Grant Partners
We envision an improved quality of life for Barberton residents, now and forever.
Grant Partners
- GRANT OVERVIEW
- GRANT APPLICATIONS
- GRANT PARTNERS
- SCHOLARSHIPS
- YOUTH PHILANTHROPY
- CONTACT US
- DONATE
Grant Partners
Barberton Community Foundation values our nonprofit partners for their hard work and the direct impact they have on our community. Together we will build a better Barberton.
2024 Grant Summary
Total Grants
Dollars for the Year
Different Grant Partners
Cycle 1
Education and Workforce & Economic Development
%
13 Grants Totaling $138,847.68
Cycle 2
Health and Wellness
%
13 Grants Totaling $140,000.00
Cycle 3
Arts and Community
%
10 Grants Totaling $81,152.32
Year End Grands
Additional support
%
12 Grants Totaling $48,590.01
2024 Small Grant Summary
Small Grants
Dollars for the Year
Different Grant Partners
Cycle 1: Education and Workforce & Economic Development
In the Education and Workforce Cycle, the Foundation awarded 13 grants totaling $138,847.68.
Barberton City School District – $46,847.68
Barberton City School District was awarded $24,000 to Barberton Preschool’s Summer Learning Program, offering a 3-week learning experience in July to better prepare students for their kindergarten year. The program prioritizes Barberton resident children entering kindergarten in the fall. Through the Foundation’s support, this program is free to attend, and transportation is provided.
National Inventors Hall of Fame – $15,000
National Inventors Hall of Fame received $15,000 for 2024 Camp Invention in Barberton. Camp Invention is a summer enrichment program for Barberton Primary and Intermediate students (grades K-6) with curricula focused on developing creativity, inventive thinking, and problem-solving skills through hands-on STEM content. Funding supports 185 Barberton students by underwriting costs for children to attend based on financial need.
Child Guidance & Family Solutions – $10,000
Child Guidance & Family Solutions received $10,000 for their program Toddlers & Preschoolers Succeeding (TAPS) in Barberton. TAPS provides on-site training for preschool and childcare staff on how best to respond to challenging classroom behaviors and improve kindergarten readiness. The organization anticipates serving 262 preschoolers with this funding.
Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio – $10,000
Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio received $10,000 to support its Troops in Low-Income Communities program. This grant supports operating expenses, memberships, uniforms, and supplies for 20 girls in grades K-8 to engage in 20-week after-school STEM-based programming through the Girl Scouts.
Great Trail Council of Boy Scouts of America – $10,000
Great Trail Council of Boy Scouts of America received $10,000 to support The Exploring Program for middle and high school students. The Exploring Program is a workforce development program focusing on 12 career path exploration opportunities through a partnership with Barberton community partners (local businesses, organizations, and occupational professionals) during the school day.
United Way of Summit and Medina – $10,000
United Way of Summit & Medina received $10,000 for support of their Financial Empowerment Center. The Center estimates serving 200 residents through free financial empowerment programming, including one-on-one financial coaching, tax preparation and banking assistance.
Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio – $7,000
Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio was awarded $7,000 for its program called Inspiring Barberton Students through JA Programming. Program funding directly supports financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness programming for K-12th grade students in Barberton. These programs are designed to teach students how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs that make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to a workplace.
SCORE Akron – $5,000
SCORE Akron received $5,000 for community and workforce development programs. We know small businesses are essential to the economic health of our community, but finding support can be hard. Services through SCORE include mentoring and workshop programs for Barberton entrepreneurs interested in starting their own business or expanding their existing business.
Project Learn of Summit County – $5,000
Project Learn of Summit County received $5,000 for providing GED classes at the Barberton Public Library and estimates they will support 25 Barberton residents studying for the GED exam. Project Learn provides literacy and lifelong learning services that help adults achieve their goals as family members, workers, community members and lifelong learners. Since 1981, it has provided free classes to more than 27,400 adults throughout Summit County.
Cycle 2: Health and Wellness
In the Health and Wellness Cycle, the Foundation awarded 13 grants totaling $140,000.
Victim Assistance Program – $25,000
Victim Assistance Program was awarded $25,000 for their Barberton Advocacy Program. This program supports Barberton residents who have been personally impacted by crime, allowing them access to advocacy services including safety planning, court hearing accompaniment, needs assessments, and education on the legal process.
Summa Health Barberton Campus – $22,500
Summa Health Barberton Campus received $22,500 to support the purchase of 20 Holter cardiac monitors. These devices offer extended monitoring periods for up to a month, giving health care providers a longer and more holistic reading of a patient’s heart activity.
Child Guidance & Family Solutions (CGFS) – $15,000
Child Guidance & Family Solutions received $15,000 to support three professional development training modules and the purchase of therapeutic supplies including sensory toys and therapeutic games for children. In 2023, CGFS offered services to 260 adolescent and adult Barberton residents through its offices.
Vantage Aging – $13,000
Vantage Aging received $13,000 to expand their Meals on Wheels Northeast Ohio and partner with Barberton Area Community Ministries (BACM) to provide additional meal services to food-insecure Barberton senior citizens.
Embracing Futures – $12,000
Embracing Futures received $12,000 for their Orthodontic Care Program, providing complete orthodontic services for working families who have been turned down by Medicaid. This funding will support two Barberton children with severe orthodontic issues.
CareStar Community Services – $10,000
CareStar Community Services received $10,000 to provide Community Based Wraparound Services, which supports community health workers in Barberton who make in-home visits and connect families to many different community resources.
The Humane Society of Summit County – $10,000
The Humane Society of Summit County received $10,000 to support Barberton visits by MABEL Mobile Veterinary Clinic, providing low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, microchipping, and vaccines to cats and dogs.
Akron Canton Regional Food Bank – $7,500
Akron Canton Regional Food Bank received $7,500 to support 2025 Barberton District Distribution Program, supporting one of the largest food distribution programs serving the Barberton community. Through this program the Foodbank will distribute as much as 192,000 lbs. of food, the equivalent of 160,000 meals at the Salvation Army of Barberton.
Ben Curtis Family Foundation – $6,500
Ben Curtis Family Foundation received $6,500 to support the Birdie Bag Program within Barberton City School District. Funding will be used to purchase the meals and snacks within each Birdie Bag. On a monthly basis, the Ben Curtis Family Foundation delivers 1,540 Birdie Bags to preschool through 8th grade students and regularly stocks the food pantry in the high school.
AxessPointe Community Health Center – $5,000
AxessPointe Community Health Center received $5,000 to support their Mobile Meals program, to serve 55 low-income, elderly, and disabled Barberton residents.
Greenleaf Family Center – $5,000
Greenleaf Family Center received $5,000 to support Suicide Prevention Programming for Barberton’s middle and high school students.
Stewarts Caring Place – $5,000
Stewarts Caring Place received $5,000 to assist their Cancer Wellness and Support Services, providing a wide range of nonclinical support services to Barberton residents on the cancer-fighting journey, including counseling, financial and legal advising, nutrition, modified movement classes, and more.
United Way of Summit and Medina – $3,500
United Way of Summit and Medina received $3,500 for 2-1-1 Information and Referral Services. 2-1-1 is a free helpline and database that operates 24/7 to help Barberton residents navigate the maze of health and social services available in Summit County. Last year, 2-1-1 responded to 3,574 requests for help by phone, text, and email, from Barberton residents. 2-1-1 also scheduled 490 food appointments for Barberton households seeking emergency food.
Cycle 3: Arts and Community
In the Arts and Community Cycle, the Foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $81,152.32.
Habitat for Humanity of Summit County – $12,000
Habitat for Humanity of Summit County received $12,000 for their 2025 Barberton New Home Build project, which will be Habitat’s 17th new home build in Barberton.
Akron Symphony Orchestra – $300
Akron Symphony Orchestra was awarded $300 to provide concerts for kids that are crafted and intended to appeal to children ages 6 months to 6 years old, with elements of dance, movement, and drama with music.
Barberton Intermediate School – $300
Barberton Intermediate School was awarded $300 for their community history mural project. The mural, titled “We are All Magics” was funded by the Ohio Arts Council, which also included embedding a TeachArtsOhio artist, Dara Harper, in the school. Funding is used to expand the timeline for the mural, as well as a field trip for students to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Magical Theatre Company – $25,000
Magical Theatre Company received $25,000 for its PACT (Performing Arts Can Teach) program. Students in grades 1,3,5,7,9,12 enjoy field trips to Magical Theatre Company during the 2024-25 season. For many students, this will be their first theatre experience of any kind, particularly the lower grades.
Kave Coffee Bar – $7,460
Kave Coffee Bar received $7,460 toward a Barber mansion mural project.
Barberton Diamond Sports – $7,400
Barberton Diamond Sports received $7,4000 toward new field resurfacing, dugouts, and fencing. Funds will be used to remove and replace dugouts on two fields as well as replace and add missing, rusted, and destroyed fencing throughout the complex.
White Rabbit Galleries – $300
White Rabbit Galleries was awarded $300 toward strategic planning for board development.
ArtsNow – $9,000
ArtsNow received $9,000 toward their ArtsForward 2025 program. This grant request was a matching opportunity with the Knight Foundation. Funding will help provide support for Summit County’s Arts and Culture sector in Barberton.
Barberton High School – $11,240
Barberton High School was awarded $11,240 toward refining and advancing musical skills for students.
Barberton Parks and Recreation – $8,152.32
Barberton Parks and Recreation received $8,152.32 toward College Park renovation and improvements. College Park is slated to receive a significant upgrade in 2025 from the City of Barberton. This funding will be used to add new features such as trash cans, sunshade sails, and restroom updates.
Reimagining Impact: A New Approach to Grant Funding
At the end of 2024, the Foundation found itself with a rare opportunity: unspent funds in our operating budget. Thanks to careful planning — and a staff position that remained open until May — we had some year-end flexibility. Instead of letting those dollars sit, we asked: What more can we do for the community?
We looked to our approved grants and saw the answer clearly. Several strong proposals had received only partial funding due to limited resources earlier in the year. With the Board’s support, we revisited those awards and provided additional funding to help fill the gaps.
“We’re always looking for ways to stretch our dollars further,” said Executive Director Josh Gordon. “This was a chance to invest more deeply in partners we believe in — and I’m proud of our Board for saying yes.”
In total, an additional $48,590.01 was distributed to 12 previously approved partners across a wide range of focus areas:
Grant partners who received additional support include:
Akron Symphony Orchestra
Awarded $5,700
ArtsNow
Awarded $1,000
Barberton Diamond Sports
Awarded $10,100
Barberton Intermediate School
Awarded $3,084.33
Barberton Parks and Recreation
Awarded $6,874.68
City of Barberton
Awarded $2,000
Common Threads Closet
Awarded $2,000
Greenleaf Family Center
Awarded $2,000
Habitat for Humanity
Awarded $3,000
Humane Society of Summit County
Awarded $1,780
Kave Coffee Bar
Awarded $7,628
White Rabbit Galleries
Awarded $3,450
Small but Mighty: Micro-Grants That Make a Big Difference
Not every project requires a large grant to make a meaningful impact. That’s why Barberton Community Foundation awards small grants — awards of $2,000 or less — throughout the year to nonprofits and schools addressing timely needs in our community.
These grants may be small in size, but their reach is mighty. In 2024, the Foundation awarded $13,000 across six grants directly from our general grantmaking funds. Thanks to the generosity of some of our funds, an additional $2,057 was contributed — bringing the total awarded through small grants to $15,057.
These dollars helped provide Thanksgiving meals, kindergarten t-shirts, therapy horse riding lessons for children, harm reduction supplies, and even a new refrigerator for the Salvation Army.
Rape Crisis Center
$1,500
For Harm Reduction Bags for the Barberton Community
Barberton City Schools
$2,000
For Learning Under the Lights
Barberton City School
$457 from the Harnden Family Fund for Academic Excellence
For DECA Trip Support
Victory Gallop – Rider Scholarships
$1,000 from the Foundation + $1,000 from the Marilyn & John May Fund
For Developmentally Disabled Youth
Salvation Army
$2,000 from the Foundation + $600 from the Merrilee and Jimmy Anthe Fund
For Refrigerator Replacement
Barberton Primary School
$1,500
For Kindergarten T-Shirts
Barberton Preschool
$2,000
For Family Literacy Nights
BHS Band
$2,000
For Indoor Guard
Coalition of Concerned Christians
$1,000
Thanksgiving Meals for Local Families
