{"id":105778,"date":"2016-06-10T16:59:43","date_gmt":"2016-06-10T20:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/community\/akron"},"modified":"2023-09-06T15:32:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T19:32:38","slug":"akron","status":"publish","type":"community","link":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/community\/akron\/","title":{"rendered":"Akron"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"rich-text\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WHAT WE FUND<\/h2>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<p>Knight supports informed and engaged communities where the Knight brothers owned and operated newspapers. We believe an engaged community is one in which people are attached to the place where they live and are invested in the community\u2019s future. Learn more through our <a href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/statement-of-strategy\/\">Statement of Strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<p>In Akron, Knight prioritizes investments in downtown and the city\u2019s inner ring neighborhoods with an emphasis on public spaces and public life. We\u2019re focused on enhancing the quality of life to create conditions that foster stability and growth. Our work is in response to public and private sector alignment, optimism and resident-centered action to build a vibrant core that has an outsized impact on the future of the city.Knight also invests in Akron\u2019s arts and culture as a way to connect people to place and to one another. Investing in arts and culture is central to Knight\u2019s effort to build stronger, better informed and more engaged communities, which are critical for a more effective democracy. <a href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/press\/releases\/knight-foundation-doubles-down-on-its-commitment-to-community-and-the-arts-in-akron-with-an-investment-of-more-than-31-million\/\">Recent signature investments include<\/a> support for the Akron Art Museum, the National Center for Choreography in Akron and ArtsNow. Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/programs\/arts\">Knight\u2019s Arts<\/a> program.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">OUR WORK<\/h2>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<p>The foundation\u2019s support for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtownakron.com\">Downtown Akron Partnership<\/a> continues to keep the core of the city as a place attracting residents, retailers and those seeking recreation. The University of Akron is a driver of downtown\u2019s success and the region\u2019s economy and talent pipeline. In 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uakron.edu\/im\/news\/knight-foundation-commits-20-million-to-ua-for-arts-transformation\">Knight committed $20 million<\/a> towards a $42 million capital campaign to turn the Polsky Building into a vibrant gateway from campus to Main Street. In Middlebury, Knight has provided $6 million to support The Well Community Development Corporation\u2019s initiative to rehabilitate housing and provide wrap-around services for residents.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<p>In 2017, Akron was selected to participate in a national initiative called Reimagining the Civic Commons. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.akronciviccommons.org\/our-partners\">Akron Civic Commons team<\/a> has focused on the city\u2019s shared civic assets from Downtown Akron to Summit Lake along the Towpath trail to foster engagement, equity, environmental sustainability and economic development. This resident-centered work has led to catalytic capital projects including the Knight Stage at the Akron Civic Theatre, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitmetroparks.org\/summit-lake-nature-center.aspx\">Summit Lake Nature Center<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.akronohiorescue.gov\/lock-3\">transformation of Lock 3 Park<\/a> and the creation of <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gKOBomgi-XM\">a Summit Lake Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/apply\/\">APPLY FOR A GRANT<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"block__department department\" data-component=\"Department\">\n\t\t<div class=\"department__header\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"department__title\">\n\t\t\t\tAkron Program Staff\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"department__employee-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"employee-item\">\n\t\t<div class=\"employee-item__image\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/employee\/kyle-kutuchief\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/0763_Kyle_Kutuchief-2_1.jpg?w=350&amp;h=350&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"employee-item__details\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"employee-item__name\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/employee\/kyle-kutuchief\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\tKyle Kutuchief\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"employee-item__job-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\tDirector\/Akron\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text\">\n<p><strong>Akron Community Advisory Committee members:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<p>Robert Cooper, CBRE; Cynthia Knight, Community Volunteer; Kirsten Lino, Huntington Bank; Blake Squires, Founder and Executive Coach<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<p>Knight&#8217;s Akron Office:<br>277 East Mill St.<br>Akron, OH 44308<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"rich-text\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<div data-background-color=\"white\" data-layout=\"column\" class=\"module module--type--three-up post-block three-up--background-color--white layout-column\"><div class=\"inner\"><header><h2 class=\"three-up-post-grid__heading\">Latest News<\/h2><\/header><div class=\"inner-block__container\">\n<div data-background-color=\"transparent\" data-text-align=\"left\" data-program-id=\"41\" data-image-visible=\"true\" data-pa-visible=\"true\" class=\"module module--type--post-block post-block\"><div class=\"post-block__image\"><a class=\"post-block__link\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/articles\/video-ground-breaking-at-summit-lake-park-in-akron-oh\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Akron-Summit-Lake-Ground-Breaking-Thumb.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"344349\" data-size=\"third-card\"\/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"post-block__inner\"><div class=\"eyebrow eyebrow--green\">Communities<\/div><h3 class=\"post-block__title\"><a class=\"post-block__link\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/articles\/video-ground-breaking-at-summit-lake-park-in-akron-oh\/\">VIDEO: Ground breaking at Summit Lake Park in Akron, OH<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"post-block__inner-details\"><div class=\"post-block__type\" data-visible=\"true\">article<\/div><\/div><a class=\"post-block__cta-cover\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/articles\/video-ground-breaking-at-summit-lake-park-in-akron-oh\/\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">VIDEO: Ground breaking at Summit Lake Park in Akron, OH<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-background-color=\"transparent\" data-text-align=\"left\" data-program-id=\"41\" data-image-visible=\"true\" data-pa-visible=\"true\" class=\"module module--type--post-block post-block\"><div class=\"post-block__image\"><a class=\"post-block__link\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/press\/releases\/knight-foundation-doubles-down-on-its-commitment-to-community-and-the-arts-in-akron-with-an-investment-of-more-than-31-million\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/drone11.jpg?w=1520&amp;h=1020&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"332636\" data-size=\"third-card\"\/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"post-block__inner\"><div class=\"eyebrow eyebrow--green\">Communities<\/div><h3 class=\"post-block__title\"><a class=\"post-block__link\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/press\/releases\/knight-foundation-doubles-down-on-its-commitment-to-community-and-the-arts-in-akron-with-an-investment-of-more-than-31-million\/\">Knight Foundation doubles down on its commitment to community and the arts in Akron with an investment of more than $31 million<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"post-block__inner-details\"><div class=\"post-block__type\" data-visible=\"true\">press release<\/div><\/div><a class=\"post-block__cta-cover\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/press\/releases\/knight-foundation-doubles-down-on-its-commitment-to-community-and-the-arts-in-akron-with-an-investment-of-more-than-31-million\/\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Knight Foundation doubles down on its commitment to community and the arts in Akron with an investment of more than $31 million<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-background-color=\"transparent\" data-text-align=\"left\" data-program-id=\"41\" data-image-visible=\"true\" data-pa-visible=\"true\" class=\"module module--type--post-block post-block\"><div class=\"post-block__image\"><a class=\"post-block__link\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/articles\/summit-lake-creating-an-equitable-and-inclusive-public-space-in-partnership-with-residents\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/SummitL23.jpeg?w=1520&amp;h=1020&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"293058\" data-size=\"third-card\"\/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"post-block__inner\"><div class=\"eyebrow eyebrow--green\">Communities<\/div><h3 class=\"post-block__title\"><a class=\"post-block__link\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/articles\/summit-lake-creating-an-equitable-and-inclusive-public-space-in-partnership-with-residents\/\">Summit Lake: creating an equitable and inclusive public space in partnership with residents<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"post-block__inner-details\"><div class=\"post-block__type\" data-visible=\"true\">article<\/div><\/div><a class=\"post-block__cta-cover\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/articles\/summit-lake-creating-an-equitable-and-inclusive-public-space-in-partnership-with-residents\/\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Summit Lake: creating an equitable and inclusive public space in partnership with residents<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-background-color=\"transparent\" data-text-align=\"left\" data-program-id=\"41\" data-image-visible=\"true\" data-pa-visible=\"true\" class=\"module module--type--post-block post-block\"><div class=\"post-block__image\"><a class=\"post-block__link\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/press\/releases\/knight-foundation-invests-8-million-to-expand-and-make-akron-public-spaces-more-equitable\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/SummitL3-1-e1600377193605.jpg?w=1520&amp;h=1020&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"229889\" data-size=\"third-card\"\/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"post-block__inner\"><div class=\"eyebrow eyebrow--green\">Communities<\/div><h3 class=\"post-block__title\"><a class=\"post-block__link\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/press\/releases\/knight-foundation-invests-8-million-to-expand-and-make-akron-public-spaces-more-equitable\/\">Knight Foundation invests $8 million to expand and make Akron public spaces more equitable<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"post-block__inner-details\"><div class=\"post-block__type\" data-visible=\"true\">press release<\/div><\/div><a class=\"post-block__cta-cover\" href=\"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/press\/releases\/knight-foundation-invests-8-million-to-expand-and-make-akron-public-spaces-more-equitable\/\" role=\"button\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Knight Foundation invests $8 million to expand and make Akron public spaces more equitable<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"inner-block__footer\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WHAT WE FUND Knight supports informed and engaged communities where the Knight brothers owned and operated newspapers. We believe an engaged community is one in which people are attached to the place where they live and are invested in the community\u2019s future. Learn more through our Statement of Strategy. In Akron, Knight prioritizes investments in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":976,"template":"","meta":{"knight_foundation_app_header_links":[],"knight_foundation_app_newsletter_config":"","knight_foundation_app_open_graph_description":"","knight_foundation_app_open_graph_image":0,"knight_foundation_app_open_graph_title":"","knight_foundation_app_subnav_title":"","knight_foundation_app_subnav_hide":false,"knight_foundation_app_table_of_contents":[],"kfa_extensions_suppress_hero_gradient":false,"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"knight_foundation_app_community_type":"0","knight_foundation_app_director_employee_id":0},"communities":[5143],"challenges":[5162,2535,2536],"states":[1138],"topics":[],"program-areas":[41],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community\/105778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/community"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community\/105778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":381001,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community\/105778\/revisions\/381001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"communities","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/communities?post=105778"},{"taxonomy":"challenges","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/challenges?post=105778"},{"taxonomy":"states","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/states?post=105778"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=105778"},{"taxonomy":"program-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program-areas?post=105778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}