Akron Community Foundation

Akron Community Foundation We are our community’s champion and generator of enduring philanthropy.

At Leadership Akron’s annual meeting last week, we were there to honor several ACF staff and board members, like Kristen...
08/26/2026

At Leadership Akron’s annual meeting last week, we were there to honor several ACF staff and board members, like Kristen Ashby, our Director of Marketing, who was named to Leadership Akron’s current Signature Class 43; Jill Sellers, ACF’s Director of Donor Engagement, who was accepted to Class 15 of Leadership Akron’s NEXT program; and Denikka Ray, our Finance & Accounting Administrator, who was recently selected for Class 11 of Leadership Akron’s Diversity on Board program. In addition, congratulations to ACF Board Member Jennifer Venarge DiSalvo, who received the Read Family Difference Maker Award at the event. Thanks to Leadership Akron for recognizing these community leaders and congrats to our staff and board members for all their accomplishments!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for last week’s Community Issues Session, which focused on civic health and offered man...
08/25/2026

Thanks to everyone who joined us for last week’s Community Issues Session, which focused on civic health and offered many examples of organizations and individuals who are working side by side to strengthen community voices and make tangible improvements in civic engagement. And residents are being engaged in many ways, from park cleanups and community gardening, to learning about ballot issues and entrepreneurism, among other initiatives. Special thanks to our expert panelists who shared the specific ways they’re helping to empower community members, including: Rev. Raymond Greene, Jr., Executive Director, The Freedom BLOC; Eleni Manousogiannakis, Executive Director, Better Kenmore CDC; Bridget Ambrisco, Executive Director, Akron Parks Collaborative; Kaitlin Booth, Deputy Director, Akron-Summit County Public Library; and Patrick Ge**er, Senior Adventure Lead, TomTod Ideas. If you missed the session, you can watch a video of the discussion here - https://youtu.be/7--qIkVPhw4

Here’s an opportunity for local youth to bring their climate improvement project ideas to life, thanks to a City of Akro...
08/20/2026

Here’s an opportunity for local youth to bring their climate improvement project ideas to life, thanks to a City of Akron, Ohio - Mayor's Office grant program, the Youth Climate Action Fund. The program awards microgrants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to teams of Akron youth ages 15-24 that can design and implement a creative climate action project in Akron. Each team is required to apply with an eligible fiscal sponsoring organization, which must be a local nonprofit or public entity that can receive the microgrant award and administer that funding in support of the youth project. And fiscal sponsoring orgs are being sought for the youth teams. Applications for the microgrants will be accepted through Monday, Sept. 14. The city will host a series of virtual office hours over the next month to help answer questions related to the Youth Climate Action Fund, with the next one taking placing this afternoon (Aug. 20), 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 25, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. For more info, including the grant application, visit www.akronohio.gov/YCAF.

08/19/2026

Today’s Community Issues Session explores civic health and how our community can work together to solve problems through participation, civic infrastructure, and self-governance. Thanks to our panelists -- Rev. Raymond Greene, Jr., Executive Director of The Freedom BLOC; Eleni Manousogiannakis, Executive Director of Better Kenmore CDC; Bridget Ambrisco, Executive Director of Akron Parks Collaborative; Kaitlin Booth, Deputy Director of Akron-Summit County Public Library; and Patrick Ge**er, Senior Adventure Lead of TomTod Ideas – for sharing their own stories and ways they’re able to make an impact in their neighborhoods.

We’d like to congratulate Laura Lederer, our Vice President and Chief Development Officer, for being named the 2026 Jame...
08/18/2026

We’d like to congratulate Laura Lederer, our Vice President and Chief Development Officer, for being named the 2026 James P. Conway Mentor of the Year Award by the Northern Ohio Charitable Gift Planners (NOCGP). The award celebrates an outstanding individual who advances the charitable gift planning profession and has empowered others to achieve their philanthropic goals. Laura’s made an incredible impact in charitable gift planning, from her hard work leading the community foundation's Professional Advisor Council to the many relationships she’s forged, along with the charitable people she’s connected to ACF and the broader community. She’ll be honored at NOCGP’s Planned Giving Day celebration, Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Marriott Cleveland East. For info, visit https://nocgp.org/conway-award/.

We’re hiring an Events Specialist at Akron Community Foundation. The specialist will help manage the process and ex*****...
08/17/2026

We’re hiring an Events Specialist at Akron Community Foundation. The specialist will help manage the process and ex*****on of the many events hosted by ACF and our affiliate funds each year. This person should have strong planning and organizational skills and will work collaboratively with foundation staff, affiliate fund leaders and other event stakeholders to maintain consistent event planning systems, timelines and best practices. The Events Specialist will also manage ACF’s annual event calendar and event tracking in our CRM database. To read more about the position, and if you think you would be a good fit, please visit www.akroncf.org/workwithus.

Over the last fiscal year, Akron Community Foundation’s more than 900 charitable funds gave out more than $18 million in...
08/15/2026

Over the last fiscal year, Akron Community Foundation’s more than 900 charitable funds gave out more than $18 million in grants and other funding to help improve the community, and these funds supported more than 800 nonprofits through 2,696 grants. Our latest issue of Foundations magazine features a breakdown of types of grants and types of funds, along with year-over-year comparisons of our grant totals. You can find a digital copy of Foundations in the publications section of our website (www.akroncf.org).

We’re pleased to see our President and CEO John F. Garofalo featured in the “Cleveland 500” as one of 's top leaders of ...
08/14/2026

We’re pleased to see our President and CEO John F. Garofalo featured in the “Cleveland 500” as one of 's top leaders of 2026 in Northeast Ohio. The annual list highlights the area’s most impactful leaders, and John’s past year as ACF’s President and CEO has been one of tremendous impact and we’re grateful for his leadership. Congratulations John!

08/13/2026

The Killer Video Museum, located in downtown Akron, is a tribute to a time when video stores were a part of every family’s routine. The museum is a working video store with authentic displays, memorabilia and lost media. The organization recently received an arts and culture grant from our community fund for its array of programs, including an annual Akron independent horror film festival, along with Little Monsters, a family-friendly movie event series that pairs media literacy with hands-on creativity. Jonathon Carmichael, executive director of Killer Video, discusses his Akron ties and a unique career path that included working on Hollywood film sets. For info, visit www.thekvm.org.

We’d like to congratulate Laura Bailey Culp, the 2026 recipient of Akron Community Foundation’s Bert A. Polsky Humanitar...
08/13/2026

We’d like to congratulate Laura Bailey Culp, the 2026 recipient of Akron Community Foundation’s Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award! Throughout decades of philanthropy, board service, volunteerism and leadership, she has created a legacy worth celebrating. An ACF Board Member and an Akron resident for over 40 years, Laura’s a tax director, wealth advisor and former partner at Sikich, and she’s provided strategic counsel and service to numerous organizations in the area, including Akron Community Foundation, the Corbin Foundation, the GAR Foundation, the Akron Area YMCA, the Greater Akron Chamber, Leadership Akron, and United Way of Summit & Medina, among others. The Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award dinner will take place Tuesday, Nov. 17 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Akron Fairlawn. Sponsorships are now available and tickets will go on sale in early fall. For info, visit https://www.akroncf.org/news-and-events/polsky-award/about-this-years-recipient/.

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345 W Cedar Street
Akron, OH
44307

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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