Akron Community Foundation awards $355,000 in capital grants
Akron Community Foundation's board of directors recently approved $355,000 in capital grants, selected by the foundation's Community Investment Committee.
Every other year, the foundation awards these grants to nonprofits that need funding to renovate or repair buildings or property, or to purchase equipment essential to the organization's ability to deliver quality programming to its clients.
Among those organizations receiving capital grant funding is The Trust for Public Land, which will receive $20,000 to help students at Jennings CLC in North Hill create a community schoolyard that will include a soccer field, tables for conversation, an area to display student-created art and a walking trail. Designed by students, the project will convert what's now referred to as "the bowl" into a community space that connects to Patterson Park.
"I see it as a community health initiative, because we want people to get outdoors and enjoy the outdoors," said Carla Chapman, retired chief of community relations and strategic engagement for Akron Public Schools, who was pivotal in the project and its partnership with the Trust for Public Land. "This is beautification at its best, one that involves students, schools, and members of the community and residents. There's even going to be – as envisioned by students – a space for artwork. So, I think it's going to have multiple benefits for the school and the community."
"We want to be advocating for those spaces that are not only programmed during the school hours, which in this case, you know, Jennings will be, but also in those evening hours and dormant months in the summer when students aren't in the building," said Sean Terry, Ohio State director for The Trust for Public Land.
A total of 34 organizations will receive capital funding this year. Grants will support the following capital projects:
Akron Marathon Charitable Corporation, to support safety and security enhancements, like additional fencing and a security gate, $5,000
Akron Parks Collaborative, for a collaborative project with the City of Akron to build an inclusive, accessible marquee playground at Hardesty Park in the Wallhaven neighborhood, $10,000
Akron Zoo, to support the construction of the zoo's new Giraffe Journey exhibit, $25,000
Better Kenmore CDC, to support redevelopment of a mixed-use building (business and residential) in the historic business district on Kenmore Boulevard, $12,500
Bounce Innovation Hub, for the renovation of its eighth-floor chemistry laboratories to better support advanced materials and polymer startups, $10,000
Caravan of Love (formerly Forever R Children), to support fabrication of a mobile laundry vehicle serving Akron and Summit County, $5,000
Cascade Locks Park Association, for preservation, safety, and operational upgrades across the Mustill Store Museum, including exterior painting and fence refinishing, repair of historic stone walls and chimneys, and structural repairs, $10,000
CitiReach (formerly Akron Dream Center), to support facility renovations, including safety improvements, at the nonprofit's headquarters in Southeast Akron, $4,000
Crown Point Ecology Center, to support construction of a year-round passive solar growing dome greenhouse, expanding food access and farm-based education for Summit County residents, $10,000
Cuyahoga Valley Art Center, for classroom infrastructure improvements, $5,000
Cuyahoga Valley Preservation and Scenic Railway Association, to support Powering Possibility, a forward-looking project that bridges historic preservation with clean energy innovation, $20,000
Dr. Bob's Home, to support the building of an outdoor pavilion for events and other gatherings, $7,500
Family Promise of Summit County Inc., for the Copley Road family shelter campus renovation project, $10,000
Harmony House, to support the renovation of a building for young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, $15,000
Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center, to replace the Summit County emergency shelter's kitchen HVAC units, $12,500
Hope Meadows Foundation, to support exterior green and sustainable initiatives as part of a capital expansion project, like stormwater management, reducing municipal water use, installing rainwater collection systems, increasing the tree canopy, and planting beds to reduce heat absorption, $10,000
IBH Addiction Recovery, to support the Building Foundations to Hope. Heal. Recover Capital Campaign, funding the construction of two new residential treatment houses and a centralized kitchen and dining facility, $25,000
Magical Theatre Company, for renovation of a new building, $20,000
North Hill Community Development Corporation, for development of a mixed-use building (business and residential) at 771 North Main St., $12,500
Ohio Shakespeare Festival, for sound system improvements at the Greystone Hall performance space, $5,000
OPEN M (Opportunity Parish Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry), for secure systems and network infrastructure upgrades, $10,000
People Feeding People, to support the development of a distribution and food processing center, $10,000
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, to support renovations and facility upgrades at Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio's Akron Health Center, $5,000
Safety Forces Support Center, to support new office space renovations, $5,000
The Salvation Army Summit County Area Services, to support the physical health and well-being of community members in need by restoring the gym floor, $15,000
Second Chance Village, to help with the purchase and start-up of a mission transportation vehicle, $2,500
Shelter Care Inc., for outdoor fencing and safety, $5,000
South Street Ministries, for the Front Porch final renovations, including HVAC, a dishwasher, and a grill/oven, $10,000
Truly Reaching You, for a passenger vehicle supporting reentry, recovery, and workforce development services, $7,500
Trust for Public Land, to help develop a community schoolyard at Jennings CLC, $20,000
Urban Vision, to help develop an outdoor play area for sports, exploring and other activities, $10,000
The Well CDC, to support security, safety and accessibility upgrades to secure clients, staff and property, $7,500
Western Reserve Historical Society, for the restoration of the Goldsmith House, $10,000
Western Reserve Playhouse, for replacing and updating the outdated and inefficient main entry doors, $3,500
About Akron Community Foundation
For more than 70 years, Akron Community Foundation has been our community's champion and generator of enduring philanthropy. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of more than $367 million with a growing family of more than 930 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 $283 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 akroncf.org.