Rent and utility pledges
Bridgelight pays landlords and utilities within five business days after intake approves a referral packet from a school counselor or hospital social worker.
Charity foundation · Greater Cleveland
Help that shows up with receipts attached.
Bridgelight Foundation funds rent assistance, utility grants and warm clothing for families referred by school counselors and hospital social workers across Cuyahoga County. Every grant is paid directly to the landlord or utility company, and we publish a quarterly ledger that lists each line item without names. Donors can read which zip codes received the most referrals, how long the average case stayed open and what percentage of requests we could fund with current reserves. Staff answer the intake line weekdays from eight to six, and interpreters are available for Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin callers. Major gift officers return every voicemail within one business day even during year-end appeals.
Bridgelight Foundation impact
- Households assisted last fiscal year
- 1,842
- Grants paid directly to vendors
- 91%
- Active volunteers
- 318
- Referral partners
- 27
How Bridgelight Foundation works
Bridgelight Foundation keeps program descriptions specific so donors know what each dollar buys and volunteers know which training to attend before their first shift.
Warehouse clothing sorts
Volunteers log every coat size and blanket count so caseworkers can text families when their size arrives without publishing names online.
Quarterly public ledger
Finance publishes zip-code totals, average case length and overhead ratio every March, June, September and December with PDF downloads.
Bridgelight Foundation field photos
Field photos from Bridgelight intake weeks, warehouse sorts and neighborhood drop-offs across Greater Cleveland.
Give to Bridgelight Foundation
Monthly gifts help Bridgelight Foundation plan staffing beyond grant cycles. Same-week utility and rent pledges clear when the reserve line is open.
Bridgelight Foundation milestones
Bridgelight Foundation publishes dates and outcomes so partners can see when major grants landed and when programs expanded.
- 2014
Neighbor-led start · Bridgelight Foundation
Five Cleveland churches pooled utility gifts after a polar vortex and hired the first intake coordinator.
- 2018
Vendor pay policy
Board voted to end cash assistance and pay landlords directly after an external audit recommendation.
- 2022
Interpreter line
Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin phone interpreters joined weekday intake after referral volume doubled.
- 2025
Satellite hours
East Side library pop-up intake opened Tuesday evenings while keeping the same case-management team.
Bridgelight Foundation voices
“Bridgelight paid our landlord directly after intake, and the case manager called every Friday until the lease was stable.”
“I sorted coats for three winters before joining the board; the quarterly ledger finally made sense to my neighbors.”
“We increased our monthly gift after reading the zip-code breakdown—no fluff, just line items we could verify.”
Bridgelight Foundation questions
Who qualifies for Bridgelight rent or utility grants?
Families referred by school counselors, hospital social workers or partner agencies in Cuyahoga County may apply. Intake posts wait times every Monday for Cleveland zip codes.
Are gifts to Bridgelight Foundation tax deductible?
Gifts to Bridgelight Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law for donors who itemize. Receipts include our EIN 34-2185601 and a link to download the IRS determination letter.
How do volunteers start with Bridgelight?
Email [email protected] with three weekday windows. Warehouse orientation covers lifting rules before your first clothing sort.
Will Bridgelight share my story publicly?
We never publish names or photos without a signed media release stored at our Superior Avenue office for seven years.
Walk the warehouse with us
Bridgelight publishes volunteer openings and funding gaps once a month—unsubscribe in one click.
Visit Bridgelight Foundation
3615 Superior Avenue East, Cleveland, OH 44114
- Monday–Friday 08:00–18:00
- Saturday clothing sorts 09:00–13:00
+1 (216) 555-0177