Akron Community Foundation awards $4.4 million in quarterly grants, approves education funding

Education grants support mentoring, early learning, after-school programs, among others

Akron Community Foundation's board of directors recently announced quarterly grants totaling $4.4 million and approved $695,500 in competitive education grants selected by the foundation's Community Investment Committee. A total of 37 organizations received funding during the education cycle.  

Among the nonprofits receiving education grants this quarter is Akron Youth Mentorship, which was awarded $7,750 to help provide mentorship, education, and work readiness for local students, along with out-of-school-time offerings like weekly meals and summer programs to help prevent the "summer slide," during which some students fall behind their peers academically.  

"Studies have shown that if our students don't get enrichment in the summer, they will drop off and then they will be behind once school starts back again in the fall," said LeShaunte Edwards, executive director of Akron Youth Mentorship, who added that the nonprofit places a strong focus on breaking stigmas around youth violence and unhealthy mindsets within families. "We're trying to point our students in the right direction. We're trying to show them that they have gifts, they have talents, and they don't have to be trapped in their mind and in their environment." 

Akron Area YMCA received an education grant for $46,500 to provide early care and education programs to help children better prepare for kindergarten. Participants range in age from 6 weeks to 5 years old, with lesson plans and curricula for all ages. YMCA staff reports that public funding for early childcare has been reduced, creating a strain on families and providers.  

"We focus heavily on getting our children kindergarten-ready, and that doesn't start at 4 or 5 – that starts when they come in to us at 6 weeks," said Tammie Jackson, associate executive director and program director for the YMCA's Hope Early Care and Education Center. "I view us as the foundation builders," she added. "And if we miss the mark on our foundation, then our children certainly will fall through the cracks." 

The YMCA serves families that qualify for public funds, along with offering a range of scholarships to help families who may not qualify.  

"The most important thing, especially with our early care and education centers, is to make sure that the kids are prepared for kindergarten," said Beth Kelley, chief officer of youth advancement for the Akron Area YMCA. "Once kids are on track for kindergarten, they're on track for life." 

Also receiving an education grant is the Akron Inner City Soccer Club, which was awarded $15,000 for a year-round youth development soccer program that offers after-school activities, meals and other resources for school-aged children. The nonprofit has been serving the community for nearly 30 years. "(We) give them a positive life outlook," said Dele Olabisi, founder and president of the Akron Inner City Soccer Club. "They are more confident on the field and off the field, and they do well in school." 

This quarter, $45,750 in education funding was contributed by the Howard Atwood Family Fund, the Legacy of Grace Fund, the Charles E. and Mary K. Booth Family Fund, the Hrdlicka-Jones Family Fund, and an anonymous fundholder through the community foundation's grant co-investment program, which enables donor-advised fundholders to review the board's competitive grant applications and support initiatives that align with their charitable interests.   

Grants will support the following education programs:   

ACE Mentor Program of Greater Akron-Canton, to engage high school students to pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction through mentoring and continued support for their advancement into the industry, $5,750  
Akron Area YMCA, to support affordable early childhood care and education programming, $46,500 
Akron Children's Museum, to support the Museum in a Box program, which provides children ages 3 to 5 in Summit County Head Start with creative, hands-on learning experiences through STEAM-based activities, $18,000  
Akron Inner City Soccer Club, to support youth academic and social development through after-school soccer programming for Akron families with low income, $15,000  
Akron Promise, to expand access to STEM enrichment experiences for Garfield CLC students and other Akron youth, fostering exposure to science, technology, engineering and math pathways through hands-on learning opportunities, $5,000  
Akron Youth Mentorship, to support youth mentorship programs that help young people in areas of mentorship, education, work-readiness, and experiences, $7,750  
Akron Zoo, for the School Transitions program, which includes story-time, animal demonstrations and classroom experiences to help young learners with the transition to kindergarten, $9,500  
Alchemy Inc., to support Developing Heroes, an in-school group mentoring program for adolescents that features mythological storytelling, drumming circles, journaling and other activities, $8,000  
ASIA Inc., for the International Community Empowerment Project (ICEP), which provides academic support, language skills, and other enrichment opportunities for immigrant and refugee students in Akron, $20,000 
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Summit, Medina & Stark Counties, to support one-to-one and site-based mentoring for school-age children in Summit County, $13,500  
Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio, to support free, evidence-based, youth development programming for minority and under-resourced youth at Akron Clubs, $66,000  
Bright Star Books, to expand early literacy access for young children in Summit County through coordinated book giving programs and community partnerships that place free, high-quality books in the hands of families with young readers, $14,250  
Building for Tomorrow, to support early childhood home visits for residents of Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA), focusing on parents' engagement in their child's education with an emphasis on social-emotional and early math and literacy skills, $94,000  
Child Guidance & Family Solutions, for the Toddlers and Preschoolers Succeeding Program, which offers training and on-site support for teachers, students and families to help increase the social and emotional well-being of young children in preschool programs, $90,500  
Citizens Akron Church, for operating support to sustain the expanded capacity of the Vincent House afterschool program, which provides daily academic support, mentorship and enrichment in a safe, structured environment for neighborhood students, $8,750  
Cleveland Museum of Natural History, to support STEM-based literacy programming for second-grade students in Akron Public Schools, including in-person experiences at the Museum in addition to virtual programs and classroom activities, $7,000 
The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, to provide education through facilitated programs that build respect, inclusion and cross-cultural understanding for students in Akron Public Schools, $9,000  
Dreams Academy, to support the Kings and Queens academy mentoring programs, which offer after-school programming and peer-to-peer support to help improve educational, economic, and health outcomes for youth ages 10 to 17, $7,000  
Early Childhood Resource Center, for Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) in Springfield School District, enhancing kindergarten readiness for children ages 3 to 4 through home visits and engaging parent as partners, $5,000
First Glance Student Center, to support youth mentoring programs in Kenmore, including Ladies' Night Out, The Connect for teen and young moms and their families, the LAUNCH after-school program and Hip-Hop Night, among others, $12,000
Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, to support staff-led Girl Scout troops in under-reached schools, $13,000  
Global Ties Akron, to support global education and multicultural programming, $12,500  
He Brought Us Out Ministries (aka North Hill Community House), to support after-school programs for young people, which blend personal growth, academic enrichment, and community engagement throughout the year, $9,500  
Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio, to drive economic mobility and opportunity by empowering K-12 students in Summit County through financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship programming, $15,500  
Leadership Influencing Teen Empowerment,to support leadership development and emotional intelligence training in area high schools and middle schools, $3,500  
Limitless Ambition, to support educational social-emotional programming for teen girls in Greater Akron, $10,250  
National Inventors Hall of Fame, to support STEM enrichment programming for Summit County students with a focus on Akron Public Schools, $11,000  
Project GRAD Akron,for the Bridge to Kindergarten program, which prepares children for kindergarten through a summer academy, parent engagement activities, and family support services throughout the school year, $30,000  
Project Learn of Summit County, to provide services like literacy classes, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), college preparation, and workforce development throughout Summit County, $18,750  
RePlay for Kids, to support STEM education at Akron STEM High School using toy adapting workshops, while providing adapted toys for children with disabilities in Summit County, $3,750  
Salvation Army Summit County Area, to support equity in education in Summit County with Learning Zone programming, including preschool, after-school, and summer enrichment camp programs, $5,000 
Students With A Goal aka: SWAG, for operating support, including youth violence prevention programming and mentorship opportunities, $14,750 
Summit Education Initiative, to help provide backbone support for local educators, schools and programs in Summit County, $30,000  
Tri-County Jobs for Ohio's Graduates, to support a workforce manager to help strengthen school-to-work readiness and career pathway programming for more than 1,300 Akron Public Schools students, $14,750  
University of Akron Foundation, to provide teacher certification in structured literacy and the science of reading, $17,500  
University School, to provide entrepreneurial education for K-12 students in Akron Public Schools through YIPPEE Exchange and a summer Celebrate Youth Entrepreneurship event in partnership with Youth Success Summit, $7,500  
Urban Vision, for the Set On Success after-school enrichment program, which provides academic support and life skills classes for students in Akron's North Hill neighborhood, $15,750  

About Akron Community Foundation
For 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 $350 million with a growing family of nearly 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 $271 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.