Akron Community Foundation distributes nearly $3 million in quarterly grants

Competitive grants support arts and culture programs in Summit County

Akron Community Foundation's board of directors approved grants totaling $2,829,995,including $652,500 in competitive arts and culture grants chosen by the foundation's Community Investment Committee, as well as a $75,000 proactive grant to ArtsNow. This grant will support ArtsNow's implementation of the Cultural Plan, including awarding funds to local nonprofits for their equity, inclusion and access projects and programs.

This quarter's arts and culture funding included a $12,000 grant to the Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture (CATAC). CATAC collaborates with and provides performance space for a group of theater companies, including Chameleon Village Theatre Collective, Gum-Dip Theatre and QuTheatr. Funding will help to equip these resident theater companies with the means to garner new performance techniques and professional development, nurture diverse storytelling, and serve as an administrative support team for successful community building and new performance creation.

"For CATAC, housing organizations that are so deeply rooted in community provides an opportunity for people in this neighborhood, but also people in the Greater Akron community, to be able to experience wide ranges of theatre that they may or may not usually have access to," said Josy Jones, manager of strategic partnerships at CATAC. "We have so many different options for people, and it's within walking distance in the neighborhood. Being able to have funding to continue to build community in the neighborhood and diversify audience is going to be really important."

Nearly 60 organizations received funding during the arts and cycle, including Genesis Experience Theatre, which received a $2,500 grant to provide theatrical educational programs to diverse audiences and performers.

"We believe theatre should be offered to all people," said Howard Pippin, artistic director of Genesis Experience Theatre. "We believe in cultivating a diverse environment and reaching out to undeserved areas in the community. Our youth program is serving undeserved areas. We have an after-school program in the Akron Public Schools system, which has really touched the lives of some young people who may not have had exposure to theatre otherwise."

An additional $17,500 in arts and culture funding was contributed by the Charles E. and Mary K. Booth Family Fund and an anonymous fund 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 arts and culture programs:

Akron Art Museum, for general operating support, including hands-on exhibits, free performances and the centennial campaign, $52,000
Akron Civic Theatre, to support noncommercial, inclusive, community-based programming, $37,000
Akron Soul Train, to support artist residencies and projects, $8,000
Akron Symphonic Winds, to support free, local concerts and music coaching for Akron Public Schools' students, $6,500
Akron Symphony Orchestra, to support music education programs and collaborative music outreach initiatives for Summit County students, $17,500
Apollo's Fire the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, to support 2022-23 Summit County concert programming and the Community Access Initiative, $10,000
Art Bomb Brigade, to support educational programming and community mural projects, $5,000
Art Resources Transformations, to exhibit public art in vacant storefront windows and buildings in downtown Akron, $12,500
Art Sparks, to expand peer-based programming for students with developmental disabilities in the Akron Public Schools, $10,000
ArtsNow, to strengthen Summit County by supporting, developing, and advancing its arts and cultural assets, $17,500
Ballet Excel Ohio, to support the 2022-23 Reach Out and Dance program, providing Akron Public Schools' second-grade students with free in-school dance instruction, $5,000
Ballet Theatre of Ohio, to support the Akron Public Schools' outreach program, "Take me out to the Ballet," $5,000
The Center for Applied Drama and Autism, for inclusive theatre programming during the 2022-23 season, $3,500
Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture, to house, equip and support its resident theater companies, $12,000
Children's Concert Society of Akron, to support the 2022-23 in-school concert series, $10,000
City of Akron, to support the 15th annual Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival in Akron, $50,000
Cleveland Ballet, to support 2022 performances at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, $5,000
Cleveland International Film Festival, to support Summit County student participation in FilmSlam Streams 2022, $5,000
Cleveland Orchestra, to support the 2022 Blossom Music Festival, $20,000
Crafty Mart, to support a permanent and sustainable event space where makers can sell, learn and attend workshops, $7,500
Crooked River Chorale, for general operating support, $3,000
Cuyahoga Valley Art Center, to provide a greater understanding of the visual arts through the promotion of art education, exhibition and community engagement, $5,000
DANCECleveland, to bring world class modern dance performances, workshops and an educational residency to Akron in 2022 featuring Gibney Company, $10,000
Dancing Classrooms Northeast Ohio, for Connecting With Care, which uses modified ballroom dance to improve fifth- and eighth-grade educational experiences and social-emotional learning outcomes, $5,000
Evangelical Church of the Holy Trinity, to support a performing arts experience for youth in Akron's socio-economic challenged neighborhoods, $2,500
Friends of The Summit, for general operating support, including support of its four community service programs Rock+Recovery Radio, KIDJAM Radio, Marilyn Stroud Music Alive, and the 330, $15,000
Front Exhibition Company, for "The Hologram," an exhibition at the National Museum of Psychology in Akron during FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art, $7,500
Genesis Experience Theatre, to support adult and youth theatre education programming, $2,500
GroundWorks DanceTheater, to support Summit County arts programming and educational outreach activities, $10,000
Highland Square Neighborhood Association, to support Akron's signature events, PorchRokr and the Highland Square Film Festival, $8,000
Himalayan Music Academy, to support refugee and immigrant communities through music, language and dance classes, $7,500
Keepers of the Art Education, to support the 2022-23 Hip-Hop Preservation Project, which counteracts the corporatization and weaponization of rap music, $10,000
Les Délices, for Winds of Change, an all-instrumental program of chamber works from the eve of the French and Haitian revolutions, inspired by the philosophical ideals of liberty, equality and early abolitionist writing, $7,000
Magical Theatre Company, to help young people grow socially and emotionally through cultural enrichment by way of the theater, $13,500
Master Singers Chorale of Northeast Ohio, to perform free, equitable and accessible classical choral concerts in Summit County, $5,000
Music from The Western Reserve, to offer in-person and virtual concerts for its 40^th season, $2,000
National Center for Choreography, to support research and development in dance through group discussions, dancing labs, residencies, and interactions with world-class artists, $7,500
The Nightlight Cinema, to exhibit independent and international cinema in downtown Akron, $14,000
None Too Fragile Inc., to support the 2022 Off-Broadway Series, $8,000
Ohio Shakespeare Festival, to support the 2022-23 season, including outdoor Shakespeare performances at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens and shows at Greystone Hall, $5,000
OhioDance, to support community engagement for Summit County through educational resources and documentation, $2,500
Open Tone Music, to engage youth in arts and culture through the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, $5,000
Peninsula Foundation, to support the "Voices in the Valley" live music series, which features local and national artists at G.A.R. Hall, $7,000
Phoenix Performing Arts, to support the 2022-23 performance season, $2,000
Project RISE-Akron Public Schools, to support the Performing Arts Can Teach (PACT) program, which provides live theater and performing arts experiences for homeless youth in Akron, $8,000
Rubber City Theatre, to support the 2022-23 season, including plays by Shakespeare and other classic playwrights, workshops, educational experiences, and "pay as you like it" performances for residents, $5,000
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, for operating support of the historic estate, as well as educational, cultural and recreational programs $32,000
Summit Artspace, to support education, art exhibits and programming, along with resources for local artists, including studio space and workshops, $25,000
Summit Choral Society, to support musical training for children and adults, including the Children's Choir and Choral Scholars programs, $16,000
Summit County Historical Society of Akron, Ohio, for operating support, including preserving artifacts and structures and providing educational tools and programs, $26,500
Tuesday Musical Association, to support concerts and community engagement activities during the 2022-23 season, $16,000
Verb Ballets, to support free dance performances and educational programs in Summit County, $7,500
Wandering Aesthetics, to support community-driven programming, performances and educational activities for the 2022-23 season, $5,000
Weathervane Community Playhouse, to support the 2022-23 season, including live theater productions, special events and classes, $10,000
Western Reserve Historical Society, to support educational programming at the historic Hale Farm & Village, $20,000
Western Reserve Playhouse, to support the 2022 performance season, $5 Buck Series and educational programming, $5,000
Wings Over Cuyahoga Valley, to support the exhibit, outreach and programming for "Bees, Bugs, Butterflies and the Cuyahoga," $3,000
Youth Excellence Performing Arts Workshop (YEPAW), to use the arts to engage middle and high school urban youth in activities that provide positive options for developing their talents, skills and self-esteem, $17,500

About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 67 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. It is a philanthropic endowment of nearly $280 million with a growing family of more than 780 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 nearly $209 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 https://www.akroncf.org.