About Gar Foundation
GAR Foundation appears to be a deeply place-based funder focused on strengthening Akron and the broader Summit County region. Its giving clusters around education and youth development, community and economic revitalization, arts and cultural institutions, and quality-of-life efforts that make the region more attractive to residents and families. The foundation also shows a strong preference for repeat partnerships with well-known local anchors, often using matching gifts and multiyear support to deepen its impact.
Focus Areas
Akron and Summit County Community DevelopmentEarly Childhood and K-12 Education in AkronArts, Culture, and Civic Institutions in AkronRegional Economic Development and Talent RetentionYouth Services and Family SupportParks, Downtown, and Neighborhood Revitalization
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated and relationship-driven, with many repeat grantees receiving multiple awards over time. GAR Foundation often makes sizable grants through matching-gift campaigns and multiyear commitments, favoring established local anchor institutions over a large number of one-off recipients.
Notable grantees: United Way of Summit and Medina, University of Akron Foundation, Summit Education Initiative, ArtsNow, Akron Public Schools
About Gar Foundation
GAR FOUNDATION is based in Pittsburgh, PA. It reported $14,768,124 in annual grants in the latest 990 year on file, with $152,795,852 in total assets. The grant record provided shows two very large grants, both listed as general support and both made to a recipient recorded as "RECIPIENT STATEMENT ATTACHED". The larger grant was $7,544,893 in 2025, and the other was $7,223,231 in 2024. The distribution data shows that all reported grants in the provided record went to recipients in Pennsylvania, and the foundation’s top state by grant count is PA. The grant programs described in the data indicate support for education, basic needs, arts and culture, and economic, workforce, and community development, including operating support, capital grants, educator-focused grants, scholarships, community grants, and targeted requests for proposals. The typical grant size in the provided data is concentrated at $7,223,231 across the p25, median, and p75 figures, which aligns with the recent record of large, institution-level awards. The available information points to concentrated local grantmaking rather than broad distributed funding, with the recent grants both attributed to Pittsburgh, PA recipients and categorized as general support.
What Gar Foundation Funds
Recent grantmaking spans education, basic needs, arts and culture, and economic, workforce, and community development. The foundation’s described programs also include scholarships, educator initiative grants, capital grants, community grants, and letter-of-inquiry-based support for first-time applicants. Notable grants include $7,544,893 to "RECIPIENT STATEMENT ATTACHED" for general support in 2025 and $7,223,231 to "RECIPIENT STATEMENT ATTACHED" for general support in 2024. The program descriptions also note a multi-year arts partnership and capital funding for nonprofit facility-related needs in the Akron area.
How Gar Foundation Gives
GAR FOUNDATION’s reported grantmaking is highly concentrated. The provided typical grant size is $7,223,231 at the p25, median, and p75 levels, and the recent grant record shows two grants totaling $14,768,124. The foundation does not fund individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. Its active programs include both unsolicited options and targeted requests for proposals. Several programs are open to nonprofit applicants, with operating support described as a major part of its grantmaking.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$7.5M
Total Assets
$152.8M
Total Revenue
$19.7M
Total Expenses
$11.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $4K and $35K, with a median of $9K.
25th Percentile
$4K
Median
$9K
75th Percentile
$35K
Geographic Reach
Regional2 states funded
About 0% of grants go to recipients in OH.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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