Intersections

When Kara and her 22-year-old son were evicted from their home, they had nowhere to go. Her son, who has autism, was undergoing leukemia treatments at Akron Children’s Hospital and required a chest port. On top of these challenges, Kara was caring for three small dogs and was unable to find a temporary foster home for them. With no available emergency shelter able to accommodate pets, they ended up sleeping in a tent in a local park as temperatures dropped.

Kara’s story is heartbreaking, but it is not uncommon in Akron. For many women, the inability to keep their family together, including pets, becomes a barrier to seeking safety. ACCESS is determined to change that.

In 2025, GAR Foundation awarded a $50,000 capital grant to support ACCESS’ “Building Futures, Empowering More Lives” campaign, a $3 million effort to expand its campus and thoughtfully serve residents using national trauma-informed design standards. This grant was one of 30 capital grants awarded to Akron-area nonprofits in 2025, totaling more than $837,000.

ACCESS currently operates at full capacity, sheltering about 58 individuals each night. With only so many beds available, the organization maintains a waitlist of more than 100 women and children year-round. Because ACCESS cannot currently accommodate pets, women with pets aren’t able to join the waitlist, creating an additional barrier to safety and shelter access.

The planned expansion will introduce trauma-informed spaces that offer residents what many have gone without: a door they can lock, a sense of safety, and a path to stability. Plans include additional bedrooms and amenities, dedicated areas for children such as sensory spaces and playgrounds, and green spaces for residents to enjoy. Most importantly, the project will increase ACCESS shelter’s capacity by 80%, creating a stronger lifeline to a brighter future.

ACCESS’ impact is already significant. In 2025, 70 percent of residents transitioned to stable housing, far surpassing the national average of 32 percent. With this expansion, ACCESS will amplify its wrap-around services such as healthcare access, mental health support, and life skills classes, and continue its commitment to residents even after they move into permanent housing.

"Our community needs ACCESS to reach more women and families, and we’re ready to expand,” said Director of Development Brianne Neal. “This campaign will nearly double the number of households we can move from crisis to stability each year, saving lives and strengthening our community for the long term.”

GAR’s Capital Grant Program supports projects like this that strengthen nonprofit infrastructure and expand the impact of organizations serving our community.

Since 2004, GAR Foundation’s Educator Initiative Grant (EIG) program has empowered teachers to bring creative, classroom-based projects to life. Over the past two decades, the program has supported nearly 800 teacher-initiated projects in Summit County schools, representing more than $6 million in investment. These projects have sparked innovation and engagement in countless ways, from inclusive vocational training and school video broadcasts to initiatives focused on mental health, emotional wellness, and learning history through music and writing.

The program is built on the belief that teachers know their students best, giving them the autonomy to design projects that spark curiosity and meet diverse learning needs. Educators can apply for up to $5,000 for single-classroom projects or $10,000 for multi-classroom, department, or school-wide initiatives, providing resources to turn bold ideas into impactful learning experiences.

One project that exemplifies the spirit of this program is Buchtel CLC’s Love for Literacy, which has been awarded an EIG three times. Designed to spark students’ passion for reading, the project transforms the classroom into a welcoming space where students choose books that reflect their interests, engage in silent reading and reflection, and express their learning through writing and art. The yearlong project culminates in each student creating a painted canvas inspired by their chosen book, which is proudly displayed at a school-wide art show at the end of the year.

The impact has been significant. Over a three-year span, 300 students have participated, including English Language Learners and students with diverse needs. Many have rediscovered a love for reading, including one student who shared, “I read 13 books this summer. I fell back in love with reading after being in your class.” For a student that was simultaneously navigating the foster care system, that joy became a source of solace and stability.

"Since starting the project, engagement and motivation has drastically increased in my classroom," said Shannon Turick, an English teacher at Buchtel CLC and the Love for Literacy project lead. “Love for Literacy gives teenagers the opportunity to unplug and be fully present in learning. It also gives them the opportunity to discover new authors and interests that will last a lifetime."

Building on this momentum, the third iteration of Love for Literacy introduced new experiences: a field trip to the Cleveland Art Museum to inspire creativity and a collaborative book of student writing distributed to libraries and community organizations. These additions celebrate student voices and expand learning beyond the classroom.

By investing in educators’ ideas, we ensure that classrooms across Summit County remain places of innovation, creativity, and connection, where students discover not only knowledge but also confidence and joy in learning.

In 2025, Akron made meaningful progress on two of its most important regional priorities: strengthening its global leadership in polymers and helping to build vibrancy in Downtown Akron. Both efforts were advanced through Elevate Greater Akron, a collaborative of government, business, and civic leaders working together and supporting one another in driving shared prosperity.

Leading in Polymers and Advanced Materials

A major source of momentum came from building on the region’s long-standing strengths in polymers and advanced materials. For generations, Akron has been home to innovators, researchers, and manufacturers who have shaped materials that drive worldwide innovation. In recent years, partners across industry, higher education, and the public sector came together to turn that legacy into a forward-looking strategy for the next generation of sustainable polymers. That shared effort helped secure significant state and federal funding and put foundational elements in place to create Akron’s Polymer Industry Cluster in 2021, which is powered by the Greater Akron Chamber.

This past year, the Polymer Industry Cluster formalized its leadership team, launched the Synthe6 Materials Accelerator at Bounce Innovation Hub to propel polymer and advanced materials startups toward success, advanced plans for an Innovation Pilot Facility that will draw in companies from near and far, and expanded polymer workforce pathways. Today, more than 50 companies are actively engaging in cluster work, and multiple companies have established operations in Greater Akron to build on our polymer synergies.

These steps represent more than individual projects. Together, they signal a coordinated commitment to making Greater Akron a place where new materials, sustainable solutions, and advanced manufacturing can take shape.

Strengthening Downtown Akron

2025 was a year of renewed focus on Downtown Akron’s role as a strong regional center. The creation of the Downtown Akron Development Corporation (DADC), funded through a coalition of 17 local organizations including GAR Foundation, marked an important step forward in supporting a more coordinated and proactive approach to downtown development. Designed to bring focus and coordination to Downtown Akron development, DADC has helped attract and support businesses choosing to locate in, return to, or invest in downtown, contributing to a visible rise in activity and confidence in the city’s core.

These efforts build on the momentum created by the recent revitalization of Lock 3 Park, a major community project led by Akron Civic Commons. The newly redesigned space welcomed more than 175,000 visitors in 2025, generating meaningful economic impact and building downtown momentum. These efforts represent a significant community investment that complements broader efforts to make downtown a lively, welcoming place for residents and visitors.

“Downtown Akron stands as a shared space, a center of gravity for the Greater Akron community, just as the sustainable polymers cluster is a focus point for much of the economic activity in our region," said GAR Foundation President Christine Amer Mayer. “Having such focus points helps us to align efforts, create shared ownership of our destiny, and track visible progress. GAR Foundation is proud to have played a role in this work and stands ready, with our partners, to continue driving momentum in the year to come.”

Together, these accomplishments show what becomes possible when a region aligns around clear priorities. Through the collaborative efforts of Elevate Greater Akron and by investing in the people, sectors, and places that drive long-term growth, GAR Foundation is helping position Akron for an economy shaped by innovation, partnership, and shared opportunity in 2026 in beyond.

In 2025, Essential Experiences℠ reached an important milestone. GAR Foundation, Akron Public Schools (APS), and seven Greater Akron arts and culture institutions renewed their shared commitment to ensuring that every PreK through 5th grade APS student can participate in high-quality learning outside the classroom. The three-year, $2.5 million renewal for Phase 3 (2025-2028) strengthens this partnership and brings GAR’s total investment in Essential Experiences℠ to nearly $6 million.

Since its launch in 2019, Essential Experiences℠ has guaranteed that more than 9,000 APS students each year visit some of Greater Akron’s most vibrant arts and cultural institutions. These visits spark curiosity, support classroom learning, and help students see themselves as active participants in their community. In 2025, the program welcomed Weathervane Playhouse as its new third-grade partner, filling a need for theater-based learning and introducing students to creativity, storytelling, and the science of polymers in an engaging, age-appropriate way.

Each experience is designed with clear learning goals that connect to Ohio’s standards. Students build links to classroom content, explore future career paths, and participate in hands-on learning that supports confidence, belonging, and joy. Pre- and post-visit lessons help ensure that each experience becomes a meaningful part of a student’s growth.

The renewal of Essential Experiences℠ reflects a shared belief held by all partners: memorable, formative learning should be available to every child. It also reflects the strength of a partnership that brings together philanthropy, public education, and arts and cultural organizations with a common purpose.

"These immersive, hands-on learning opportunities extend the classroom walls, spark curiosity, and connect our children to the rich cultural tapestry of Akron,” said APS Superintendent Mary Outley. “They are vital for fostering well-rounded scholars, building community ties, and ensuring every APS scholar gains the experiences needed to thrive."

As a tribute to the first six years of the initiative, we captured the voices of students, educators, and partners who bring Essential Experiences℠ to life. Watch the story.

Essential Experiences℠ continues to demonstrate what can happen when philanthropy, public education, and arts and culture institutions work together with a shared vision. With Phase 3 underway, APS students continue to benefit from learning that extends far beyond the classroom and into the heart of our community.

What started as a shared idea among a small group of community partners has grown into a countywide effort to help young people find meaningful opportunities to learn, work, and grow. Today, with more than 133 participating organizations across Summit County, Youth Success Summit (YSS) serves as a connector, bringing youth-serving organizations together around a common goal of ensuring every young person has a place to build the skills they need for lifelong success.

That role came into clear focus in 2025 through YSS’ leadership in advancing Summer for All, Akron’s communitywide strategy for K–12 summer learning. As partners examined local data, a challenge emerged. Too few summer programs were available for elementary and middle school students, and participation was especially limited for younger learners. In response, a new idea took shape, one designed not just to fill time or feel punitive, but to reimagine what summer learning could be.

Working alongside Akron Public Schools (APS) and local out-of-school time providers, YSS helped launch Fifth Quarter, a co-designed model that treats summer as a season of exploration and growth. Programs blend hands-on, inquiry-based learning with youth development practices, academic instruction, and field experiences. Delivered in neighborhood-based community spaces across Summit Lake, Middlebury, East Akron, and other areas prioritized by APS, Fifth Quarter meets students where they are, both geographically and developmentally.

In 2025, the model expanded to eight partner organizations, with four serving elementary students and four serving middle school youth. Nearly 200 students took part in the three-week experience. Rather than following a traditional classroom structure, each program invited students to investigate a real community challenge and design their own solutions, guided by APS teachers and out-of-school time staff working side by side.

“We were able to provide high-quality programming to youth within our district, maintaining 85% attendance and growing confidence in STEM throughout the three-week camp,” said Akron Sneaker Academy Founder and Executive Director Dominique Waters. “Fifth Quarter has proven to be an incredible model of impact, demonstrating the substantial influence we can have on youth when we adopt innovative approaches to learning.”

Support from GAR Foundation helped make the pilot possible, with more than $50,000 invested in middle school out-of-school time partners. The funding ensured programs had the training, coordination, and flexibility needed to create high-quality learning environments during the summer months. Building on this momentum, GAR Foundation has invested an additional $65,000 in 2026 to continue supporting and strengthening the Fifth Quarter model.

While Fifth Quarter became a defining example of YSS’s work in 2025, progress extended well beyond summer learning. Across its broader network of partners, collaboration led to more young people participating in paid work experiences through the Summer Youth Employment Program, more recent graduates earning industry credentials, and stronger alignment among providers working toward consistent learning opportunities. That momentum was further recognized when YSS was selected as one of seven communities nationwide to join The Wallace Foundation’s Advancing Opportunities for Adolescents Initiative, a multi-year effort to strengthen after-school and summer systems through cross-sector partnerships.

Connection remained at the heart of this work. Throughout the year, YSS convened providers through free workshops, quarterly gatherings, and its inaugural YSS Conference, which brought together nearly 200 youth development professionals. These moments of shared learning helped partners align around common practices and deepen relationships across organizations.

By the end of 2025, more than 8,000 young people had participated in YSS-connected programs, offering evidence of both growing reach and a more unified system of support across Summit County.

“Young people show us what’s possible when adults create the right conditions around them,” said Youth Success Summit Executive Director Rachel Tecca. “YSS helps build those conditions by bringing partners together with a shared commitment to youth success.”

Together, these efforts reflect what can happen when a community moves in the same direction. Through the collaborative work of Youth Success Summit and continued investment in the people and organizations that support young people every day, Akron is strengthening the system that helps more students learn, grow, and imagine their futures with confidence.

The images featured in this report have been graciously provided by the organizations we support and reflect the meaningful work happening across our community. Each photo represents the impact of our nonprofit partners and aligns with GAR Foundation’s strategic focus areas. We are grateful to these organizations for sharing their stories through these images.

Photos in this report represent the following organizations and photographers:

• ACCESS, Inc.
• Akron Canton Regional Foodbank
• Akron Sneaker Academy / Dominique Waters
• Bounce Innovation Hub / Photographer: Bruce Ford
• City of Akron / Photographer: Patricia Porter
• Conservancy for CVNP / Photographer: Kofi Amponsah
• Downtown Akron Partnership
• Early Childhood Resource Center
• Curated Storefront / Photographer: Julian Curet
• Peg’s Foundation
• The University of Akron