Akron Community Foundation awards $4.4 million in grants

Akron Community Foundation has awarded $4.4 million in quarterly grants to benefit local nonprofit groups.

The grants will support more than 40 educational programs:

ACE Mentor Program of Greater Akron-Canton: $5,000 to support a mentorship program that introduces students to careers in architecture, construction and engineering.

Akron Children’s Museum: $13,000 to support the Mobile Museum in a Box program, which brings interactive learning experiences to preschoolers in Head Start classrooms.

Akron Inner City Soccer Club: $13,500 to support academic and social development through after-school soccer programming for families with low income.

Akron Promise: $6,000 to support the social and emotional health of students and families at Garfield and Innes community learning centers through team-building exercises, field trips and career preparation.

Akron Public Schools: $100,000 to support a middle school partnership liaison position that helps build partnerships between schools and nonprofits.

Akron Youth Mentorship: $6,000 to support experiential learning for junior high and high school students, the Annual Back to School Bash and other initiatives.

Akron Zoo: $8,000 for the School Transitions program, which includes story time, animal demonstrations and classroom experiences to help children with the transition to kindergarten.

Alchemy Inc.: $8,000 to support an in-school mentoring program for Akron adolescents that features mythological storytelling, drumming circles, journaling and other activities.

Always Climbing Project: $5,000 for a mentorship project that helps bridge generational gaps by connecting high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with successful adults and elementary to middle school students.

ASIA Inc.: $17,500 for the International Community Empowerment Project, which provides academic support, language skills and other enrichment opportunities for immigrant and refugee students.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Summit, Medina & Stark Counties: $13,500 to support one-to-one and site-based mentoring for school-age children.

Boy Scouts of America, Great Trail Council: $11,000 for the Exploring program, which connects youths with community partners to help enhance knowledge of potential career paths.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio: $67,000 to support free, evidence-based development programming for youths at the LeBron James Club, Steve Wise Club and Helen Arnold CLC.

Bridge the Village Inc.: $15,000 to support an after-school program for students in third grade through 12th grade, including tutoring, enrichment activities and leadership workshops.

Bright Star Books: $10,750 to support children’s book-giving programs.

Building for Tomorrow: $93,000 to support early childhood home visits for AMHA residents focusing on parents’ engagement in their child’s education.

Child Guidance & Family Solutions: $80,000 for the Toddlers and Preschoolers Succeeding Program, which offers training and on-site support for teachers, students and families to help increase the social and emotional well-being of children in preschool programs.

Citizens Akron Church: $6,000 for operating support of the Vincent House, an after-school program and safe space for K-12 students in East Akron and their families.

The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio: $8,000 to support diversity, equity and inclusion education for students in Akron Public Schools.

Dreams Academy: $6,000 to support Dreams and Queens Academy, an eight-week mentoring experience for African American youths 10 to 16.

Empower Her Network: $8,000 to support college and career readiness and persistence for Summit County human-trafficking survivors 18 to 24.

Girl Scouts of North East Ohio: $12,000 for the Girl Scout Journey Program, which offers after-school activities like STEM, financial literacy and healthy living.

Global Ties Akron: $12,500 to support global education and cultural diversity programs in Summit County schools.

International Student Services Association Inc.: $5,250 to support immigrant and refugee students at Cuyahoga Falls High School with career exploration and planning.

Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio: $10,000 for financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness programs for K-12 students in Summit County.

Law & Leadership Institute: $6,000 to support a legal and leadership preparatory institute, a tuition-free program for teens who are at risk of not graduating high school or attending college.

Leadership Influencing Teen Empowerment: $3,500 to support leadership development and emotional intelligence training in high schools and middle schools.

Limitless Ambition: $7,500 to support educational social-emotional programming for teen girls.

Military Aviation Preservation Society (MAPS Air Museum): $10,000 for a U.S. history and STEM program for Summit County schools.

National Inventors Hall of Fame: $10,750 to support STEM enrichment programs for Summit County students with a focus on Akron Public Schools.

Project GRAD Akron: $23,000 for the Bridge to Kindergarten program, which prepares children for kindergarten through a summer academy, parent engagement activities and family support services.

Project Learn of Summit County: $15,750 to support family literacy for English learners through the Caregiver English and Conversation Club programs.

Proyecto RAICES: $10,000 to support an enrichment program that helps youths 4 to 14 increase academic and social skills.

Students With A Goal (SWAG): $12,500 to provide after-school mentoring programs, tutoring, and other enrichment activities for middle school and high school students in Akron.

Summit Education Initiative: $30,000 for general operating support including the implementation of a new strategic plan.

TomTod Ideas: $5,000 to support a project-based mentorship program for middle schoolers.

Tri-County Jobs for Ohio's Graduates: $12,500 to help educate employers to recruit, engage and employ youths 12 to 14.

University of Akron Foundation: $12,500 to support Summit County’s kindergarten through second-grade teachers in evidence-based reading instruction for at-risk readers.

University School: $7,500 to support K-12 Akron educators through the YIPPEE entrepreneurial platform, which allows educators to “shop” for classroom resources at no cost.

Urban Vision: $13,500 for the Set On Success after-school enrichment program, which provides academic support and life skills classes for students in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood.

Young Men’s Christian Association of Akron Ohio (YMCA): $40,000 to support high-quality, affordable early care and education programming.

For more information about Akron Community Foundation, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Community Foundation awards $4.4 million in grants