Many arts groups benefited from a total of more than $1.8 million in grants from the Akron Community Foundation.
Akron Community Foundation's board of trustees ratified grants totaling $1,805,246 last month. Thirty Summit County programs were awarded Community Fund grants totaling $466,250. The board also approved 224 grants totaling $1,338,996 from 70 designated funds.
Community Fund grants will support the following arts and culture programs:
* Act II Productions Illusion Factory, for its 2008-09 productions in 40 area schools, $16,000
* Akron Area Arts Alliance, for exhibitions, educational programming and to promote the 2008-09 Summit Artspace Gallery season, $15,000
* Akron Art Museum, for the "Edward Weston: Life Work" photography exhibition, $50,000
* Akron-Summit County Public Library, for StoryCorps, a 10-day oral history project, $20,000
* Apollo's Fire The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, for the '08-'09 concert season, $12,000
* Ballet Theatre of Ohio, for the Take Me Out to the Ballet program in the Akron Public Schools and the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, $20,000
* Central Summit County Choral Society, for the Summit Children's Choir, $12,000
* Community Hall Foundation Inc. - Akron Civic Theatre, for '08-'09 in-house programming, $25,000
* Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet, to produce an original dance piece set to the music of Bobby McFerrin, $11,000
* Greater Akron Musical Association Inc., for the '09 Concerts for Kids program, $40,000
* GroundWorks Dancetheater, for the '08 Akron Icehouse performances, residency and educational outreach, $20,000
* Kent State University Foundation Inc., for the Wick Poetry Center's Giving Voice program at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, $10,000
* Magical Theatre Company, for the Resident Performance Program, $10,000
* Master Singers Inc., for the '09 concert season and educational outreach, $12,000
* Musical Arts Association The Cleveland Orchestra, for the '08 Blossom Festival, $30,000
* Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio Inc., for television productions of the Akron Symphony Orchestra's "Gospel Meets Symphony" performance, $15,000
* Ohio Shakespeare Festival, for summer performances of "Hamlet" at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, $5,000
* Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, to restore a 1916 Aeolian Organ, $20,000
* Childrens Concert Society of Akron, for the '08-'09 In-School Concert Series, $10,000
* The Goodwill Industries of Akron, Ohio Inc., for vintage clothing preservation, $5,000
* Tuesday Musical Association, for the Hillary Hahn performance, $10,000
* Weathervane Community Playhouse Inc., for the Project STAGE program, $10,000
* Western Reserve Historical Society, for 50th anniversary educational programming at Hale Farm and Village, $20,000
* Youth Excellence Performance Arts Workshop, for the '08-'09 YEPAW 365 after-school program, $15,000.