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In 2023, Akron Community Foundation awarded $664,650* in competitive Arts & Culture cycle grants to support the work of diverse artists, in-school arts programming, theater and dance productions, and more.

    • Akron Art Museum, for general operating support, including exhibits, hands-on art-making, community events and free performances, $50,000

    • Akron Civic Theatre, to support community-based programming, including free admission tickets for residents in need, $35,000

    • Akron Soul Train, to support a multi-disciplinary residency program that awards 12 artists with paid residencies each calendar year, $8,000

    • Akron Symphonic Winds, to support free performances for Akron Public Schools students and the community, $7,350

    • Akron Symphony Orchestra, to support the Akron Symphony’s youth music and community outreach programming during the 2023-24 season, $15,000

    • Akron Urban Arts Academy, to provide a comprehensive arts and media education experience for Akron youth ages 13-18, $10,000

    • Art Sparks, for Dynamite Duos, a peer-based inclusive dance and music curriculum for Akron Public Schools students with developmental disabilities, $10,000

    • ArtsNow, to help advance Summit County’s arts and culture sector through events, partnerships and advocacy, including leveraging online resources, $17,500

    • Ballet Excel Ohio, to support 2023-24 Reach Out and Dance (ROAD) program at Akron Public Schools and the pre-professional ballet training scholarship program, $6,000

    • Ballet Theatre of Ohio, for the Akron Public Schools outreach program "Take Me Out to the Ballet," which includes students attending a performance of The Nutcracker, along with classroom educational activities, $6,000

    • 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 16th annual Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival in Akron, $50,000

    • Cleveland Ballet, to support programming at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens and Akron Art Museum, $6,000

    • Cleveland International Film Festival, for FilmSlam & FilmSlam Streams 2023-24, an educational program for Summit County students that offers a chance to view foreign language movies and participate in live or pre-recorded Q&A sessions with filmmakers, $5,000

    • Curated Storefront, to support public art initiatives that increase accessibility to contemporary art, promote economic development, and support the artist, $12,500

    • Cuyahoga Valley Art Center, for operating expenses, including exhibits, events and workshops for artists and residents in the Cuyahoga Falls area, $5,000

    • DANCECleveland, to support dance outreach activities in Summit County with visiting artists, $10,000

    • Dancing Classrooms Northeast Ohio, for the Dancing Classrooms residency project, teaching ballroom dance to help improve 5th- and 8th-graders’ educational experiences, $5,000

    • Friends of The Summit, for general operations, including support of its community service programming Music Alive, The 330, Next Gen Public Media and on-air music education, $15,000

    • FRONT Exhibition Company, to support curatorial research in Akron for FRONT’s 2025 Triennial public art festival, $2,500

    • GroundWorks DanceTheater, to celebrate its 25th Anniversary and support Summit County programming and educational outreach activities, $12,500

    • Keepers of the Art Education, to support the Hip-Hop Preservation Project’s (HHPP) "50th Birthday Celebration of Hip-Hop Culture," including a weekend of concerts, movies, DJ and breakdancing competitions and other activities, $12,500

    • Les Délices, to support concerts and educational outreach in Summit County, including 17th- and 18th-century Scottish music, holiday carols from French, German and English, and French Baroque music, $4,000

    • The Lippman School, to support experiential learning of Indigenous culture and history for Akron students, $5,000

    • Magical Theatre Company, for operating support, including student matinees, touring programs, student scriptwriting and educational programs, $12,500

    • MooreDunsonCo, LLC, to support the second season of "InCOPnegro: Black and Blue," a podcast series and companion piece to choreographer/dancer Dominic Moore-Dunson’s dance theatre project, "inCOPnegro: Aftermath," $5,250

    • The Movement Project, to support an annual residency at Firestone CLC, providing free dance education and career readiness to APS high school students, $2,500

    • The Nightlight Cinema, to support independent and international cinema in downtown Akron, including operations during expansion, $15,000

    • None Too Fragile Inc., for operating support, including the annual "Off Broadway Series," along with drama therapy workshops, $10,000

    • Ohio Shakespeare Festival, to support Free Student Nights and Pay What You Will performances of classical theatre programming, $5,000

    • OhioDance, to support community engagement for Summit County through educational resources and documentation, like the OhioDance Virtual Dance Collection and a four-day residency, $2,500

    • Open Tone Music, to support the 8th Annual Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, $6,000

    • Peninsula Foundation, to support "Voices in the Valley" arts programming, a nationally recognized concert series promoting traditional roots music through live performances of local, national and international touring artists, $6,000

    • Phoenix Performing Arts, to support performing arts education and outreach programs for area students, like scriptwriting, choreography and vocal classes, $2,000

    • Project RISE-Akron Public Schools, to support the Arts Can Teach (ACT) program, which provides live theater and performing arts experiences for Akron Public Schools students facing homelessness and their families, $8,250

    • Rubber City Theatre, for support of the 11th season of theatre productions and education programs, including plays by Shakespeare and other classic playwrights, workshops, educational experiences, and "pay as you like it" performances for residents, $5,000

    • Sight Sound & Word, to help support the multimedia production of "Those Who Have Eyes Will Hear," $3,000

    • Singers Companye, to support Singers Companye VoxMix Collaborative Project, a collective of singers, instrumentalists and other artists who focus on modern composers, $3,000

    • Summit Artspace, to support education, art exhibits and programming, along with resources for local artists, including studio space and workshops, $25,300

    • Summit Choral Society, 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 maintenance of historic properties, events and programming, along with other costs associated with the John Brown House and Perkins Stone Mansion, $25,000

    • Tuesday Musical Association, to support six concerts and related education/community engagement activities in the 2023-24 season, $15,000S

    • Verb Ballets, to support artistic and outreach activities in Akron, including concerts and related education/community engagement, $8,000

    • Wandering Aesthetics, to support theatrical educational opportunities and youth performances in 2023-24 season, $5,000

*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.

VIEW A COMPLETE HISTORY OF ARTS & CULTURE GRANTS

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