- NORTH HILL — Akron Cooperative Farms recently received $25,000 Community Thrives grant from the USA TODAY NETWORK and a part of the Gannett Foundation. The grant will support finishing work on a market and community pavilion project, including electrical work, a shaded front porch, interior siding, wash stations, a pizza/bread oven and a stone wall to mitigate highway noise. This year, A Community Thrives engaged participants in 45 states, receiving more than 760 proposal submissions and Akron Cooperative Farms was one of 16 winners in the national project grant category. Akron Cooperative Farms transforms underutilized land into urban farms for community gardens and entrepreneurial enterprises designed to strengthen the social and economic fabric of Akron through sustainable agriculture.
- AKRON — Goodwill Industries serving Summit, Portage, Medina, Ashland and Richland Counties, along with honoree S. Theresa Carter, raised over $102,000 at its 16th Taste of Vintage gala fundraiser Nov. 3 and paid tribute to the philanthropic and community leadership efforts of Carter. Guests enjoyed silent and live auctions, as well as a showcase of fashions from the 1920s to 1990s from Goodwill’s Vintage Collection. “We truly are appreciative of the generosity of our guests, many in honor of Theresa and her inspirational work in our community,” said Nancy Ellis McClenaghan, president and CEO, Goodwill Industries. “The support we received ensures Goodwill can continue its work in its five county territory to help individuals prepare for, find and retain employment.”
- GREATER AKRON — Almost $3.6 million has been awarded to support victims of crime from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS), a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. The projects will be funded by grants through the 2022 Family Violence Prevention and Services Act program. Local award recipients include: Battered Women’s Shelter, $55,956; Community Legal Aid Services Inc., $48,463; and Victim Assistance Program, $35,902. The federal FVPSA Program supports the establishment, maintenance and expansion of programs and projects to: prevent incidents of family violence, domestic violence and dating violence; provide immediate shelter, supportive services and access to community-based programs for victims of family violence, domestic violence or dating violence and their dependents; provide specialized services for children exposed to family violence, domestic violence or dating violence, underserved populations and victims who are members of racial and ethnic minority populations.
In addition, another $4.8 million in grants has been awarded to support the work of rape crisis centers and sexual assault survivor programs in Ohio. Grant recipients include $134,479 for the Rape Crisis Center & Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit & Medina Counties. The grant funding will help offer virtual/remote and crisis services, support emergency needs of sexual assault survivors and pay for hiring and retention bonuses to attract and maintain staff to ensure the continuity of sexual assault recovery services. The OCJS is administering the grant program, which is funded through the 2021 FVPSA American Rescue Plan Act Rape Crisis Centers and Sexual Assault Programs Supplemental COVID-19 Funds.
- AKRON — The Summit County Land Bank has awarded a total $150,000 this year in funding to area nonprofits and local governments. Local grant recipients include Habitat for Humanity, Truly Reaching You and The Well CDC to support their efforts to provide quality affordable housing and promote economic development in the Akron area. Since 2015, the nonprofit’s Matching Grant Program has awarded $5.9 million to local government, schools and other nonprofit organizations for projects that help further their mission to strengthen neighborhoods and communities. In addition to bringing new life into once vacant or blighted areas, these projects have also been used to beautify spaces and provide opportunities for underserved communities. For more information, about grants, visit www.summitlandbank.org.
- GREATER AKRON — Almost $5 million in federal Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) have been awarded to help communities prevent and control crime. The annual grants, administered by the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS), support the crime prevention work of law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, corrections facilities, crime victim and witness initiatives and others. JAG funds may be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, strategic planning, research and evaluation (including forensics), data collection, training, personnel, equipment, forensic laboratories, supplies, contractual support and criminal justice information systems. The competitive grant process solicited grant proposals from state agencies, non-profit organizations, colleges, universities and other criminal justice-related agencies from throughout the state. JAG funds are designed as seed money to establish new and promising programs that improve the criminal justice system. Local grant recipients include: Summit County Sheriff’s Office, $82,840 for the Drug Unit; Springfield Township Police Department, $16,544 for mobile data terminal computers; Community Legal Aid Services Inc., $23,333 for the legal assistance to victims triage initiative; Victim Assistance Program, $45,725 for the victim service accessibility program; Battered Women’s Shelter, $18,753 for the victim therapy delivery project; and Summit County Court of Common Pleas, $15,600 for the HOPE Court enhancement, $62,003 for the Domestic Violence Court expansion and enhancement, $15,434 for the Reentry Court enhancement and $21,250 for the Valor Court enhancement.