Poverty is inextricably intertwined with nearly every challenge people of Stark County face. Protecting Stark's Future

In recent weeks an important study was released by the Stark Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Stark County. Research by The Center for Community Solutions concretized ideas about local poverty with U.S. Census Bureau data.

Protecting Stark’s Future: A Call to Coordinate Child Poverty Strategies does more than present the hard facts. The report defines seven strategies to do what Stark County does best – collaborate. The Foundation and United Way are backing up their recommendations with a request for proposals “Join us in addressing child poverty rates by increasing the earnings of families, promoting activities that integrate financial planning, and incorporating neighborhood-level strategies.”

The goals of the grant are to – 1) Invest in neighborhood level projects that strive to improve a specific neighborhood in terms of addressing child poverty; and 2) Fund organizations working in collaboration.

Projects are required to – 1) Have clearly outlined goals and objectives; 2) Demonstrate the ability to increase community impact with a one-year planning or implementation grant; 3) Produce significant impact in increasing the earnings of families and promoting activities that integrate financial planning; and 4) All projects must incorporate neighborhood-level strategies.

Proposals for a planning grant of $15,000 are due by April 1, 2021. Implementation grants may be 1-3 years with a maximum award of $100,000.