In 2019, Akron Community Foundation awarded $625,000* in competitive Arts & Culture cycle grants to support mentoring programs for local entrepreneurs, culturally diverse theater performances, music education workshops, and more.
See a complete history of Arts & Culture grants
- Akron Art Museum, to support community engagement activities through exhibits, education, performances and community partnerships, $60,000
- Akron Civic Theatre, for community-based programming and engagement activities, including free admission tickets for residents in need, $31,000
- Akron Soul Train, for an artist residency program, which includes workshops, exhibits and resources for artist fellows, $5,000
- Akron Symphonic Winds, to support free performances at community events and area schools, $5,000
- Akron Symphony, to support music education and outreach, including: Concerts for Kids, Gospel Meets Symphony, Youth Symphony coaching, and other programs, $15,000
- Apollo's Fire the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, to support concerts and programs for the 2019-20 season, including the Community Access Initiative, which offers economy and free tickets and workshops for community members, $10,000
- Art Sparks, for Dynamite Duos, a peer-based dance and music curriculum for Akron Public Schools students with developmental disabilities, $5,000
- ArtsNow, to help advance Summit County's arts and culture sector through events, partnerships and advocacy, $12,500
- Ballet Excel Ohio, to support Reach Out and Dance, which provides free dance instruction and performance opportunities to students in Akron Public Schools, $5,000
- Ballet Theatre of Ohio, for "Take me out to the Ballet," which offers discounted ballet tickets to students and teachers, along with educational and performance opportunities, $5,500
- BLU Jazz+ Masterclass Foundation, to support the Blu Jazz MasterClass Foundation, which includes live performances from jazz masters, along with jam sessions, all-star concerts and educational experiences for students, $5,000
- Bounce Innovation Hub, to hire a maker in residence who will provide free business and production advice to members and makerspace users, $10,000
- Brass Band of the Western Reserve, to support the 2019-20 concert season, $2,500
- Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture, to support performances, workshops and educational activities during the Balch Street Theatre’s 2019-20 season, $7,500
- Children's Concert Society of Akron, for the Akron Public Schools In-School Concert Series, which brings free live concert experiences of culturally diverse music to students in an informal, hands-on setting, $10,000
- City of Akron, to support the 13th annual Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival in Akron, which offers free dance performances in community parks during the summer, $50,000
- Crafty Mart, to support the Maker Sessions Entrepreneurial Curriculum, which connects artists and creative business people to resources in the community through panel discussions, workshops and networking, $5,000
- Curated Storefront, to help provide multimedia art window displays in vacant street-level buildings in downtown Akron, $7,500
- Cuyahoga Valley Art Center, to support exhibits, events and workshops for artists and residents in the Cuyahoga Falls area, $5,000
- DANCECleveland, to bring New York City-based Parsons Dance company to Akron for a performance, educational residency and outreach initiatives, $10,000
- Dancing Classrooms Northeast Ohio, to support a residency program for local students that combines ballroom dancing with curriculum-based teaching, to help build self-esteem and promote social and emotional learning, $5,000
- F Rated Inc., to support Bechdel Fest, a downtown Akron film festival that addresses gender inequality in cinema, $2,500
- Friends of 91.3, to support radio station operations and community service programs, $13,000
- Girls Rock Camp Akron, for a weeklong music experience for Summit County girls ages 10 to 16, including forming a band, writing songs and performing on stage, $1,500
- GroundWorks DanceTheater, to support performances and outreach, like free workshops for young dancers, community and school performances and residencies, $10,000
- Highland Square Neighborhood Association, for arts and engagement programs in Highland Square, like the annual PorchRokr music event and an Akron-centric film festival, $7,500
- Inlet Dance Theatre, to support Phase II of "The 'Black Card' Project," which addresses topics of race, equality and bias through performances, workshops and discussions, $5,000
- Keepers of the Art Education, to support the 2019 Hip-Hop Preservation Project, a series of events, including concerts, lectures, films, discussions, workshops and exhibits to counteract the commercialization of hip-hop music, $10,000
- Les Délices, to support the 2019-20 season in Akron, featuring live chamber music, $2,500
- Magical Theatre Company, for support of the 2019-20 season, including resident performances, a kids' script-writing program, touring plays and educational programs, $13,500
- Master Singers Chorale of Northeast Ohio, for operating support of the all-volunteer chorale group, including performances like a "Messiah Sing,” $5,000
- Music from The Western Reserve, for operating support, including a six-concert music series in Hudson featuring Northeast Ohio musicians, $1,500
- Musical Arts Association, to support the 2019 Blossom Music Festival, with family-friendly and classical programs throughout the summer, in partnership with the Cleveland Orchestra, $26,500
- Musical Theater Project, for the Kids Love Musicals! program, which offers musical theater-based programming in special education and traditional Akron Public Schools classrooms, $7,500
- National Center for Choreography, for support of research and development in dance through group discussions, interactions with artists and the choreography process, $10,000
- The Nightlight Cinema, to support independent and culturally diverse movies and programming at the Nightlight cinema, $10,000
- None Too Fragile Theatre, to support the 2019 Off-Broadway Series, including six productions, $7,500
- North Coast Men's Chorus, to provide outreach and support to LGBTQ+ college students, including complimentary tickets to concerts, along with LGBTQ+-related activities, $5,000
- Ohio Shakespeare Festival, to support the 2019-20 season, including outdoor Shakespeare performances at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens and shows at Greystone Hall, $5,000
- Open Tone Music, to support the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, a free event that features local and national jazz performers in multiple venues throughout downtown Akron, along with music instruction for local children, $5,000
- Partners for Theater Inc., for Summit StageFest, an outdoor theater festival in Akron's Highland Square neighborhood, $5,000
- Peninsula Foundation Inc., to support the "Voices in the Valley" Music Series, which features local and national artists at G.A.R. Hall, $7,000
- Rubber City Theatre, to support the 2019-20 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, $41,000
- 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 Inc., to support musical training for children and adults, including the Children's Choir and Choral Scholars programs, $15,000
- Summit County Historical Society of Akron, Ohio, for operating support, including events and programming, along with costs associated with the John Brown House and Perkins Stone Mansion, $25,000
- Tuesday Musical Association, to support the opening concert of the 2019-20 MainStage season, with guitarist Jason Vieaux and violinist Adam Barnett-Hart, $15,000
- Verb Ballets, to support performances, including the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival and Tuesday Musical events, along with dance and senior wellness programs, $7,500
- Wandering Aesthetics, for Bigger Than A Breadbox, a recurring vaudeville-style variety show, $5,000
- Weathervane Community Playhouse, to support the 2019-20 season, including six main stage shows, special events and classes, along with opportunities for local artists, $10,000
- Western Reserve Historical Society, for place-based field experiences, like learning programs surrounding the historic Hale Farm and Village, $21,000
- Western Reserve Playhouse, to support the 2019 Season, $5 Bucks Series and Young Artists' Theater shows, $5,000
- Western Reserve Public Media, for cultural arts and performance programming shown on Western Reserve PBS, including local shows, concerts and art-related documentaries, $10,000
- Youth Excellence Performing Arts Workshop, to support the Summer Intensive Workshop and year-round Leadership Arts Academy, including leadership development sessions, performances and volunteer experiences, $16,000
*Includes contributions through Akron Community Foundation's 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.