GAR Foundation Awards $822,000 to 22 Community Nonprofits
GAR Foundation Awards $822,000 to 22 Community Nonprofits
The Distribution Committee of GAR Foundation awarded $ 822,000 to 22 community organizations at its February 13, 2014 meeting. Akron Public Schools (APS) received an award of $100,000 for its Great Leaders program. The Great Leaders initiative seeks to build significant building leadership (principals and assistant principals) through a rigorous professional development regimen over a year or more.
“We are extremely impressed with the progress the APS Great Leaders program continues to make,” stated Christine Amer Mayer, president of GAR Foundation. “Strong leadership is one of the greatest investments we can make to ensure academic success for the students throughout our community.”
APS teacher-leaders and aspiring principals work in cohorts with mentor leaders in this program designed to move highly competent educators into critical positions to lead turn-around schools. The program trains these individuals to assume principal, assistant principal and dean of students roles at a time when instructional leadership has never been more important.
“Given the big changes in the state teacher retirement system, as well as the significant progress being made in APS at a time of intense change in the teaching profession, support for this program matches our strategy to support teachers, students and educational systems, cradle-to-career,” remarked Kirstin Toth, senior vice president of the Foundation.
In other grant awards, South Street Ministries (SSM) received a grant of $25,000 to continue its youth development programs that connect at-risk youth to mentors, friends, and neighbors in South Akron. SSM empowers youth to create their own solutions through positive relationships in a neighborhood faced with numerous challenges.
The following organizations also received grant awards at the February 15, 2014 GAR Foundation Distribution Committee meeting:
|
Organization |
Amount |
Purpose of Grant |
|---|---|---|
|
Akron Art Museum |
$100,000 |
For operations. |
|
Akron Council on World Affairs |
$5,000 |
For programming. |
|
Akron Public Schools |
$100,000 |
For the Great Leaders program in 2014. |
|
AxessPointe Community Health Center, Inc. |
$60,000 |
For operations. |
|
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Summit and Medina Counties |
$30,000 |
For operations. |
|
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeastern Ohio |
$25,000 |
For Hope Prep. |
|
College Now of Greater Cleveland, LLC |
$40,000 |
For college access services at Buchtel New Tech Community Learning Center. |
|
Cleveland International Film Festival, Inc. |
$10,000 |
For the 38th Cleveland International Film Festival in Akron. |
|
East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation |
$20,000 |
For the Emergency Home Repair Program. |
|
Greater Cleveland Special Events Corp. |
$50,000 |
For the Gay Games 9. |
|
International Soap Box Derby |
$20,000 |
For operations. |
|
Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education |
$25,000 |
For the development internships, and the arts & humanities career fair in Summit County. |
|
Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition |
$30,000 |
For development. |
|
L.I.N.K.S |
$10,000 |
For L.I.N.K.S Boys and Girls Afterschool Academy. |
|
Opportunity Parish Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry |
$50,000 |
For operations. |
|
Summit County Reentry Network |
$30,000 |
For staff capacity. |
|
South Street Ministries, Inc. |
$25,000 |
For operations. |
|
Summa Health System |
$50,000 |
To support the pilot phase of the Lay Navigator Program at the Center for Health Equity. |
|
United Disability Services, Inc. |
$50,000 |
For the VRP3 program. |
|
Bridges Out of Poverty Summit County Collaborative |
$50,000 |
For the Bridges Out of Poverty Summit County Collaborative. |
|
United Way of Summit County |
$12,000 |
For the Summit County Fatherhood Initiative for capacity building. |
|
Western Reserve Land Conservancy |
$10,000 |
For the Akron Vacant Property Survey project. |
|
WKSU |
$20,000* |
For the Spring Fund Drive |
|
Total |
$822,000 |
|
For more information contact Dina Younis [email protected] 330.572.2809.
*The award consists in part or entirely in the form of a challenge grant.