Akron Community Foundation

10/13/2026

ACF staff and board members attended the recent Reach Higher Breakfast at the Doubletree by Hilton Akron Fairlawn, where they helped celebrate Tony O’Leary, who received the 2026 Reach Higher Community Excellence Award. Tony is the longest serving executive director in AMHA’s history, retiring in 2018. Congrats to AMHA, Building for Tomorrow and the Reach Opportunity Center and thank you for offering critical resources for Summit Lake residents and Summit County!

10/10/2026

“Everybody Eats: Akron’s Longest Table” is a new documentary short that follows the organizers of Akron's first Longest Table event as they attempt to host an open-air potluck at Lock 3 in downtown Akron. Produced by OTHRWRLD and Civic Saturday Akron, the video features People Feeding People founder Imokhai Okolo, Civic Saturday founders Kate Tucker and Kristy Clark, Akron Black Artist Guild founder Dara Harper, and founder and CEO of Akron Honey Wesley the Keeper, among other residents. The volunteer effort brought out 200 people (in a similar spirit as the 500 Plates event, hosted at the Innerbelt in 2015, and the On the Table event series, which we hosted community-wide from 2017-2019). An Akron screening event will take place Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. at 981 W. Market St., in Highland Square. Visit the link to watch the film on YouTube -- https://youtu.be/AU8R80NF6zo
(Photos: Courtesy of Mal McCrea)

10/07/2026

We’re happy to announce that Katie Hughes has joined the team as our new Community Investment Specialist at Akron Community Foundation. She’ll work directly with nonprofits and other community partners, providing grantmaking resources and guiding applicants through the funding process. She’ll also help to identify emerging community needs and trends to inform our key funding areas and strategic investments. Katie comes to ACF with more than 15 years’ experience in library management, community engagement, and educational programming, where she worked with community members and organizations to curate programs and services in Summit and Stark counties. Her research abilities and connections with the community will be especially valuable in her new role, and we look forward to the ways she will innovate and help enhance the foundation and the community. Welcome, Katie!

10/06/2026

Congratulations to the 34 organizations receiving capital grants, which will help with renovations and building repairs and equipment purchases essential to delivering quality programming to clients, among other projects. Among those organizations receiving capital grant funding is The Trust for Public Land, which will receive $20,000 to help students at Jennings CLC in North Hill create a community schoolyard that will include a soccer field, tables for conversation, an area to display student-created art and a walking trail. Designed by students, the project will convert what's now referred to as "the bowl" into a community space that connects to Patterson Park. For a full list of grants, visit www.akroncf.org/akron-community-foundation-awards-355000-in-capital-grants/

10/05/2026

Akron Community Foundation is hosting a scenic fall hike for young professionals Saturday, Oct. 24, at the newly opened Oxbow Meadows area of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The hike is geared toward young professionals in accounting, law, financial planning, insurance, and wealth management, and participants of the event will be able to network and learn more about the Conservancy’s plans to transform the property. Sturdy walking shoes/boots and outdoor gear are recommended, and parking is available at 5555 Akron-Peninsula Road. Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP by Oct. 22 to Laura Lederer at Akron Community Foundation at 330-436-5611 or [email protected].

09/29/2026

A big congratulations to Habitat for Humanity of Summit County () for its recent Block Party event, celebrating the building of 16 homes for 16 families in the Silver Maple Ridge development, the largest project in the affiliate’s history. It’s these kinds of impactful projects that are empowering residents with affordable homeownership and financial independence. Great job to President & CEO Rochelle Sibbio and the rest of the Habitat team!

09/25/2026

Our board of directors recently approved $4.4 million in quarterly grants and distributions, along with 61 competitive civic affairs grants totaling $650,000, and $355,000 in capital grants, chosen by the foundation's Community Investment Committee. Our latest video features civic affairs grantees International Soap Box Derby and Bounce Innovation Hub, and The Trust for Public Land, which received a capital grant this quarter, along with other ACF news and info. For a full list of civic affairs and capital grantees, visit www.akroncf.org.

09/25/2026

This week the Akron Art Museum reopened its historic 1899 building with an impressive $12.5 million renovation that includes a 957-square-foot classroom and exhibits and programs that encourage community interaction. The project creates 2,152 square feet of additional gallery space for the Museum, along with video, digital and time-based art, and enhanced amenities.

The building’s centerpiece and first exhibit is the new two-story “J.M. Smucker Co. Idea Machine,” which encourages visitors to make and engage with art. The historic building initially opened as Akron’s main post office in 1899 and became the home of the Akron Art Museum in 1981. In 2007, the Museum expanded with its current building, designed by Viennese architectural firm Coop Himmelb(l)au. The reopened structure will be named the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Building.
Congratulations to the Akron Art Museum, and to Tracy Burt, our Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, who also serves as Board Chair of the Museum, for a successful capital campaign and for transforming this space. We’re a longtime, proud partner of the Museum and look forward to the resources this newly activated building will bring to the community.

09/24/2026

Congratulations to the 61 organizations receiving $650,000 in competitive civic affairs grants this quarter, part of $4.4 million distribution by our board of directors. Grantees include the International Soap Box Derby and Bounce Innovation Hub, among many others, and programs funded range from neighborhood development and environmental stewardship efforts to voter registration, mentorship and leadership programs. We appreciate these nonprofit partners who work diligently to help enhance our community at the neighborhood level. For a full list of civic affairs grants, visit

Included in this round of civic affairs awards is a $15,000 grant to the International Soap Box Derby to support racing programs and STEM learning.

09/23/2026

We greatly appreciate the ACF fundholders who joined us for last night’s fall gathering at the beautiful Himelright Lodge in Cascade Valley Metro Park, where we enjoyed some conversation and scenic views of Akron, and updates from the community foundation from President and CEO John F. Garofalo. Attendees also watched a panel discussion, moderated by Jody Konstand (a former ACF Board Member), featuring local philanthropists Kristen Manes, and Ebony & Emma Yeboah-Amankwah.
Special thanks to Summit Metro Parks and Executive Director Lisa King for sharing some of the Himelright Lodge’s history, including its role as part of an 87-acre dairy farm in the late 1800s, along with exciting Metro Parks updates, like the recent release and reintroduction of 500 freshwater sturgeon into the Cuyahoga River after being absent from the local ecosystem for decades, a promising sign of river health improvement. For those interested in learning more about donor advised funds, visit www.akroncf.org/giving/charitable-funds/donor-advised-funds/