Bath Community Fund celebrates $250,000 grantmaking milestone
Funding includes support for the Summit County Astronomy Club ahead of 2024 eclipse
On Friday, Dec. 1, Bath Community Fund of Akron Community Foundation awarded 17 grants totaling $50,000 to nonprofit organizations serving Bath Township. This brings the fund's cumulative grantmaking total to more than $250,000 in the eight years of the fund's grantmaking.
This is the third year in a row that the fund is distributing $50,000 to nonprofits dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Bath community. This milestone was made possible in part by two anonymous donors who generously made a contribution to increase the fund's grantmaking to the $50,000 level.
Several of the grants awarded in 2023 will support programs working to educate Bath Township's youth about the natural world around them. Many of these programs align with two of Bath Community Fund's main funding priorities: preserving the township's environmental legacy and serving the community's youth through education and recreation.
Some of this year's funding will support general programming at Crown Point Ecology Center, the installation of two art exhibitions at University of Akron Field Station in the Bath Nature Preserve, and experiential learning opportunities at Hale Farm & Village. Additionally, a grant to the Summit County Astronomy Club will allow the observatory in the Bath Nature Preserve to complete all capital renovations ahead of the anticipated surge of visitors for the 2024 total eclipse.
"The Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau expects the population of Summit County to more than double for the April 8, 2024, total eclipse. The new astronomy camera will allow the observatory to livestream the event," said Summit County Astronomy Club President John Shulan. "The new camera will also have the ability to broadcast a variety of daytime and nighttime astronomical events to schools."
Other grants awarded this year will support The Heart of Revere's care package program and provide support services at Stewart's Caring Place for Bath residents impacted by cancer, among other initiatives.
"We are a consistent source of support for many nonprofits, but we were also thrilled to read applications from many new applicants this year," said Diana McCool, chair of Bath Community Fund's Grant Committee. "As we approach the fund's 10th anniversary, we are all so proud of the immeasurable impact we've had on our beloved community. We hope to continue growing our endowment in 2024 so we can support even more of the important nonprofits that serve our friends, family and neighbors in the Bath and Revere Schools communities."
The following is a complete list of grants awarded by Bath Community Fund in 2023:
Akron Symphonic Winds, to support a concert celebrating the role that bands have played throughout U.S. history at the 2024 Made in Ohio Festival at Hale Farm & Village, $3,300
Apollo's Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, to provide discounted concert tickets and an in-school workshop for students at Bath Elementary School, $2,000
Bath Township Service Department, to purchase enhancements, including side panels, for the township's large event tent, $2,000
Crown Point Ecology Center, to support general operations and programming serving Bath residents, $2,500
Embracing Futures, to support an oral health education program for third-graders at Bath Elementary School, $1,000
Girls on the Run Northeast Ohio, to support a running-based enrichment program for girls in the Bath community that combines physical activity with lessons about social and emotional well-being, $5,000
The Heart of Revere, to provide monthly care packages with clothing and personal hygiene items for approximately 80 students and families in the Revere Local School District, $5,000
Hope Meadows Foundation, to support equine therapy programs with a focus on emotional health for Revere Middle School students, $4,000
Revere Baseball-Softball Association, for a sports mentorship program that pairs Revere High School softball players with girls in the Bath Youth Softball program, $2,500
Singers Companye, to support a free choral concert series and music classes at The Bath Church, $1,000
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Diocese of Cleveland, to provide resources and financial assistance to Bath families without housing, $2,500
Stewart's Caring Place, to provide support services for Bath residents impacted by cancer, $4,000
Summit County Astronomy Club, to enhance the solar scope mount, the astronomy camera, and the observatory's live streaming capabilities in order to optimize the public viewing experience ahead of the total eclipse in 2024, $3,500
The University of Akron Field Station, to support two nature-based art exhibitions that will inform visitors of the University of Akron Field Station in the Bath Nature Preserve about the local ecosystems, $3,000
Victim Assistance Program, to increase awareness of support services for Bath residents who have been impacted by crisis, violence or trauma, $1,000
Victory Gallop, to support therapeutic horseback riding programs for children with special needs and life-threatening illnesses, $5,000
Western Reserve Historical Society, to support both experiential and virtual educational programming at Hale Farm & Village, $2,700
About Bath Community Fund
Established in 2014 by a group of committed Bath residents, Bath Community Fund is a permanent endowment dedicated to strengthening the Bath community for current and future generations by providing leadership, fostering collaboration, and creating a legacy of charitable giving. The fund is committed to responding to community needs, helping the less fortunate, supporting local nonprofits, and reinforcing and preserving Bath's historical and environmental legacy. Since its inception, the fund has grown to more than $1.1 million and reinvested more than $250,000 into the Bath community. For more information, contact Affiliate Fund Engagement Manager Deb Hoffman at 330-436-5614 or dhoffman@akroncf.org.
About Akron Community Foundation
For 68 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 $260 million with a growing family of more than 830 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 $227 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.