The Akron Community Foundation is throwing a financial lifeline to Akron's art community.

It has approved quarterly grants totaling $1,666,085. That includes 31 community fund grants totaling $474,000, with $421,000 for arts and culture programs.

The foundation reports that it is assisting struggling arts groups with grants for operational needs during the economic downturn.

The foundation also set aside funds for those in need of food assistance. It approved $25,000 to establish the Food Pantry Capacity Fund. The effort will help Summit County food pantries buy the equipment they need to store and distribute fresh food.

''A vital part of Akron Community Foundation's mission is to respond to needs in the community as they arise,'' said foundation President and CEO John T. Petures Jr. in a prepared statement. ''The Food Pantry Capacity Fund does exactly that and, together, we will better position area food pantries to serve individuals and families who need it most.''

The foundation also granted 232 grants totaling $1,192,085 from 79 designated and donor-advised funds.

The Akron Community Foundation was founded in 1955.

The Madison Community Foundation is sponsoring three years of access to Community Cars fleet of hybrid and high-mileage vehicles.

Independent Living can now take the $5,000 a year it had spent on vehicle-related expenses and keep prices low for its Meals on Wheels clients, usually elderly residents, said Rita Giovannoni, Independent Living CEO.

After the three years of foundation sponsorship, Independent Living could continue with Community Car on its own at 50 percent of what they spent on transportation before the Madison Community Foundation suggested a partnership with Community Car, a Madison-based car sharing organization.

To encourage interest in volunteering for Independent Living and Meals on Wheels, Community Car is waiving its application fee for Independent Living volunteers.

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) is pleased to announce $442,000 in grant funding to 20 Southern Arizona nonprofit organizations including $50,000 for technical support to strengthen the nonprofit sector. >> View list of grantees

The Community Foundation is supporting effective nonprofits through grants and technical assistance in creating visible, positive impacts for populations most impacted by the economic crisis:

Victims of abuse and domestic violence - $100,000
Increasingly vulnerable populations - $100,000
Populations needing financial empowerment - $125,000
Nonprofits needing additional capacity and technical assistance - $117,000
Extensive community research and data provided by 176 nonprofits revealed these four impact areas for this years focus.

Information on a variety of nonprofits is also available to CFSA fund holders.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 7:00am PDT|Modified: Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 7:19am

Michelle Obama stopped by Moscone West on Monday to kick off President Obamas national call to public service.

Speaking to a sold out crowd of almost 5,000 people at the opening of the three-day National Conference on Volunteering and Service, Obama announced the start of United We Serve, an 81-day summer of service that the Administration hopes catapults volunteerism to the center of American civic life.

This, more than anything, is the key point I want to make today that this new administration doesnt view service as separate from our national priorities, or just in addition to our national priorities.

While Obama charged an adoring crowd in San Francisco (after spending the morning building a playground at Bret Harte Elementary School with Maria Shriver, Californias First Lady), 19 other cabinet secretaries and senior administration officials participated in other service projects to promote Obamas call to service elsewhere in the country.

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gave $1.8 million to Connecticut and two of its community colleges Monday to expand remedial education programs and improve graduation rates among low-income and minority students.

The money will allow Housatonic and Norwalk community colleges to build on innovative programs designed to bring students up to speed quickly, such as an online math course that allows students to progress at their own pace and a three-week math refresher course at the start of the semester.

Currently, about 70 percent of Connecticut's community college students must take remedial courses in math or English before they can start taking college-level courses.

These remedial courses typically don't count toward graduation requirements and can frustrate students, sometimes prompting them to drop out.

The Gates Foundation said it was intrigued by some of the approaches Connecticut is taking to address the remedial problem and smooth the path for students.

Among four new programs at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, for example, is a bridging program with area high schools that encourages students to continue taking math classes in their senior year. The idea is to better engage students, many of whom work full time, with classmates and give them a stronger connection to college, said Mary Anne Cox, assistant chancellor for Connecticut's community colleges.

"It's really a testament to the state of Connecticut and to Housatonic and Norwalk community colleges that they received this grant. They have some of the most promising programs out there," said Marie Groark, a spokeswoman for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In addition to Connecticut, the Gates Foundation gave grants to four other states Florida, Ohio, Texas and Virginia to expand their programs and policies and to compare results.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks

A date for the 2009 Youth Philanthropy Conference has been set. The event will take place on Thursday, October 15, 2009. For the second year in a row, the event will take place on the Drury University campus in Springfield.

Further details will be forthcoming. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending! Last year we hosted over 200 students and sponsors from 31 schools in the Ozarks region. This conference is a great opportunity for students and sponsors to share ideas and thoughts on creating, sustaining, and strengthening youth empowerment projects. Read about last year’s Youth Philanthropy Conference.

Love Elementary is known for educating students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, but what isn't as widely known is the school also houses a small group of adult learners throughout the school year.

The Parents and Children Together program, a partnership between Jamestown Public Schools and the Jamestown Community Learning Council, provides parents an opportunity to attend school alongside their pre-kindergarten children. In the process, the parents receive adult education, strengthened parenting skills and other opportunities - while at the same time acting as a model for their young children to show them education is something to take seriously.

''The parents in the program have done a really good job this year,'' Debbie Yahn, PACT parent coordinator, said. ''They've been very committed to the program, and they've shown their children that they value education by coming here.''

COMMUNITY SUPPORT THROUGH FUNDING

The list of local foundations supporting the PACT program at Love School includes the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Darrah Foundation, the Holmberg Foundation, the Johnson Foundation, the Lenna Foundation and the Sheldon Foundation. Funding also comes from the AM and PM Rotary Clubs and First Presbyterian Church.

Tom's of Maine, "50 States for Good" Initiative Offers Program Funding for Nonprofits

With a total community action fund of $100,000, Tom's of Maine's "50 States for Good" initiative is celebrating and rewarding nonprofits from across the country whose efforts are focused on lasting, positive change in the community.

Tom's of Maine is hoping to inspire participation from nonprofits of all sizes and is excited to hear about the community projects that matter most to them.

Downtown Chandler plans to have a bang-up Mardi Gras celebration in February, one that will draw celebrants from across metro Phoenix.

The party was announced Thursday at the annual meeting of the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership held at the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort.

Also announced at the meeting was the formation of the Downtown Chandler Community Foundation to raise funds and provide grants to non-profits for projects that will benefit downtown.

A foundation membership drive has begun. The first deadline for grant applications is Sept. 15. An application will be on the DCCP Web site Aug. 1. Grants will be given out in amounts up to $2,000.

Rachel Alexandra's owners, Jess Jackson, founder of Kendall-Jackson Wines, and his wife Barbara Banke, originally created a fund to share the winnings of their 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin with the Lexington-based Blue Grass Community Foundation, and plan to continue sharing their success with charitable, worthy causes.

"Rachel Alexandra is a magnificent horse. Komen Race for a Cure" said Barbara Banke, co-owner of Rachel Alexandra.

Rachel Alexandra, who won this year's Kentucky Oaks by 20 lengths prior to her historic Preakness win, has won eight of 11 career starts and is in training for her next race which will be announced soon. Each new success on the track by Rachel Alexandra will help replenish the charitable fund.

"This exceptional fund is one more example of how generous people can help direct their money to charities that make a difference," said Allison Lankford, Director of Philanthropic Services, Blue Grass Community Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky. "What a wonderful way for Barbara and Jess and their fabulous horse Rachel Alexandra to benefit so many."