Grant applications now open + don't miss the virtual Sugar Plum tour + 2023 Paul Daum Award + more

Fall 2023

Enjoy Akron's favorite holiday tradition from the comfort of your own home!

If you missed the tour last weekend, there's still time to join us for the Sugar Plum virtual tour experience on Dec. 9 and 10. This year's virtual tour includes two bonus homes not included on the live tour!

Tickets make a great gift for family and friends, whether they live near or far.

Buy Tickets

Interested in volunteering or having your home on the tour next year?

If you want to be the first to hear about volunteer opportunities for the 2024 Sugar Plum Tour, contact Volunteer Coordinator Julie Miller at julie518@neo.rr.com. If you're interested in having your home on a future tour or in hosting the Patron Party, contact Home Procurement Chair Adam Besenyodi at adam.besenyodi@pm.me.

Don't forget to give back this holiday season!

As the holidays approach, we want to thank you for your support of the Gay Community Endowment Fund. In 2023, GCEF awarded 15 grants totaling more than $70,000 to local nonprofits. Our annual grantmaking is 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 before the year ends. Gifts for the 2023 tax year can be made online through 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31 at akroncf.org/give/GCEF. 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.

Learn More

Welcome, new board members

Please join us in welcoming five of our newest advisory board members:

Mar-quetta Boddie

Executive Director

Summit County Continuum of Care

Julie Miller

Teacher

Maple Heights City Schools

Cheryl Morse

Retired Teacher

Canton City Schools

Lauren Shaniuk

Speech Language Pathologist

Wyant Woods Healthcare Center

Janis Worley

Finance & Operations Manager

First Congregational Church of Akron

Meet Our Advisory Board

Counting Every Queer: Assessment practices & challenges of LGBTQ+ Ohio

The Gay Community Endowment Fund was proud to co-sponsor a virtual symposium discussing how individuals across Ohio use assessment practices to amplify LGBTQ+ voices.

Watch Now

GCEF presents Paul Daum Award to Sandy Varndell

Each year, the Gay Community Endowment Fund recognizes an individual, business or organization that has actively supported the LGBTQ+ community with its Paul Daum Award. Sandy Varndell, president and founder of OutSupport, was honored with this year's award at the fund's annual celebration.

Impact grant supports gender-affirming hormone therapy at Summa Health Pride Clinic

Transgender and nonbinary patients at Summa Health’s Pride Clinic who are undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy will have access to free injection kits thanks to a grant from the Gay Community Endowment Fund.

The $12,500 grant was one of 15 grants totaling $71,354 that the Gay Community Endowment Fund awarded in 2023 to programs that improve the quality of life of Greater Akron’s LGBTQ+ community members.

In Other News

Akron top rated for LGBTQ+ policies, but there is still work to be done

Ideastream Public Media

Steve Arrington has spent his life making sure the Black LGBTQ+ community gets their due

LGBTQ Nation

Tickets on sale for Gay Community Endowment Fund's Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes in Akron

Cleveland.com

Akron's finest homes are decked out for the holidays in support of LGBTQ+ causes

The Buckeye Flame

Mark Your Calendar

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, combat phobias of the LGBTQ+ community, and support mental health and suicide prevention programs for LGBTQ+ people. Apply online by Dec. 15.

Movie night on Dec. 17

Visit the Bayard Rustin LGBTQIA+ Resource Center, a recipient of two impact grants, at 3 p.m. on Dec. 17 for a free screening of Rustin. This is a great opportunity to visit the space before the movie begins at 3:30. Guests will also have the opportunity to discuss Rustin's important work. See the flyer for more information.

Giving Opportunities

Join our Circle of Inclusion to advance LGBTQ+ equality

The Circle of Inclusion was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Gay Community Endowment Fund. Donors to this giving campaign receive special recognition for their role in growing GCEF's endowment. The circle welcomes gifts and pledges of $1,000 or more, and all donations support the fund's mission of advancing a lived equality for LGBTQ+ people in Greater Akron.

Learn More

Make a legacy gift through your will or trust

You can support the Gay Community Endowment Fund forever by establishing a charitable fund in your name at Akron Community Foundation through your will or trust. After your lifetime, the fund will continue to support all your favorite causes, including GCEF, in perpetuity. It's a simple and tax-friendly way to leave a lasting legacy.

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Thank you to our donors

Thank you to the generous individuals, families and organizations who contributed to the Gay Community Endowment Fund or the GCEF Scholarship Fund from March 1 to Oct. 31, 2023. Your gifts will positively impact our LGBTQ+ community for many years to come.

View Donors

Ways to Give