Today, Akron Community Foundation’s board of directors approved grants totaling $2,953,099, including $2,475,099 in grants from 136 designated, donor-advised, agency endowment and scholarship funds, and $478,000 in competitive civic affairs grants chosen by the organization’s Community Investment Committee.
The board also approved the establishment of the Summit Metro Parks Foundation Endowment Fund at Akron Community Foundation. The fund’s $3.5 million establishing gift was one of the largest in the community foundation’s history.
“As a community foundation, we are uniquely positioned to be an impartial and prudent steward of an organization’s funds,” said Akron Community Foundation President and CEO John T. Petures Jr. “We offer them the peace of mind that their assets are managed responsibly and the assurance that their donors’ gifts are used for the purpose they intended – not just now, but forever. It gives us great pride that Summit Metro Parks has entrusted us with this legacy.”
Many of the civic affairs grants focused on neighborhood rebuilding, including a grant to the Neighborhood Network of University Park, whose Neighborhood Reborn projects provide exterior home improvements, vacant lot cleanups and “artistic board-ups” of abandoned houses awaiting demolition. Similarly, a grant to Habitat for Humanity of Summit County will enable the organization to deconstruct many of Akron’s blighted houses and recycle or reuse the salvaged materials through its ReStore retail storefront.
Donor-advised fundholders recommended an additional $14,000 for civic affairs programs through the community foundation’s grant co-investment program. The program allows fundholders to review the board’s competitive grant applications and, if they choose, to fund grants that align with their charitable interests. Their funding joins that of the following field-of-interest and unrestricted funds, which were created by charitable residents to support emerging needs in our community: Jean S. and Thomas J. Amer Fund, V.E. (Tom) Atkins Fund, Betty R. Axline Fund, Board of Directors Annual Giving Fund, Dick and Chris Chenoweth Fund, Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Fund, Lucille Scott Harris Fund, Vivienne S. and Russell R. Johnstone Family Fund, Arthur Kelly Fund, William C. Krisher Fund, Polsky Fund, Helen S. Robertson Fund, James G. Robertson Fund, Roush Memorial Fund, Shaw Foundation Fund, George Stevens Fund, Ronald L. Stiles Fund, Dr. Kenneth F. Swanson Fund for the Arts, Emma Vioran Fund, William Wallace Fund, William C. and Betty J. Zekan Fund and the Community Fund.
Their grants will support the following 34 civic affairs programs:
Akron Community Service Center and Urban League, to support education, employment and entrepreneurship programs, including job placement and readiness training, $15,000
Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs, to provide financial assistance for children and adults with disabilities to attend overnight, day and respite camps, $10,000
Akron SCORE, to support counseling and workshops for small-business owners, $7,500
Akron-Summit County Public Library, to digitize Akron’s African-American newspaper, The Reporter, making issues from 1969 to 2016 available and searchable on the Ohio Memory collaborative digital library, $10,000
Akron Zoo, to support education programs for local youth, $5,000
BVU: The Center for Nonprofit Excellence, to support subsidized capacity-building consulting services for four to eight nonprofits in Summit County, $5,000
CASA Board Volunteer Association, to support volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children in court, $12,500
City of Akron, for the 2017 Neighborhood Partnership Program, $85,000
Cleveland International Film Festival, to support film screenings in downtown Akron at the Main Library, Akron Art Museum and the Nightlight Cinema during the annual film festival, $5,000
Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, for general operating support and a capital campaign for the central Visitor Center, which is situated to serve Cleveland and Akron, $40,000
ConxusNEO (formerly Summit Workforce Solutions), to support year two of TalentNEO, a skills-based hiring initiative that aims to increase career opportunities for job seekers and grow the pool of qualified candidates for local companies, $10,000
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, to operate and maintain vintage railroad equipment, and for the Head End Power System project, which will improve safety and reliability and help prevent the loss of electrical service, $20,000
Development Fund of the Western Reserve, to support a community loan fund targeting severely distressed neighborhoods in the City of Akron, offering tax credits and favorable loan terms to businesses in these communities, $10,000
Downtown Akron Partnership, for operating support to continue serving as a catalyst for business, residential and social development, along with the development of a plan to help align downtown opportunities, $15,000
Dr. Bob’s Home, to support the upkeep of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Dr. Bob’s home and the preservation of archives within the home, $2,500
East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation, for the Emergency Home Repair Program, which helps low-income homeowners with one-time repairs that maintain a home’s stability and safety, like hot water tank replacements, door and toilet repairs, and railings and grab bars, $15,000
First Tee of Akron, for an educational, golf-based youth development program for ages 6 through 18 at Akron’s Mud Run Golf Course, with programs that teach life skills alongside the game of golf, $5,000
The Foundation Center Cleveland, to encourage philanthropy and connect nonprofits to the funding resources they need to be effective, $2,500
Fund for Our Economic Future, for the second year of operating support to help transform the Northeast Ohio economy through strategies like job creation, job preparation and access, and fostering a broad entrepreneurial culture, $33,000
Habitat for Humanity of Summit County, to support neighborhood revitalization initiatives, including the A Brush With Kindness exterior home repair program, zero percent interest mortgages, and the deconstruction of blighted homes, $10,000
Hattie Larlham Foundation, to support activities that encourage employers to hire people with developmental disabilities by addressing barriers to employment, $20,000
International Soap Box Derby, for operating support to continue Soap Box Derby races and educational programs like the Gravity Racing Challenge and STEM summer camps, $15,000
Keep Akron Beautiful, for the urban beautification program, which adds professionally designed flowerscapes to public flower beds, medians and downtown planters, $10,000
Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, to help revive the commercial, retail and entertainment activities on Kenmore Boulevard through the installation of a marquee at the Rialto Theatre, $5,000
Leadership Akron, for the annual orientation retreat for Class 34, in which class members participate in team-building exercises and meet top community leaders, $12,500
Neighborhood Network of University Park, to support the 2017 Neighborhood Reborn projects, which work with residents to transform dilapidated neighborhoods in University Park and Middlebury through artistic board-ups, vacant lot cleanups and owner-occupied home improvements, $7,500
Oriana House, to support the Summit County Reentry Network, which collaborates with 60 nonprofits and faith-based organizations to help reduce recidivism by focusing on career development, education and long-term employment support for ex-offenders, $15,000
Pawsibilities, Humane Society of Greater Akron, for the purchase of an animal transport van outfitted with climate control, fixed cages and storage to provide rescued animals with safe and reliable transportation to and from vet visits, adoption centers and abusive hoarding situations, $15,000
Project Ujima, to support moderator training for community discussions where Buchtel cluster residents and stakeholders can address shared concerns and develop action plans, $5,000
Rebuilding Together Northeast Ohio, for safety modifications and home repairs to help low-income, elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners remain in their homes, $15,000
Summit Food Coalition, to bring community members and stakeholders together to improve healthful food access for Summit County residents, and to spur economic development though education and advocacy, $25,000
The Well Community Development Corporation, to revitalize the former First Presbyterian Church building on East Market Street as a hub for housing, economic and place-making initiatives in the Middlebury neighborhood, $10,000
West Hill Neighborhood Organization, for a pick-your-own community orchard on a vacant lot in the West Hill Victorian Village neighborhood in partnership with Hattie Larlham, which will use the orchard for staff training and education, $2,500
Women’s Network Inc., to support women’s leadership and professional development programs, including training in the areas of emotional intelligence, leadership, career development and entrepreneurship, $2,500
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 61 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. As of June 30, 2016, it is a philanthropic endowment of nearly $182 million with a growing family of 540 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded more than $133 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.
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