About The Foundation

We envision an improved quality of life for Barberton residents, now and forever.

Barberton Community Foundation

We, at Barberton Community Foundation, are a neighbor and partner. We are committed to improving the quality of life for Barberton residents, today and in the future.

We are Barberton’s catalyst and tool for uniting gifts of time, talent and treasure to create transformational impact. To do this, we utilize the continual giving power of our original endowment and funds established by donors with their hearts focused on Barberton.

A community foundation’s value goes well beyond financial management. As a registered 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and further designated as a 509(a)(3) public charity, we partner with community stakeholders, donors and charitable organizations to meet our mission.

To date, Barberton Community Foundation has awarded over 8,500 grants and scholarships totaling more than $109 million.

Our Role

Everyone has a role to play in helping to build our community, making Barberton an even better place to live now and for generations to come. Barberton Community Foundation is here to help. We are proud of our partnerships with area nonprofits, the schools and the city. It’s our privilege to connect potential donors – and their charitable interests and resources – with local needs.

All of the assets gifted to the Foundation remain in the community and will have a direct and lasting impact in Barberton for generations to come.

Our role as a philanthropic partner allows us to support community nonprofits, civic initiatives and an educational system to help build a stronger and better Barberton.

OC Barber

History

Barberton Community Foundation was established in November 1996, when the citizens of Barberton overwhelmingly supported taking an original gift of $86 million in funds and securities from the sale of Barberton Citizens Hospital and establishing a permanent endowment. Interest earned from the fund would enable grants to be distributed in support of the Barberton community, city and schools over time.

Formation of the Foundation

In 1995, senior management and the Board of Trustees of Barberton Citizens Hospital were concerned with the hospital’s ability to compete, long-term, with other hospitals in the area. The Board elected to sell the hospital to a group consisting of Tennessee’s Quorum Health Group, Inc. (95%), Cleveland Clinic Foundation (2.5%) and Summa Health System (2.5%) and a letter of intent to sell was signed on June 14, 1996.

Before the sale could be completed, agreements made in 1949 and 1951 between the City of Barberton and the hospital needed resolution. These agreements provided that proceeds from the sale of the hospital would revert to the City of Barberton.

The city, the hospital, as well as certain individuals within the community, purposed the money pass to a newly created community foundation, which would secure the funds in a permanent endowment. An endowment would allow for the foundation to grant money from the profits of the investments, instead of from the original principal.

Given that the original agreements were made by the City on behalf of the citizens of Barberton, the issue of amending the 1949 and 1951 agreements was given to the citizens of Barberton in November 1996. The citizens voted to amend the agreements, authorizing the money from the sale to be endowed in the new Barberton Community Foundation.

Our First Grant:
A New High School

The first grant made by the Foundation was on February 2, 1997. The Foundation Board voted to fund the $32 million necessary to build an entirely new facility for the Barberton High School. This grant was contingent on the citizens of Barberton approving a $32 million bond issue, which they did. Thanks to this agreement, the Foundation ultimately saved Barberton tax payers $58 million in real estate taxes. In 2021, the Foundation celebrated the last debt payment on Barberton High School.

Barberton HS Turf