The board of the Akron Community Foundation recently approved more than $1.74 million in grants.
From that figure, 30 grants totaling $408,000 came from discretionary, or board-directed, funds. The other 203 grants, totaling $1,335,311 came from designated, donor-advised, agency endowment and scholarship funds.
The majority of discretionary funding targeted local residents’ basic needs, including food, clothing, shelter and primary and preventative health care.
Those grants went to:
• Access Inc., to shelter homeless women and children, $25,000.
• Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, for the Direct Distribution program and other initiatives in Summit County, $50,000.
• American Red Cross of Summit & Portage Counties, for medical appointment transportation services, $10,000.
• Battered Women’s Shelter, for general operations, $25,000.
• Beacon Journal Charity Fund Inc., for oral health education for third-graders, $7,500.
• Bridges Out of Poverty Summit County Collaborative, for its Getting Ahead program, $20,000.
• Catholic Charities Community Services Corp., for bilingual case management and advocacy services for Hispanic individuals in Summit County, $5,000.
• Christ Child Society of Akron, to purchase new school clothes for children from low-income families, $5,000.
• Community Legal Aid Services Inc., for the Health Education Advocacy and Law Project, which helps patients address nonmedical barriers to health, $8,000.
• Community Outreach Resources Exchange (CORE Furniture Bank), to transport and handle donated furniture, $5,000.
• Elves & More of Northeast Ohio, to purchase bicycles for children in low-income neighborhoods, $2,500.
• Family & Community Services of Portage County Inc., for the Senior Companion program, $10,000.
• First Glance Student Center Inc., for the Teen Moms program, $10,000.
• Flashes of Hope Inc., to provide professional photography services for children with life-threatening illnesses, $3,000.
• Freedom House for Women Inc., for programming to prevent homelessness and preserve the family unit, $10,000.
• Friends of 91.3, for Rock + Recovery, a radio program that blends music therapy with supportive messaging for listeners recovering from chemical dependency, $10,000.
• H.M. Life Opportunity Services, to provide educational, developmental and social services to children transitioning from homelessness, $12,000.
• Info Line Inc., for the Summit County food pantry clearinghouse, $20,000.
• International Institute of Akron Inc., for a refugee volunteer coordinator, $18,000.
• Jewish Family Service of Akron, Ohio, for a counseling and care-management program to help older adults remain independent, $5,000.
• Mental Health America of Summit County Inc., for the PEERS Project, which provides support to parents and caregivers of children with mental health diagnoses, $12,000.
• Mobile Meals Inc., for free and subsidized meals and medically prescribed supplements, $35,000.
• National Society to Prevent Blindness Inc., to provide vision care for uninsured children and adults, $10,000.
• Opportunity Parish Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry (OPEN-M), to provide free medical treatment to the uninsured working poor, $15,000.
• Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio, to help impoverished families prevent unplanned pregnancies, $15,000.
• Rape Crisis Center, for general operations, $10,000.
• Respecting Options of Care Collaborative, to prevent unwanted and costly end-of-life care practices, $10,000.
• United Disability Services Inc., to provide required match funding for federal funds targeting employment for individuals with severe disabilities, $15,000.
• Victim Assistance Program Inc., for victim advocacy services, $20,000.
• Victory Gallop Inc., for the therapeutic horseback riding program, $5,000.
In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the Akron Community Foundation. For more information, go to www.akroncf.org.