WHAT WE FUND
ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾ supports informed and engaged communities where the ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾ brothers owned and operated newspapers. We believe an engaged community is one in which people are attached to the place where they live and are invested in the community’s future. Learn more through our Statement of Strategy.
In Akron, ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾ prioritizes investments in downtown and the city’s inner ring neighborhoods with an emphasis on public spaces and public life. We’re focused on enhancing the quality of life to create conditions that foster stability and growth. Our work is in response to public and private sector alignment, optimism and resident-centered action to build a vibrant core that has an outsized impact on the future of the city.ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾ also invests in Akron’s arts and culture as a way to connect people to place and to one another. Investing in arts and culture is central to ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾â€™s effort to build stronger, better informed and more engaged communities, which are critical for a more effective democracy. Recent signature investments include support for the Akron Art Museum, the National Center for Choreography in Akron and ArtsNow. Learn more about ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾â€™s Arts program.
OUR WORK
The foundation’s support for continues to keep the core of the city as a place attracting residents, retailers and those seeking recreation. The University of Akron is a driver of downtown’s success and the region’s economy and talent pipeline. In 2022, towards a $42 million capital campaign to turn the Polsky Building into a vibrant gateway from campus to Main Street. In Middlebury, ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾ has provided $6 million to support The Well Community Development Corporation’s initiative to rehabilitate housing and provide wrap-around services for residents.
In 2017, Akron was selected to participate in a national initiative called Reimagining the Civic Commons. The has focused on the city’s shared civic assets from Downtown Akron to Summit Lake along the Towpath trail to foster engagement, equity, environmental sustainability and economic development. This resident-centered work has led to catalytic capital projects including the ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾ Stage at the Akron Civic Theatre, the , the and the creation of .
Akron Program Staff
Director/Akron
Akron Community Advisory Committee members:
Robert Cooper, CBRE; Cynthia ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾, Community Volunteer; Kirsten Lino, Huntington Bank; Blake Squires, Founder and Executive Coach
ÁùºÏ²ÊÍøÕ¾’s Akron Office:
277 East Mill St.
Akron, OH 44308
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