Saint Ann Legacy

Saint Ann Legacy grants are available to ministries of women religious in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee (Region VI of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious). These grants commemorate the Saint Ann Foundation, which was dedicated to supporting women, children and youth and the ministries of women religious.

The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine formed Saint Ann Foundation in 1973 with an endowment from the sale of Saint Ann Hospital, a maternity hospital that served Cleveland’s women and babies for 100 years. In 2006, the Saint Ann Foundation merged with the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland.

Saint Ann Legacy Grant Guidelines are now available. Completed applications for the current program – including an Application Form and a Budget Narrative – must be received by the Foundation by June 16, 2008.

A bold decision by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine in Cleveland in 1974 reached beyond northeast Ohio to launch a new chapter in the history of American philanthropy. The establishment of the Saint Ann Foundation marked the first-ever sponsorship of a grantmaking foundation by a congregation of Catholic women… The legacy of the Saint Ann Foundation lives on not only within the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, but also in grantmaking institutions nationwide.

–Steve Gunderson, President & CEO
Council on Foundations (2007)

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland continues the pioneering tradition of the Saint Ann Foundation which was honored in 1979 with the Catholic Health Association's prestigious Achievement Citation Award… May the spirit of those who came before us continue to inspire those who carry on the mission of making a difference in people's lives today, and tomorrow.

–Sister Carol Keehan, DC, President and Chief Executive Officer
The Catholic Health Association of the United States (2007)

The board of Saint Ann Hospital and the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine were seeking to preserve the legacy of the hospital and to continue to address health needs in the community of Cleveland, Ohio. Their decision to use the assets from the hospital sale to create a grantmaking foundation was truly visionary. The origins of Saint Ann Foundation provided a powerful example for others to follow.

–Lauren LeRoy, Ph.D., President and CEO
Grantmakers in Health (2007)