Spring 2022
For the fourth consecutive year, the fund awarded impact grants to programs that improve the health and safety of Greater Akron's LGBTQ+ community. Among this year's recipients is the Akron AIDS Collaborative, which received $7,500 to support a new resource center for LGBTQ+ people of color in Summit County.
This signature event celebrates the Gay Community Endowment Fund’s impact in the community and recognizes our most recent grant and scholarship recipients. Proceeds support academic scholarships for LGBTQ+ and allied students in Greater Akron. Reserve your VIP tickets now by becoming an event sponsor.
By H.L. Comeriato, The Buckeye Flame
In 2019, the Gay Community Endowment Fund awarded a grant to support Camp Lilac, a summer camp for transgender and gender diverse youth. Learn how this unique program is creating a safe and welcoming space where campers can experience the joy of being themselves.
Through April 30, the GCEF Scholarship Fund is accepting applications from LGBTQ+ and allied students who have positively impacted the LGBTQ+ community. Since 2016, the fund has awarded more than $36,000 in postsecondary scholarships to help area students secure a brighter future.
In Other News
In December, organizers of the Greater Akron LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment officially met their goal of collecting more than 1,000 survey responses. These responses will help shape the results of the assessment, which is analyzing key measures of health in the LGBTQ+ community, including education, housing, nutrition, employment, safety and recreation.

The final report is scheduled to be released this fall. In the meantime, organizers are continuing to collect information about the needs of our local LGBTQ+ community through incentivized focus groups and stakeholder interviews.

Stay up to date on the project and learn how you can get involved by following @GreaterAkronLGBTQCommunityNeedsAssessment on Facebook.
Mark Your Calendar
March 31 - April 2 at The Knight Stage

April 2 at LaPlace Events

Aug. 27 in Downtown Akron
Giving Opportunities
In celebration of our 20th anniversary, the Gay Community Endowment Fund has launched the Circle of Inclusion. 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.
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.
Thank you to the generous individuals, families and organizations who contributed to the Gay Community Endowment Fund or the GCEF Scholarship Fund from Oct. 1, 2021, to Feb. 28, 2022. Your gifts will positively impact LGBTQ+ people in our community for many years to come.