Upcoming Events

The Work Behind the Outcomes: How Summit County Has Built a Cradle-to-Career Education Strategy

For decades, leaders across philanthropy, education, finance, higher education, and local government have worked together to strengthen educational outcomes in Summit County. Co-hosted by Akron Community Foundation and the City of Akron, the next installment of our Community Issues Session series offers an opportunity to step back and examine how that coordination has taken shape over time and what it has made possible.

Designed for donors, civic leaders, and public officials, the conversation will explore how long-term alignment, shared priorities, and sustained investment have supported progress from early learning through college and career readiness. Panelists will reflect on the systems and partnerships that operate across stages of education, highlighting both long-standing collective impact efforts and newer initiatives informed by decades of shared learning, and how these efforts contribute to regional prosperity.

You're invited to Akron Community Foundation's Third Annual Nonprofit Insights Conference, featuring keynote speakers Aleda Gagarin, vice president of influence for Candid, and Fred Brown, president and CEO of Forbes Funds.

A whole day of breakout sessions will offer topics ranging from board accountability and volunteer management to AI, event planning and leadership, among several other areas. Through engaging workshops, interactive sessions, and insightful keynotes, participants will gain valuable skills, strategic insights, and practical tools to navigate the challenges of the nonprofit landscape.

This free introductory course will explain what funders are looking for in nonprofits seeking grants and explore how to find potential funders. You will learn the 10 most important things you need to know about finding grants, including:

How do you identify potential funders and make the first approach?
Who funds nonprofits and what are their motivations?
What do funders really want to know about the organizations they are interested in funding?

This program is presented in cooperation with Candid and the Akron-Summit County Public Library.

Join us for an inspiring evening celebrating women as philanthropists and the collective impact we are making for women and girls as we announce this year's grant recipients. This year's theme, Strength in Action, reflects the leadership and momentum behind this work.

Sponsors and VIP guests are invited to a VIP reception at 5 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for all other guests, and everyone will be seated for dinner by 6:30 p.m. The main program will begin at 6:50 p.m. During the program, 2026 Judith A. Read Tribute Award Recipient Bernett L. Williams will join journalist Debra Adams Simmons for a fireside chat exploring leadership, service, and strength in action.

All tickets include a plated dinner, a commemorative mug, and a drink ticket redeemable for one complimentary drink. We expect this event to sell out, so buy your tickets today.

Corporate and individual sponsorship opportunities for the Women's Endowment Fund's "For Women, Forever" event range from $2,500 to $25,000. Proceeds from the event support the fund's grantmaking to programs that uplift, empower, and educate women and girls throughout Summit County.

More information about the event is available at forwomenforever.org.

Are you new to proposal writing or want a quick refresher? If so, you don't want to miss one of our most popular classes! This class will provide you with an overview of how to write a standard project proposal for a foundation and will include:

The basic elements of a proposal.
How to write a standard project proposal to a foundation.
The do's and don'ts of writing and submitting a proposal.
How and when to follow up with funders after submitting a proposal.

This program is presented in cooperation with Candid and the Akron-Summit County Public Library.