Health & Fitness
Gay Community Endowment Fund seeks grant proposals for Gay Games projects
The Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation is accepting grant applications for projects that support, enhance and educate the community regarding the 2014 Gay Games presented by the Cleveland Foundation. Coming to Cleveland and Akron in August 2014, the Gay Games is a world-renowned sports and culture festival that emphasizes inclusion and participation.
In October, the Gay Community Endowment Fund announced a $100,000 commitment to the 2014 Gay Games, making the fund the official host sponsor of 2014 Gay Games sports in Akron and Summit County. A portion of those funds will be used to award grants of up to $5,000 for projects that support the Gay Games, including arts and culture events, LGBT programming, and diversity projects.
Grants will not be made for the purchase of tickets to Gay Games activities, including the opening and closing ceremonies. All projects must be conducted in Summit County.
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Grant applications should be completed online by Friday, Jan. 10, at 4 p.m. A link to the application is available at www.akroncf.org/applyGG9. In order to receive grant funding, applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and show proof of a nondiscrimination policy that protects staff and volunteers from discrimination based on their sexual orientation.
Grant decisions will be announced Feb. 21. For questions about the application process, please contact John Garofalo, vice president of community investment, at 330-436-5624 or jgarofalo@akroncf.org.
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About the Gay Community Endowment Fund
Founded in 2001, the Gay Community Endowment Fund is a permanent philanthropic endowment of Akron Community Foundation. It facilitates and perpetuates philanthropy by supporting programs and services that support or positively impact the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, as well as the entire greater Akron community. The fund has reinvested more than $183,000 in the community since its inception. Contributions of any amount are welcome and support future grant-making. Checks may be sent to the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation, 345 W. Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307-2407. For more information, or to contribute, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.gaycommunityfund.org.
About the Gay Games
The Gay Games is an international sporting and cultural event held every four years under the founding principles of Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best™. Launched in 1982, the Games invite participation from everybody, regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, political beliefs, athletic or artistic ability, age, physical challenge or health status.
The Games are intended to bring a global community together in friendship, to experience participation, to elevate consciousness and self-esteem, and to achieve a form of cultural and intellectual synergy. The Gay Games is open to anyone 18 years or older. About 10 percent of participants are from outside the LGBT community.
The 2014 Gay Games presented by the Cleveland Foundation will be August 9-16, 2014, in venues around Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, in the United States. More than 35 sports and culture events will be held, with 10,000 people from more than 60 countries expected to participate. For more information, visit www.GG9CLE.com.
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 58 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. Today, it is a philanthropic endowment of more than $160 million with a growing family of more than 430 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation welcomes gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded more than $108 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.