Community Fund: Education Grants

The Akron Community Foundation's Community Fund for Education Grants focuses on investing in the future of Summit County students. By partnering with local schools and community members, the foundation aims to support programs aligned with the Cradle to Career continuum. Grants target key transition points in education, particularly for early learning initiatives, ensuring children from birth to age five are equipped for success. This holistic approach enhances educational outcomes in the community.

Investing in the Future of Summit County Students
Akron Community Foundation partners with local schools, education leaders, nonprofit innovators, parents and community members to identify the best opportunities for investing in our children's future.
Focusing on programs that align with Summit Education Initiative's Cradle to Career continuum, our board awards grants to programs that concentrate on key transition points in a student's education, including kindergarten readiness, third grade reading, eighth grade math, and college and career readiness.
In addition, we focus a portion of our funding specifically on early learning programs that prepare children from birth to age 5 to succeed. First Things First, a community coalition that formed in 2009 as a result of our early learning priority, has set the tone for that funding, encouraging a holistic approach to learning through collaboration.
Children's success in school and in life hinges profoundly on their capacity to learn. That's why Akron Community Foundation approaches learning from a holistic perspective. Preference for our education grants is given to programs that align with the Cradle to Career continuum, which focuses on key transition points throughout a student's entire education. In addition, we focus a portion of our funding specifically on early learning programs that prepare children from birth to age 5 to succeed.
Cradle to Career Focus
Summit Education Initiative’s Cradle to Career continuum has proved through research and data-validated efforts that educational success can be improved by focusing on key transition points throughout an educational career.
Akron Community Foundation, along with other local funders, has made a commitment to focus its education grant funding on programs that align with the Cradle to Career continuum. This includes funding programs that focus on the key transition points, such as kindergarten readiness, third grade reading, eighth grade math, ninth grade success, and college and career readiness and persistence.

Ineligibility

We do not make grants for:EndowmentsScholarshipsDirect financial support to individualsReligious organizations for religious purposesIn accordance with our grant-making priorities, we generally do not fund:Newly established nonprofit organizations that duplicate existing servicesCurriculum for schoolsDisease-specific programsEconomic development initiatives already being addressed by the Fund for Our Economic FuturePrograms at parochial schools that benefit only their studentsMulti-year grants