Cleveland’s MetroHealth Foundation celebrated a $1.5 million investment from the KeyBank Foundation on April 22, 2026, a three-year commitment that will support the continued growth of the health system’s Opportunity Centers in the Buckeye and Clark-Fulton neighborhoods. The announcement came during the Pathways to Opportunity Celebration at MetroHealth’s Buckeye Health Center.
The new funding builds on an initial $1.5 million commitment made in 2021 and brings KeyBank’s lifetime giving to MetroHealth to $3.4 million over 23 years of partnership. MetroHealth said the Opportunity Centers, operated through its Institute for H.O.P.E.™, connect patients, employees and community residents with financial coaching, workforce training, health navigation and trusted community partners.
Over the next three years, the money will strengthen staffing, including financial coaches and community health workers, while also expanding workforce development and credentialing programs with Cuyahoga Community College. MetroHealth also plans to use the funding to improve technology and digital access for virtual learning, financial wellness workshops and broader community participation, and to grow partnerships that bring more educational workshops, cultural events and co-located services to residents.
The centers have become a measurable part of MetroHealth’s community work. Since they launched, the system says it has screened nearly 160,000 people for social needs, connected thousands to essential resources, hosted more than 130 programs and served over 1,000 residents. Hundreds of individuals have also improved their financial stability through debt reduction, savings growth and credit improvement.
Christine Alexander-Rager said the investment reflects a shared belief that health is shaped by opportunity, stability and access, not just care delivered in a clinic. Eric Fiala said Cleveland’s strength depends on the well-being of its neighborhoods and called the investment a way to expand opportunity where people live and work. The partnership gives MetroHealth a fresh three-year runway, but it also underscores a broader bet: that health care systems can move the needle on poverty, work and access only if the help reaches people where their daily lives happen.
