A more than 42,000% return on investment is almost unheard of – but that’s what the City of Cleveland is touting after two years of partnership with a federal lobbying firm.
The city's annual, $180,000 contract with D.C.-based Holland and Knight has led to $153.6 million in federal grants.
"It has to be part of what Cleveland does and the expectation of the city government that we are going after as much money as possible for Clevelanders," said Austin Davis, Mayor Justin Bibb's Senior Policy Advisor. "These are the things that Clevelanders will feel in their day to day life for a long time."
The bulk of the funding — $130 million — will support construction of a pedestrian land bridge connecting Downtown to Lake Erie’s shore, but money has also been allocated to electrical vehicle charging stations, lead hazard reduction and urban forestry efforts.
Davis said the federal grants have also spurred private investment.
"These are projects that because we've been raising Cleveland's profile in D.C., we've been able to, you know, ring these bells and get some more money coming in to our partners to benefit us as well," Davis said.
Davis said the lobbying efforts have been successful, in part, because of a partnership with the Biden-Harris administration. He pointed to federally-funded roadway projects, and lauded a partnership with now-former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
"A a former mayor, [Buttigieg] got what Mayor Bibb was trying to do," Davis said. "He understood that there was so much untapped potential and energy in cities in general."
Davis said he was still optimistic about working with President Donald Trump's new administration, but the city may have to change "how they talk to people."
"Honestly, we feel really bullish on Cleveland here. We think Cleveland is going to make a great case for, 'Your money goes a long way here that,'" Davis said. "We've been making great progress, that there are still large dramatic needs in our city. And the federal government can make a gigantic difference if they invest here in Cleveland as they have been under the former administration. So I think it's going to be a different kind of conversation."
On Monday, Trump announced he would freeze all federal loans and grants to review that they align with his administration's priorities: a decision the White House rescinded days later.
Cleveland City Council approved funds to re-up the contract at $180,000 for a one-year period with the option to renew.
Here's the full list of grants that were secured:
- Department of Transportation (DOT) Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program Grant: $70 million (North Coast Connector)
- DOE Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program: $3.95 million (Increasing Equitable Access to EV Charging Infrastructure in Cleveland, Ohio)
- DOE Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG): $386,700 (formula funding)
- DOT INFRA Grant: $59,719,267 (North Coast Connector)
- DOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SSFA) Planning Grant: $2.4 million (Cleveland 2024 Vision Zero Supplemental Planning, Design, and Demonstration Project)
- USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program: $3.4 million (City Urban Forestry Management and Tree Planting Strategy)
- HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Program: $4.919 million (funding implemented through Lead Safe Ohio Program)
- DOT SSFA Grant: $2,328,908 (Cleveland Vision Zero Supplemental Planning & St. Clair Avenue Demonstration Project)
