (1896-1987) and his wife Eva L. Bruening (d. 1987). Joseph M. Bruening founded the Ohio Ball Bearing Company in Cleveland in 1923.
Joseph Bruening was active in charitable and community causes, particularly Catholic orientated causes, throughout his life. His charitable interests are reflected in the giving guidelines of the Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation. He was a founding member of Bluecoats, Inc. and a former director of the Rotary Club of Cleveland. He served on the boards of the DePaul Maternity Home, the American Cancer Society, Notre Dame College of Ohio, and the Society for Crippled Children. He also served as a trustee of the Cleveland Zoological Society and St. Vincent Charity Hospital. He volunteered much of his time to Catholic Charities Corporation, serving as a trustee from 1952 to 1982 and as an honorary trustee thereafter. The library at St. Mary Seminary, the headquarters of the Cleveland chapter of the American Red Cross, and a wing of the Business School of John Carroll University were dedicated in honor of Eva and Joseph Bruening.
The Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation is an independent foundation that provides grants to agencies in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area. The foundation's focus areas are education and social services with an emphasis on care for the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged. The distribution committee has funded proposals in the fields of early childhood education, primary and secondary education, higher education, domestic violence and child abuse prevention, human services, and children and youth services. These programs have included services to minorities, women, people with AIDS and Alzheimer's disease, and the homeless. Hunger programs and services to the mentally ill have also been foundation priorities.
Over the years, special consideration was given to Roman Catholic organizations and institutions that provide these types of programs and services that align with the Bruening's interests and causes while they were alive. For example in the early 1990s, the Pathways to Learning grant program was developed to provide financial support for new or existing projects at Catholic elementary schools throughout Cuyahoga County. In the past, the distribution committee worked closely with the Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland and Catholic Charities Corporation to identify appropriate diocesan programs for foundation funding; however, the foundation also supports and funds numerous secular and governmental organizations that fit the mission and goals of their institution. The foundation's mission as of 2020 is "to fund crucial efforts today that help every child in Cuyahoga County Grow into adulthood with health, wellness and dignity." Their current (2020-2021) focus tends towards improving quality in life by proactively investing in early childhood development. This updated mission is influenced by the founders desire to build hope in communities by alleviating the roots of poverty. For this reason, their grantmaking priorities tend towards areas that will help families out of poverty through better education as well as long-term access to assistance and employment connections.
The Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation Records, Series III, 1992-2011 consists of grant files and Pathways to Learning Program files.
This series contains the approved and declined grant applications from 2007 to 2011 as well as the Pathways to Learning Program files from 1993-1996. This collection is of value to researchers studying the history of charity and philanthropy in Cleveland, Ohio. Researchers will find significant documentation of the giving patterns of the Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation. Those interested in social services, health, and educational programs may find these records valuable.
The collection is arranged into two series. Both series are organized chronologically and then alphabetically.
The researcher should consult MS 4846 Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation Records; and MS 5089 Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation Records, Series II.
Processed by Kristin Wright in 2020.
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[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5473 Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation Records, Series III, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gifts of the Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation in 2011 and 2012.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.