2021 Annual Update
Welcome to Akron Community Foundation’s virtual 2021 Annual Update for our fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2021. From its tumultuous beginning to the generosity our community experienced throughout, it was a year of unexpected opportunities, growth and reflection. We thank you for giving back to this community when it was needed most.
Governance Update
At Akron Community Foundation, we believe that an organization’s strength comes from its people, and we’re lucky to count some of the best and brightest our community has to offer among our board members. As we excitedly welcome four new board members who will begin their first three-year term this year, we also bid farewell to Sarah Friebert, M.D., Rob Malone, Derrick Ransom and Stephen Strayer. Thank you for your many years of service to the foundation and the community as a whole!
Sylvia Trundle, Chair
Marty Hauser, Vice Chair and Community Relations Chair
J. Bret Treier, Secretary
Jim Pickard, Treasurer and Finance Chair
Doug Kuczynski, Community Investment Chair
Katie Smucker, Governance Chair
Richard C. Fedorovich, Immediate Past Chair
J. Bret Treier, Second 3-year term
Marty Hauser, Third and Final 3-year term
Ilene Shapiro, Third and Final 3-year term
Dr. Rachel Talton, Third and Final 3-year term
Sylvia Trundle, Third and Final 3-year term
Welcome,
New Board
Members
Claudia Diaz-Singer
Senior Director, Talent Development and Workplace Inclusion, The J.M. Smucker Co.
Finance Update
Following a downturn in the market at the beginning of the last fiscal year that saw assets dip to under $200 million, Akron Community Foundation’s assets grew to an all-time high of $272 million by March 31, 2021.
By the Numbers
Community Investment Update
Thanks to the increased generosity of our community this past fiscal year, a record $20.8 million in grants and distributions went back out into the community. From a partnership with the county that awarded $5.1 million in grants, to our own Community Response Fund for Nonprofits that awarded nearly $700,000, a significant portion of this year’s funding went to organizations reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Grantmaking this year supported myriad charitable causes, from those championed by our donor-advised fundholders, affiliate funds and agency endowment funds, to those decided upon by our board during our quarterly grantmaking cycles for Arts & Culture, Civic Affairs, Health & Human Services and Education.
By the Numbers
Community Relations Update
In addition to the record grants and distributions that went back out into the community this year, your generosity showed in the 6,747 gifts you contributed to our charitable funds this year. These donations combined to establish annual records for both new funds and contributions, with 52 and $22.1 million respectively. These donations will be invested and will grow for the benefit of our community for years to come. Thank you for your generosity!
