One of the best things about being a board member of the Gay Community Endowment Fund is taking part in our annual grantmaking process. We are a grantmaking fund, which means we raise money to give it to local organizations doing extraordinary work in service of our LGBTQ+ community. Our grant cycle opened on Nov. 15, when we began receiving grant applications, and will close on Dec. 15. Our board begins grant application review in January, and to me, this is the best part: Our board members will choose potential grantees and go out into the community and meet with them to learn more about their projects. | | | |
Get into the holiday spirit during Akron's premier holiday home tour. This year's live tour will feature five festively decorated homes on Sunday, Dec. 7, from noon to 5 p.m. The virtual tour will feature seven intimate video tours, including two homes filmed exclusively for the virtual tour and the Patron Party location, and can be viewed throughout the holiday season from Dec. 13 through Jan. 4.
On Dec. 6, the evening before the live tour, sponsors are invited to a private party at a custom-built 1928 Roy Firestone home. Later dubbed the "Jackson House," this historic property was once home to Lee Jackson, the former president of Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. A limited number of Patron Party Bundle tickets, which include admission to the live and virtual tours and the private Patron Party, are available for $250.
Tickets make a great gift for family and friends, whether they live near or far!
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"With the generous support of the Gay Community Endowment Fund, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio’s PPRx pharmacy is helping make health care more welcoming and inclusive for everyone. PPRx provides culturally humble, affirming, compassionate pharmaceutical care — especially for LGBTQ+ patients — bridging gaps in access and fostering a sense of trust, belonging, and pride in our Akron community."
To learn more about our grant recipients, visit akroncf.org/GCEFgrants.
| | Welcome, New Board Members | | Vince Curry
Executive Director,
Fair Housing Advocates Association | | |
Michael Derr
Development Director,
Akron-Summit County Public Library
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Toby Liechty-Clifford
Instructional Specialist,
Akron Public Schools
| | Dr. Mary Ann Schneider
Retired Educator | | |
In the marathon world, the addition of a nonbinary category is far from the norm. But Akron Marathon organizers are intent on creating an experience that is welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.
In addition to adding a nonbinary category in 2024, Akron Marathon organizers have updated their marketing materials, registration forms and outreach strategies to specifically bring in more LGBTQ+ participants, both runners and volunteers.
The Akron Marathon – which organizers describe as having a “small town feel with a world-class experience” – recently received a grant from the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation to support the race’s LGBTQ+ inclusion.
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Grant applications due Dec. 15
The Gay Community Endowment Fund is now accepting grant proposals for programs that benefit the local LGBTQ+ community. Nonprofits may apply for either an impact grant or a micro grant. Strong preference will be given to impact grant proposals that create safer environments for LGBTQ+ youth, help to combat phobias of the LGBTQ+ community, and support mental health and suicide prevention programs for LGBTQ+ people. Apply online by Dec. 15.
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Celebrate our 25th anniversary at exhALE
Save the date for our 25th Anniversary Celebration, "exhALE: Advancing Lived Equality." Join us on Friday, June 5, 2026, at House Three Thirty as we celebrate our impact in the community, recognize our recent grant and scholarship recipients, and present the 2026 Paul Daum Award. More information about sponsorships and ticket sales will be available this winter.
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As the holidays approach, we want to thank you for your support of the Gay Community Endowment Fund. In 2025, GCEF awarded 17 grants totaling $80,500 to local nonprofits. Additionally, the GCEF Scholarship Fund awarded four $2,500 scholarships, for a total of $10,000. Our annual grants and scholarships are supported by caring people like you who value equality and inclusion in our community.
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to the Gay Community Endowment Fund or GCEF Scholarship Fund before the year ends. Gifts for the 2025 tax year can be made online through 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31. We can also accept gifts of appreciated stock, retirement assets, and even life insurance! For more information, please contact Deb Hoffman.
Your support of the Gay Community Endowment Fund is greatly appreciated and will improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Greater Akron for generations to come.
For more strategic giving tips, download Akron Community Foundation's Year-End Giving Guide.
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The Circle of Inclusion was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Gay Community Endowment Fund. As we prepare for the fund's 25th anniversary, we're relaunching the circle with five tiers that make giving both accessible and sustainable. As a contributor to the Circle of Inclusion, your gifts will advance the Greater Akron LGBTQ+ community's right to live safely, openly and authentically. Donors to the circle receive special recognition for their role in growing the endowment and First-to-Know communications about the fund's latest news.
| | Thank you to the generous individuals, families and organizations who contributed to the Gay Community Endowment Fund or the GCEF Scholarship Fund from April 1 to Oct. 31, 2025. Your gifts will positively impact our LGBTQ+ community for many years to come. | | |
The Cornerstone Society celebrates those who have named the Gay Community Endowment Fund in a planned gift, such as a bequest, charitable gift annuity or life insurance policy. Their foresight and generosity ensures the fund will continue to support Greater Akron's LGBTQ+ community in perpetuity.
It's simple to join; contact Deb Hoffman for more information.
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