Local nonprofits seek help to earn grants from Gannett Foundation

More than 750 nonprofits across the country, including several in the Akron-Canton region, have started crowdfunding efforts with the goal of getting a share of $2 million in grants being awarded this year in the Gannett Foundation's A Community Thrives program.

Each nonprofit that applied and which qualified for the ACT program is starting the next phase of the process and has until Aug. 12 to raise funds through the online platform Mightycause. Minimum goals for donations range from $3,000 to $6,000, depending on the group's operating budget, in order to quality for the ACT grants.

A Community Thrives is a grantmaking and crowdfunding program from the USA TODAY NETWORK, which includes USA TODAY and Gannett’s hundreds of local media brands including The Akron Beacon Journal.

Local organizations seeking support

The following Akron-Canton nonprofits are taking part in the program and seeking to raise funds,

Compassion Delivered Inc., North Canton
Greater Akron Musical Association, Akron
Hammer and Nails, Inc., Canton, Community
Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio, Akron-Canton
One of A Kind Pet Rescue, Inc., Akron
Stark County Hunger Task Force Inc., Canton
Stark Education Partnership Inc., North Canton
Tallmadge Rotary Foundation, Tallmadge
TomTod Ideas, Canton

$17 million in grants awarded since 2017

With the help of A Community Thrives, which began in 2017, nonprofits have been able to elevate their ideas and help their local communities improve.

"A Community Thrives has been an excellent way for Gannett to leverage its platforms to raise attention and funds fo participating nonprofit organizations," said Sue Madden, director of the Gannett Foundation. "Over the past five years, the program has contributed more than $17 million to community building projects and local operating expenses of service organizations across the county."

All nonprofit organizations participating in ACT's Fundraising Campaign get to keep all of the money they raise, but the top projects also will quality for additional grants to support their plans to implement community-changing ideas.

The top fundraisers will receive a total of $200,000 in grants, and in addition eligible organizations will qualify for consideration of the National Project and Local Operating grants.

The top three fundraisers with at least 10 unique donors in the two different tiers — based on annual budgets of above and below $500,000 — will receive local community incentive grants of between $10,000 and $25,000.

Up to $100,000 will be awarded to top nonprofits.

In addition, 16 participating nonprofits will receive national grants of between $25,000 and $100,000.

More information on A Community Thrives is available online at gannettfoundation.org/act.

Source: Akron Beacon Journal

Source: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2022/07/18/gannett-foundation-a-community-thrives-more-than-750-nonprofits-nationwide-competing-2-m-grants/10088090002/