Stories: Gay Community Endowment Fund Stories

It has been a year of milestones for the Gay Community Endowment Fund as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. We began the year with a powerful grant cycle, distributing $84,000 across 10 grants, including a $25,000 impact grant to CANAPI — our largest...

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+...

Happy December to everyone! The holidays are fast approaching, which means the Sugar Plum Tour is almost upon us! We have another wonderful group of homes to showcase for the holidays, and we can't wait to share them with you! There is still time to get your...

I think we can finally say it: Happy spring, everyone! There is enough madness in the world today, so I'd like to take this opportunity to share some joy with you. The Gay Community Endowment Fund (GCEF) wrapped up 2024 with another fabulously successful...

In April, the Gay Community Endowment Fund Advisory Board invited grant recipients from the last few years to meet and discuss pressing issues. GCEF Chair Dr. Kate Raymond warmly welcomed board members and representatives from 15 nonprofits to Akron Community...

Trans Joy Akron's mission is to build a thriving, meaningfully inclusive trans+ community. The organization provides affirming spaces for visibility and social connection; empowers future leaders; and creates educational opportunities so trans+ people...

Each year, the Gay Community Endowment Fund recognizes an individual, business or organization that has actively supported the LGBTQ+ community with its Paul Daum Award. The award, which is named for a founding donor of the fund and a professor of...

Before putting pen to paper for this note, I spent some time reading several messages from former GCEF chairs (thank you, Steve Schmidt, et al.). A common thread across all these letters: The fund continuously outperforms expectations, both in revenue and in...

In 2023, the Gay Community Endowment Fund awarded $10,500 in scholarships to seven students who have positively impacted the LGBTQ+ community. In total, the GCEF Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $50,000 since its first awards in 2016 to help local...

I'm Kate Raymond, and I'm the new chair of the Gay Community Endowment Fund. I thought it would be appropriate that my first official act would be to wish everyone in our community and our allies a bold and brave Trans Day of Visibility. You are seen and you...