Medina County funds seek grant proposals
Nonprofit leaders invited to attend virtual information session on Jan. 26
Beginning Feb. 1, the Medina County Community Fund and the Medina County Women's Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation will accept grant proposals from nonprofit organizations that improve Medina County residents' quality of life.
Grant applications will be available online at www.akroncf.org/applyMCCF and www.akroncf.org/applyMCWEF. Applications are due March 1.
Prior to applications opening, fund representatives will answer grant-seekers' questions during a virtual information session on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m. A representative from Akron Community Foundation will also be available to answer questions about the online application process. Attendance at the information session is not required to receive funding but is strongly encouraged. To register for the information session, visit www.akroncf.org/MedinaGrantInfoSession.
The Medina County Community Fund improves the quality of life for all Medina County residents, particularly in the following four focus areas or "pillars" of funding: arts and culture, community service, education, and health. Recent grants have supported the construction of affordable housing for families in Medina County, provided support services and wellness programs for Medina County residents impacted by cancer, and supported activities during Medina County Arts Week 2022.
The Medina County Women's Endowment Fund focuses on funding programs that address the needs of local women and children. Recent grants have provided sexual violence prevention programming for middle school girls at Buckeye Intermediate School; supported the physical, social and emotional well-being of Medina County girls through Girls on the Run Northeast Ohio; and provided free children's books to Medina County families during food pantry distributions.
Last year, the two funds awarded a combined nearly $60,000 to programs that enrich the lives of Medina County residents. Qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive one grant per fund per calendar year. Both funds will announce their grants in June.
For more information about applying for a grant, contact John Garofalo, Akron Community Foundation's vice president of community investment, at 330-436-5624 or jgarofalo@akroncf.org.
About the Medina County Community Fund
The Medina County Community Fund, an affiliate fund of Akron Community Foundation, serves as a permanent philanthropic endowment for Medina County. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Medina County residents, now and in the future. The income from this fund is distributed annually to qualified nonprofit organizations that provide a wide range of cultural, educational, health and community services. To date, the fund has grown to more than $1 million and awarded more than $680,000 in grants. For more information, or to contribute to the Medina County Community Fund, visit www.mccfund.org.
About the Medina County Women's Endowment Fund
The Medina County Women's Endowment Fund, an affiliate of Akron Community Foundation, was established in 1998 to improve the lives of women and children in Medina County. The mission of the Medina County Women's Endowment Fund is to fund organizations and programs in Medina County that support women and children, to serve as a catalyst for needed projects, and to assist women in their growth as philanthropists. The fund encourages the advancement and full participation of women and children in the community and in society. In addition, it supports organizations and programs that create opportunities for the educational, physical, emotional, social, artistic and personal growth of women and children. Since the fund's establishment, it has grown to more than $450,000 and awarded nearly $270,000 in grants. For more information, or to contribute to the Medina County Women's Endowment fund, go to www.medinawomensendowment.org.
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 $260 million with a growing family of more than 800 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 $214 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 www.akroncf.org.