About Us

First Year Cleveland (FYC) is a community movement dedicated to helping all babies celebrate their first birthdays.

We serve the community in partnership as a:

Connector

We provide direct funding, support, and training to local organizations and care providers that know best what their communities need.

Protector

We center our work to honor and uplift the voices and lived experiences of Black families, building on the strengths and assets of Black communities to create conditions for families to thrive.

Activator

We acknowledge racism as the root cause for infant death and poor health outcomes among Black families. We work in partnership with communities to identify and advocate for policy and system changes centered in racial and social justice to ensure equity and accountability to support infant vitality.

Our Mission

To reduce infant mortality–particularly among Black families.

Our Vision

Ensuring first birthdays and healthy moms for every family in Cuyahoga County.

Our Commitments

Increasing understanding of racism on infant mortality

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Engaging communities to develop community-driven strategies

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Advocating for policy and system changes that address racism and the social determinants of health

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Providing support for programs and community organizations that serve Black families and communities

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Upstream + downstream approach

FYC was established in December 2015 by community leaders who were alarmed by the rising infant mortality rate in Cuyahoga County. In a city with outstanding health care and supportive services, these leaders believed there was a way to develop an effective, comprehensive, and sustainable approach to solving infant mortality.

Today, this collaborative effort brings together parents and expectant parents, community leaders, philanthropic organizations, government and business entities, healthcare providers, educational institutions, nonprofits, and the faith-based community. These partners and many volunteers actively participate by identifying the underlying issues contributing to infant deaths and creating sustainable solutions.

We are focused on our mission of mobilizing the community through partnerships and a unified strategy to reduce infant deaths and racial disparities. Our work includes focused research, educational programs, community awareness initiatives, and policy changes to create conditions for thriving families and communities.

First Year Cleveland is housed at CWRU’s Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School for Applied Social Sciences, its fiscal agent, and receives in-kind support for its operations.

Financial support is provided by Ohio Department of Medicaid, Cuyahoga County, County Executive Chris Ronayne and Cuyahoga County Council; the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and Cleveland City Council; the Cleveland Foundation; the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, St. Luke’s Foundation, and the Cleveland Housing Network.