Fundholder Spotlight: The Charles and Salome Reymann Foundation

For more than a century, the Reymann name has been synonymous with community, compassion and commitment. The family's philanthropic legacy began in the 19th century, when Charles Reymann immigrated to the United States and laid roots in Akron.

Today, that legacy continues to flourish through the Charles and Salome Reymann Foundation, a private family foundation dedicated to improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities in Northeast Ohio.

Founded in 1967 by descendants of Charles and Salome, the Reymann Foundation has long supported organizations that create opportunities, access and belonging for people with disabilities. Its grants help fund meaningful programs like ArtSparks' Dynamite Duos, where children with and without disabilities learn and dance together, and Wednesday's Child, which provides essential clothing and household items for residents with developmental disabilities. The foundation also invests in education by offering fully endowed scholarships for high school and college students with disabilities.

Today, the Reymann Foundation's impact is strengthened by a unique partnership with Akron Community Foundation. In 2022, the family established The Charles and Salome Reymann Foundation Fund, a donor-advised fund at the community foundation designed to complement and enhance the work of their private foundation.

This companion fund provides benefits that many private foundations find invaluable, including:

Increased flexibility for receiving gifts from extended family members, friends, and even employers offering matching gift programs.
Streamlined administration, allowing gifts to be processed quickly and efficiently through the community foundation's established systems.
Access to philanthropic expertise, including guidance on gift acceptance policies, planned giving structures, and best practices for managing multigenerational giving.
Expanded fundraising opportunities, including support with online donation tools and website language to help the foundation grow its charitable resources.

Working closely with Karen Hrdlicka, director of The Center for Family Philanthropy, the Reymann family leveraged Akron Community Foundation's services to strengthen their internal operations and broaden the ways people can support their mission. From updating their gift acceptance policy to refining referral processes for professional advisors familiar with private foundations, the family gained both efficiency and strategic insight.

Recently, the Reymann Foundation completed a renovation of the historic Reymann home in Ellet. The updated space now includes a second-floor board room in the former hay loft, office areas, a kitchenette, and an ADA-accessible bathroom, offering a welcoming hub where the family can continue its stewardship for generations to come.

As the Reymann Foundation looks ahead, its dual structure — a private foundation complemented by a donor-advised fund at Akron Community Foundation — positions the family to maintain its long-held values while adapting to the evolving needs of donors, advisors and the community.

To learn more about private foundation partnerships with Akron Community Foundation, visit akroncf.org/PrivateFoundations.