Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund is sponsored by Akron Community Foundation (for Summit County, Ohio). This fund, established with opioid litigation settlement funds, aims to benefit the long-term health and safety of Summit County residents. It will support nonprofit organizations that address the opioid epidemic by focusing on harm reduction and system improvements.

Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund - Akron Community Foundation Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund Urgent Crisis, Enduring Change Amid a nationwide epidemic, Summit County remains deeply impacted by one of the most pressing public health and safety challenges of our time.

With an average of more than two overdoses per day, our community continues to reel from a crisis fueled by prescription opioids and compounded by newer, more complex threats. Yet even in the face of these grim realities, there is hope.

Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro recently announced the creation of the Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund , a separate, tax-exempt, charitable organization of Akron Community Foundation known as a supporting organization. The fund will receive an initial contribution of $45 million of the county's opioid litigation settlement funds for the purpose of benefiting the long-term health and safety of Summit County residents.

The creation of a supporting organization will enable the Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund to have maximum community impact: The fund will be permanently endowed and invested according to an investment policy that may mirror Akron Community Foundation's, but it will exist as its own Ohio nonprofit corporation.

The fund will also have its own governing board of directors charged with management of the organization and grantmaking, among other responsibilities. By housing this fund at Akron Community Foundation, the county can ensure that settlement dollars stay local, support innovation, and adapt to the evolving health and safety challenges facing Summit County for generations to come.

Once in operation, the supporting organization will likely generate more than $1 million in new funding for nonprofits in the community each year. The fund's first grant cycle is expected to begin in 2027. The Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund isn't the county's first collaboration with Akron Community Foundation.

Following the opioid litigation settlement, Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro and a group of stakeholders, including Akron Mayor Shammas Malik and Summit County Public Health, helped assemble the Opiate Abatement Advisory Council , which provides oversight to ensure funding from the settlement goes to Summit County programs that help to abate the opioid epidemic by addressing four priority areas: Harm Reduction, System Coordination, Evidence-Based Prevention and Education.

In 2021, the OAAC established the Summit County Opioid Healing Fund at Akron Community Foundation to support nonprofit organizations that serve residents directly impacted by the opioid epidemic. Since then, the fund has awarded $1. 6 million to support programs that help our community respond, rebuild and recover from the opioid epidemic.

2026 Opioid Healing Fund Grants In 2026, the Summit County Opioid Healing Fund awarded grants totaling $358,500 to the following organizations: Adult Guardianship Services , for a recovery-focused pilot program that provides professional guardianship and stabilization support for adults impacted by opioid use disorder, $5,000 ARC Recovery Services , to support three cornerstone recovery events that promote healing, connection, and hope for individuals and families impacted by opioid addiction in Summit County, $15,000 Asian Services in Action Inc. , to address opioid use within Summit County's immigrant and refugee population with prevention education and community intervention and outreach, with a particular focus on Afghan and Bhutanese Nepali communities, $25,000 Broken Chains Jail & Prison Ministry , to support Lydia's Home and its Access to Recovery Program, offering services like transportation, restoration of identity documents, and health care for a peer recovery supported, residential program for women in Summit County, $10,000 Carve Your Own Path , to provide trauma-informed prevention training for Summit County's abatement workforce to help providers address the root causes of substance use disorder, $15,000 CASA Board Volunteer Association , to provide an opioid education and prevention training series to strengthen the ability of CASA volunteers and staff to support children and families affected by opioid use, child abuse and neglect, $6,000 Compass North Church , for the program, A Walk in Their Shoes, which helps individuals and families affected by opioid addiction, suicide loss, and sex trafficking through victory stories from survivors, education, and direct access to treatment programs, counseling, peer support, housing assistance, and life-skills services, $2,500 Freedom House for Women Inc. , for the Courage to Change program, a trauma‑informed service designed to provide comprehensive treatment and supportive services for women ages 18 and older with a history and diagnosis of opiate use disorder, $15,000 Friends in Tents , to expand street-based harm reduction outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness and substance use in Summit County, $5,000 Friends of 91.

3 dba Friends of The Summit , to support the Music & Movement program, a trauma-informed wellness workshop series that combines live music with evidence-based practices, $10,000 Hope Meadows Foundation , to support an equine-assisted addiction recovery and relapse prevention mental health services program, $10,000 Hope United , for an innovative virtual reality recovery support program, which will serve 21 people in Summit County recovering from opioid use disorder, $20,000 International Institute of Akron Inc. , for a substance-use prevention and education initiative for Summit County's refugee and immigrant communities, $25,000 JoAnna House II Inc. , to help marginalized adult women in and through early recovery from substance use and mental health disorders, $5,000 Keys to Serenity , for the Children & Family Program, which provides support, assistance and events for families impacted by parental addiction, $25,000 Legacy III, Inc. , for the Pathways to Freedom program, which provides recovery-oriented transitional housing for women who are homeless in Summit County with a history of substance use and mental health disorders, $10,000 Ohio Can Change Addiction Now , for Gifts of Love, which provides a way for parents in recovery to provide Christmas gifts for their children, $5,000 Project Ujima , for Voices of Recovery: Peace Circles, a five-week, trauma-informed initiative that supports Summit County residents, particularly minority and intergenerational adults ages 18-plus, impacted by the opioid crisis, $25,000 relink.

org , to improve access to and awareness of addiction recovery resources in Summit County through the creation and distribution of a comprehensive, easy-to-use Summit County Recovery Resource Directory, $10,000 Restore Addiction Recovery , for weekly individual trauma-informed counseling for men who are enrolled in the organization's year-long residential program, $5,000 Rise and Recover , for supportive, structured sober housing for women transitioning from substance use disorder treatment, $5,000 Sarah's House Inc. , for the Never 2 Old 2 program, which educates older adults about abuse and misuse of opioids, presenting alternative management for pain and discomfort, $5,000 Second Chance Village , to support peer certification, transportation expansion, and integration of Mental Martial Arts, a cognitive-behavioral recovery tool designed by and for survivors, $5,000 South Street Ministries , for operations of Restoration House, a women's drop-in center that offers case management assistance, along with programs to address mental health and substance use disorder, among other offerings, $25,000 Students With A Goal: SWAG , for the SWAG Healing Pathways program, a trauma-informed prevention and recovery initiative serving youth and adults that addresses the impact of the opioid epidemic through education, emotional regulation skills, healthy relationship training, peer support, family healing workshops, and pathways to treatment, $5,000 Summit County Continuum of Care , for Stable Steps, a recovery and reentry housing initiative to prevent homelessness, $5,000 Summit Recovery Hub , to support Summit County Recovery Dinners, which are peer-led, community-based recovery events, $25,000 Truly Reaching You , to strengthen recovery-centered reentry services for Summit County men returning from incarceration while navigating substance use disorder, $10,000 Truth & Honor , to support recovery housing for veterans, which includes case management, drug and alcohol relapse prevention, and peer recovery and life skills training, among other resources, $5,000 Welcome To Recovery Project , to help people in recovery through Welcome Bags, which offer hygiene, dignity and comfort to individuals who enter a treatment facility, $10,000 Women Revived Ministries , for Total Life Wellness In Recovery, which offers workshops, classes, and individual mentoring and peer support for people in recovery, $10,000 2024 Opioid Healing Fund Grants In 2024, the Summit County Opioid Healing Fund awarded grants totaling $45,000 to the following organizations: ARC Recovery Services , to support individuals in early recovery from substance use disorder, $7,500 JoAnna House II Inc. , to support Recovery is a Process with the JoAnna House II Inc. Ohio Recovery House level II single women, $5,000 Restore Addiction Recovery , for support of substance use recovery, including case management services for residents in a long-term residential setting, $5,000 Truth & Honor Inc. , to support a recovery housing program for veterans, $2,500 Urban Ounce of Prevention Behavioral Health Services Inc. , to support substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, $25,000 2023 Opioid Healing Fund Grants In 2023, the Summit County Opioid Healing Fund awarded grants totaling $445,000 to the following organizations: 3R Foundation , to support the Better Together Initiative, $10,000 AxessPointe Community Health Centers , to help community members with substance use disorders, $20,000 Battered Women's Shelter , for care coordination for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking with substance use disorder, $12,500 Broken Chains Jail & Prison Ministry , to support Lydia's Home Access to Recovery Program, $20,000 CASA Board Volunteer Association , to provide advocacy services for youth who have been exposed to substance use and to connect their parents with recovery and support services, $10,000 Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland , to support the Breaking Free Project, $10,000 Compass North Church , to enlarge the reach of A Walk in Their Shoes and Celebrate Recovery, $12,500 Deborah Anointing Foundation , to support women with substance use disorder by providing a safe and stable recovery house, as well as mentorship and education programs, $10,000 Freedom House for Women , to support the Courage to Change program, $15,000 Hand 2 Hand Inc. , to support The Tree of Life event, where families who have lost a loved one to overdose can plant a tree in their memory, $2,500 Hope Farm Inc. , to provide food to unhoused individuals who are in active addiction, $7,500 JoAnna House II , for peer recovery services and preventions, $12,500 Keys to Serenity , to support the Family Program, which provides family-focused support, assistance and events for children and their parents/caregivers struggling with addiction, $25,000 Legacy III , to provide permanent supportive housing to unhoused women who are recovering from addiction, $15,000 Life of Recovery Sober Housing , to support opioid and addiction recovery housing for women in Akron, $10,000 MODE – Miracles Occur, Days Enriched , to support recovery services for individuals struggling with substance use disorder, $5,000 Ohio Domestic Violence Network , to improve services to DV survivors with substance use issues and mental health needs, $10,000 OhioCAN Change Addiction Now , to provide individuals in recovery with financial management strategies, $12,500 The Packard Institute , for peer recovery support targeting underserved youth, $15,000 Rachel's Angels , to provide prevention presentations to middle and high school students, $10,000 Rape Crisis Center , to increase support for survivors of sexual violence with co-occurring substance use disorders, $12,500 Reentry Coalition of Summit, Portage, & Medina , to support the Summit County Citizen Circle, $25,000 reLink , to analyze and capture data from the Better Together Summit Co.

network of organizations offering addiction recovery services, $20,000 Restore Addiction Recovery , for community outreach and engagement, $20,000 Safe Harbor Norton , for continuing education, housing scholarship and transportation support, $20,000 Sarah's House Inc. , to provide older adults with information related to addiction as well as opportunities for social activities, $15,000 South Street Ministries , for operations of Restoration House, $25,000 Summit Recovery Hub , to support Recovery On Purpose: Recovery Endurance Support Meeting & Community Recovery Events, $25,000 Truly Reaching You , for reentry and addiction recovery support services for men, $10,000 Truth & Honor , to provide job and life skills training to individuals undergoing recovery and support services, $12,500 Voices for Voices , to support Project Purple, which educates, amplifies and recognizes those who provide peer support and recovery-oriented services to residents of Summit County, $5,000 Women Revived Ministries , for Total Life Wellness In Recovery, $10,000 2022 Opioid Healing Fund Grants In 2022, the Summit County Opioid Healing Fund awarded grants totaling $405,000 to the following organizations: 3R Foundation , for the Reentry, Reconnect, Restoration (3R) project, which educates both youth and adults about the dangers of opioid use, $15,000 ARC Recovery Services , for addiction recovery treatment services, $25,000 Broken Chains Jail & Prison Ministry , for Lydia's Home Residential Recovery & Workforce Development Program, $10,000 Community Oriented Recovery , for peer recovery support services for Summit County residents, $35,000 Compass North Church , to support a Walk in Their Shoes and Celebrate Recovery program, $12,500 Fathers and Sons of Northeast Ohio , to support Summit County fathers in recovery, $25,000 Friends of The Summit , to support Rock+Recovery™ Radio, $25,000 Hope United , to support education & recovery events to individuals in recovery and their families, $15,000 H.

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Life Opportunity Services , to support homeless mothers recovering from opiate addiction, $15,000 JoAnna House II , for peer support services and prevention education, $10,000 Keys to Serenity , for the Keys to the Heart Family Program, a 12-month program that provides events, as well as educational and assistance programs, to families and children affected by substance abuse in their home, $20,000 Legacy III , to assist women with a history of drug addiction in identifying safe and affordable housing, $10,000 Let's Get Healthy Cleveland , for opioid community awareness, including education and outreach programs, $10,000 MODE – Miracles Occur, Days Enriched , to support outpatient and partial hospitalization programming, including addiction counseling and peer support services, $20,000 OhioCAN Change Addiction Now , for the "OhioCAN Summit: Come, Learn and Remember," which will include national speakers, games and activities for children, and education, support and empowerment for adults, $12,500 OhioCAN Change Addiction Now , to support SummitCan Blessings, $10,000 Ohio Domestic Violence Network , to improve services to domestic violence survivors with substance use issues and mental health needs, $10,000 The Packard Institute , for peer-recovery for families impacted by addiction, $20,000 Rachel's Angels , to support Rachel's Angels Healing Voice II, $10,000 reLink , for Pulling it All Together: Using Technology to Connect Summit County Providers and the Community, $20,000 Restore Addiction Recovery , for the Community Outreach Program, $25,000 Safe Harbor Norton , for continuing education, vocational job training and housing scholarships for residents in treatment, $20,000 Sarah's House Inc. , for My Family-My People, a project focused on Akron's Ward 4 that provides prevention meetings for 10- to 17-year-olds, $15,000 South Street Ministries , to support reentry and recovery support meetings, as well as staff training in overdose response, $15,000 2021 Opioid Healing Fund Grants In 2021, the Summit County Opioid Healing Fund awarded grants totaling $341,485 to the following organizations: 3R Foundation , for the Reentry, Reconnect, Restoration (3R) project, which educates both youth and adults about the dangers of opioid use, $20,500 Akron Say No To Dope , to increase capacity for the New Beginnings Thrift Store on Kenmore Boulevard, $15,000 AxessPointe Community Health Centers , to increase awareness about the issue of substance use disorders in older adults, $25,000 Broken Chains Jail & Prison Ministry , to provide recovery services and workforce development programs, $25,000 CASA Board Volunteer Association , to provide advocacy support to children exposed to substance abuse, $23,985 Freedom House for Women , for the Courage to Change program, which provides peer support services to women with opiate use disorder, $25,000 Hope United , to provide grief support groups for Summit County residents who have lost a loved one to addiction, $20,000 Keys to Serenity , for the Keys to the Heart Family Program, which is a 12-month program that provides events, as well as educational and assistance programs, to families and children affected by substance abuse in their home, $25,000 Legacy III , to assist women with a history of drug addiction in identifying safe and affordable housing, $25,000 MODE – Miracles Occur, Days Enriched , to support outpatient and partial hospitalization addiction counseling, $20,000 Rachel's Angels , to develop visual media and online content for peer-based prevention presentations at local schools, $15,000 Safe Harbor Norton , to provide Level II recovery housing for men in Summit County, $25,000 Sarah's House Inc. , for a prevention program geared toward individuals over the age of 60, $7,000 South Street Ministries , to support the organization's recovery and reentry programs and events, $25,000 The Packard Institute , to provide ongoing recovery support and professional development to recovery coaches and other addiction professionals, $20,000 Truth & Honor , to provide recovery support services and training opportunities to veteran referrals from the Summit County Valor Court program, $25,000