In late 1990, Temple Associates had their attorney draw up Articles of Incorporation to file with the State of Ohio as a nonprofit corporation. This was approved by the state in early 1991. The new corporation then filed with the Internal Revenue Service for designation as a 501(c)(3) organization. This request was also approved in 1991. These approvals permitted the Civic Foundation to apply for planning grants to three major Cleveland area foundations - The Cleveland Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, and the Jewish Community Federation.

In December 1991, the Cleveland Foundation approved a $42,000 grant to be used in support of a cost-benefit analysis of the Civic's role in Cleveland Heights. In March 1992, the Gund Foundation approved an additional $42,000 to assess the building's renovation needs, to identify potential financing sources, and to develop a program for the building's use. The Jewish Community Federation also acted favorably, granting $15,000 for the Civic redevelopment project in March 1992. With almost $100,000 in grants, the Board of the Civic Foundation decided to embark on the following three-pronged approach: (1) commission an analysis of potential users of the building and their facilities needs; (2) fund an architectural study of the costs of carrying out the results of the needs analysis; and (3) hire a fund-raising consultant to figure out how to fund the recommended renovation.