A Legacy of Pride and Purpose: The Gay Community Endowment Fund marks 25 years of investing in Greater Akron's LGBTQ+ community

In the late 1990s, LGBTQ+ life in Akron often existed quietly. There was community. There was connection. There was joy. But much of it remained out of public view in spaces like LGBTQ+ bars and nightclubs, where people could gather safely.

For many LGBTQ+ residents, those spaces offered belonging in a world that still demanded silence. National conversations around LGBTQ+ rights were evolving, but many people still weighed each decision about visibility carefully – at work, at church, in their neighborhoods, and even within their own families.

Carol Dezso, a founding member of the fund and a retired judge, remembers advice from a close friend after coming out to her in the 1980s: "You never come out to anybody who has less to lose than you do."

That reality shaped daily life for many in the community. It also shaped the courage required to imagine something greater: a permanent philanthropic resource created by and for LGBTQ+ people in Greater Akron.  

What About Akron?

At the time, many community members gave to national organizations advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and services. While that work mattered, some local supporters began asking a different question: "What about Akron?"

"We would send this money to Washington, and it never came back," recalled Eric Jones, a founding member of the Gay Community Endowment Fund and a current Akron Community Foundation board member. "So, ultimately, where's the benefit for us living in the small town of Akron, Ohio?"

The answer began simply. On Aug. 29, 1999, a small group gathered for what organizers casually called an "outreach party." The goal wasn't to build an institution. At first, they simply wanted to bring people together in celebration.

"All we wanted to do was have a party," explained Steven P. Schmidt, Ph.D., a founding member of the fund. "We developed that conversation into what has become the Gay Community Endowment Fund." That conversation would eventually grow into one of the nation's earliest LGBTQ+ affiliate funds housed at a community foundation.

Built to Endure

After that first party, founders formed a strategic planning committee and spent months defining the fund's purpose, structure and long-term vision. From the beginning, they wanted more than an annual fundraiser – they wanted an endowment that could support the community for generations. They considered several options, but affiliating with Akron Community Foundation was a strategic choice that gave the effort added legitimacy.

At a time when LGBTQ+ causes were often overlooked in traditional philanthropy, creating an endowment fund sent a powerful message: The community belonged within Akron's broader civic and philanthropic life.

"My mom was a fierce advocate for her friends, for her community, and for the foundation," recalled Jill Bacon Madden about her mother, Jody Bacon, who was Akron Community Foundation's executive director at that time. "She didn't think twice when Steve (Schmidt) and Rick (Krochka) came to her about establishing an affiliate fund at ACF to support programs and services benefiting Akron's LGBTQ+ community."

In 2001, the Gay Community Endowment Fund officially launched at Akron Community Foundation with a mission to support nonprofit programs serving Greater Akron's LGBTQ+ community in perpetuity.

A Holiday Tradition

In those early years, much of the work centered on building trust – both within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community itself. Founders remember sitting around conference tables asking difficult but necessary questions about whether the broader community would support the effort. Would people even feel safe enough to associate publicly with the fund? Slowly, that support grew.

One of the fund's defining traditions began in December 2002 with the first Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes. The holiday fundraiser combined celebration, creativity and community-building in a way that quickly resonated and helped the fund gain traction and broader support.

The first event raised about $13,000 – a figure that organizers were thrilled by at the time. Over the next two decades, the Sugar Plum Tour became a beloved Akron tradition, raising more than $1.5 million for the fund.

As public acceptance of LGBTQ+ people grew through the 2000s and 2010s, the fund grew with it. Conversations that once happened quietly became more public, and businesses, civic leaders and institutions grew more willing to show support.

Funding Critical Needs

As the endowment grew, so did its grantmaking. Over the years, the fund has supported organizations focused on HIV/AIDS services, domestic violence and sexual assault recovery, youth support, mental health, community programming, and scholarships for LGBTQ+ students.

Organizations like CANAPI, formerly the Community AIDS Network, received support during a period when HIV/AIDS continued to devastate communities while stigma and inequities persisted.

"We were finding medicines that would help, but just like today, there are social inequities that are still not addressed," explained Julie Beckert, interim executive director of CANAPI. "When GCEF offered that (funding) to CANAPI … those were resources that weren't available anywhere else."

For many recipients, the significance extended far beyond the size of the grants. "The dollar amount may have been small, but the impact was huge," said Teresa Stafford-Wright, CEO of Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center, about an early grant the center received from the fund. "It really set a tone in the community that individuals from the LGBTQ+ community can trust us."

Today, the fund's impact continues to expand. With assets approaching $3 million, the Gay Community Endowment Fund has now awarded more than $1 million in grants back into the community. The fund has also expanded its fundraising initiatives to include a legacy society and a giving circle – the Cornerstone Society and Circle of Inclusion, respectively – which provide unique opportunities for donors to get more involved with the fund.

In addition, the fund has expanded its impact by creating a scholarship fund that distributes scholarships annually to LGBTQ+ and allied students who live or attend school in Summit, Medina, Portage, Stark and Wayne counties.

The Work Ahead

The fund's growth mirrors a broader national shift. When its founders first began organizing in the late 1990s, support for same-sex marriage was below 30%, according to Gallup. Today, 68% of Americans support marriage equality – a dramatic shift that unfolded during the same quarter-century the Gay Community Endowment Fund spent building visibility, support and permanence in Greater Akron.

While public acceptance of LGBTQ+ people has indeed risen dramatically over the last 25 years, many involved with the fund say recent years have also been a reminder that social progress is rarely linear.

National surveys still show broad support for LGBTQ+ people, especially among younger generations, but even support for same-sex marriage has dipped from a high of 71% in 2023.

At the same time, debates around LGBTQ+ rights – especially involving transgender individuals and LGBTQ+ youth – have become increasingly polarized across the country. That sense of uncertainty has reinforced the importance of maintaining institutions that can endure through changing political and cultural environments.

For many involved with the Gay Community Endowment Fund, the goal was never to respond only to one moment in time. It was to ensure the community would always have a permanent source of support, advocacy and care – especially during moments when progress feels fragile.

Twenty-five years after its founding, the Gay Community Endowment Fund stands as both a reflection of how far the community has come and as a reminder of the work still ahead.

Its founders say they could not have imagined exactly what the fund would become. But what they built – through courage, generosity, and an unwavering belief in their community – continues to change lives across Greater Akron every day.

To give to the Gay Community Endowment Fund in honor of its 25th anniversary, visit akroncf.org/give/GCEF. To learn more about the fund, visit gaycommunityfund.org.