The Healthy Fathering Collaborative was established by the Community Endeavors Foundation in August 2001 as a working group of service providers and funders providing services to fathers, fathers-to-be and young men in Greater Cleveland. The group meets bi-monthly, rotating the meeting among agency sites, allowing the members of the collaborative to become more familiar with each other's programs. The collaborative is guided by three goals: 1) a sharing of ideas, inspirations, frustrations and innovations in client recruitment and service delivery; 2) the coordination of existing services where clients, catchment areas and goals may overlap; and 3) the development of new collaborative models of service delivery. 

The Healthy Fathering Collaborative welcomes all community-based and faith-based organizations serving fathers in Greater Cleveland, and representatives of a number of CIty of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County departments.  In 2007, the 75 public and private agencies have participated in HFC activities and meetings.  Agencies interested in extending current family programming to include fathers are also included.  There are four main types of services for fathers available:  1/ programs that help fathers address barriers that are impacting their relationship with their child(ren); 2) public agencies working on increasing access to supportive services for fathers; 3) fatherhood development programs; and 4) father-child social/recreational event programs.

Administrative staffing of the Healthy Fathering Collaborative is provided by the Community Endeavors Foundation.

Three schoolmates, all of whom grew up in Northeast Ohio, founded the Community Endeavors Foundation in 1992.  The founding trustees shared a vision of "giving something back to the City of Cleveland and its families" in honor of their own families and their childhoods.  In 1995, the Foundation created the Healthy Fathering Initiative, a social and health service grant program focussing on stimulating the creation of services to disadvantaged fathers.  Through the Initiative, (which continues to be the primary grantmaking program of the Foundation), the Community Endeavors Foundation continues to support social and health service projects aimed at:

• Promoting healthy responsible fathering, providing for the emotional and financial needs of a family;
• Facilitating effective co-parenting relationships between parents, both wed and unwed;
• Supporting responsible nurturing parenting by fathers, beginning in pregnancy, through birth and continuing throughout adolescence.

* The Community Endeavors Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests.