It all began with a chance meeting on the street, a spark and a few Clevelanders dreaming out loud. Followed by more chance meetings with other people over coffee and at community meetings. We imagined better blocks, safer streets, spaces that felt like home. At one point, we even considered starting a nonprofit. But the red tape was too tight, the wait too long. Our neighbors wanted change now. So, we let that idea go.

Turns out, we didn’t need tax-exempt status. We didn’t need big grants or corporate checks. All we needed was each other—and $200. That’s all it took to launch the first 17 community projects. Because here, our true currency is people: passion, presence, and purpose.

So, we built our own model—Inner Visions of Cleveland. Not a nonprofit. A Community Profit. That’s what we call ourselves.  

Our mission? Connection.
We connect neighbors to neighbors, suburbs to city blocks, resources to dreams. We believe we are each other's missing piece—and when we come together, visions become realized and our divisions begin to close.

How do we do it? We walk the neighborhoods. We listen—in corner cafés, at church basements, community forums—for that quiet fire when someone talks about what they want to change. Then we match dreamers with doers. As Barbara Anderson says, we're “putting the neighbor back in the hood.”

We host relationship building gatherings that spotlight grassroots brilliance, like giving circles, relationship building ride alongs and walking tours.  

At these events there’s no pressure to give. But people do give —time, tools, trust. Some donate supplies. Others offer space. A few become anonymous angel investors, directly funding micro-loans, project costs, or stipends. No middlemen. No overhead. Just impact. 

Donors remain anonymous so that the exchange of money does not create power imbalances. We don’t want recipients to feel beholden to the donors. We prefer the receiver to continue to wonder “Who believes in me, who supports me?” When their questions aren’t answered they experience a generalized feeling of community support.  The donor also benefits because they know that the recipient accepts them for who they are, not for what’s in their wallet.  

Because we said no to becoming a traditional nonprofit, we said yes to freedom. We can experiment. We can pivot. We can stay nimble and real. Our Community Profit model offers simpler access to funding than a 501©3 non-profit. It’s more direct. Less risk. More reward. 

We have no office, no staff, no overhead—just heartbeats and handshakes. There are no grant cycles. No long applications. 

If you want to help, you can lend a lawnmower, pick up a paintbrush, or buy a gift card. In-kind gifts are gold. The more hands involved, the more community we build. And we welcome everyone to become allies, not just donors.

We’ve supported the launching of everything from teen led newspapers, gang intervention programs, urban farms, business incubators, youth-led startups and a geodesic dome for holistic healing. These aren’t stadium-sized projects. But they’re no less powerful. Small, replicable efforts that bloom across neighborhoods—and grow into something much bigger.

There are no tax write-offs—just soul returns.