Community Benefits Ordinance

A Standard CBA is for all projects receiving $250,000 or more in City assistance and under $20 million in cost (including residential tax abatements for projects under $75 million in total cost); the CBO outlines a set of mandatory community benefits.

An Expanded CBA is for all projects receiving $250,000 or more in City assistance with a project cost of over $20 million (including residential tax abatement projects over $75 million in total cost). An Expanded CBA consists of the mandatory community benefits listed in the Standard CBA; it must also be coupled with additional community benefits to be considered for legislative approval. The CBO provides a great deal of flexibility in determining the appropriate additional community benefits related to the project. The CBO offers categories, suggested considerations of additional community benefits, and associated requirements that must be met.

A Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) provides a framework for developers and community representatives to work together constructively toward the common goal of creating better and more equitable development projects. By establishing clear and enforceable obligations, CBAs encourage transparency, accountability, and collaboration, helping to build trust and foster positive relationships between developers and communities. Through this process, CBAs can play a vital role in promoting shared prosperity and ensuring that development projects deliver meaningful benefits to the communities they serve.

• Developers - The Developers seeking support for a new project are always involved in the negotiation of and are a party to the CBA.
• Community Coalitions - Community coalitions are a necessary party to any CBA to ensure that the community itself is engaged in the negotiation of a CBA and will benefit from the development.
• City Administration - City administration can assert their inclusive leadership by (1) being transparent about the project; (2) insisting on gaining broad community support for project approval; and (3) actively encouraging CBA negotiations without any attempt to influence them.

The length of the community benefits agreement process is dependent upon effective and timely communication between all stakeholders, developers, and city administration. The City of Cleveland is committed to operating at the speed of business to ensure that all parties are progressing toward a final CBA closing date.

A CBA is required whenever a Developer is awarded a city financial incentive that equals $250,000 or more. For projects that have a total cost of 20 million or more are considered large projects are which required to have additional community benefits.

S.M.A.R.T. (or SMART) is an acronym used as a mnemonic device to establish criteria for effective goal-setting and objective development: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. This method is required because it helps the Administration understand the full scope of what the Developer proposes to eliminate ambiguity.

Blueprint CLE was developed as a strategic component of Cleveland’s Community Benefits Ordinance (CBO) Developers and contractors receiving city assistance are required to provide mentorship and other benefits under CBAs. Blueprint CLE fulfills the mentorship expectations outlined in these agreements.

This initiative is not just a professional development tool—it’s a direct connection to real contracts, visibility, and growth within the City’s economic ecosystem. Blueprint CLE is a 12-month structured mentorship program. It connects experienced developers, contractors, and business leaders (Mentors) with growth-oriented small businesses (Protégés).

Designed to build capacity, expand opportunity, and foster strategic collaboration, driven by real development activity in Cleveland. Blueprint CLE provides a clear path from subcontractor to prime contractor readiness and emphasizes long-term capacity-building—not just short-term engagement.

Learn more about Blueprint CLE.

To find a list of City of Cleveland certified vendors, please visit the City of Cleveland website under the Office of Equal Opportunity webpage and click “Certified Vendor Directory” located in the Resources Links section.

• Certification requirements
  • Ready, willing, and able to perform work in the area it seeks certification
  • Located in the Cleveland market area
  • Owned and controlled at least 51% by a minority or female
• Required documents
  • Affidavit of Certification (New)
  • Identification
  • Federal tax returns
  • Articles of Organization or Incorporation certificate copy
  • NAICS Codes

Note - Other documents may be required depending upon the type of business and the business structure.

• Community:
  • Job creation
  • Local and diverse hiring and training commitments
  • Living wage and other benefits
  • Education partnerships between developers and community schools
  • Support for local small businesses
  • Improvements to open spaces, parks and playgrounds
  • Affordable housing and rehabilitation
  • Support for senior centers and child-care facilities
  • State and/or local economic incentive packages
• Developer:
  • Community support reduces risk for developers by fostering cooperation between government and community groups
  • Developers get needed public subsidies and/or government approvals more reliably
  • Community coalition agrees to support the project with public testimony and written statements
• Administration:
  • Keep lines of communication open to ensure consistency with the city's policy goals
  • Creates a fair and open process for establishing achievable targets within the community
  • Creates transparency with community on development projects within the City of Cleveland
  • Creates an opportunity to improve the local economy through dedicated job creation and small business utilization