Stark Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Stark County, in partnership with The Center for Community Solutions, released Protecting Stark's Future: A Call to Coordinate Child Poverty Strategies in late 2020. Rooted in research, the report outlines why Stark County needs to intentionally work together to coordinate efforts and target resources to reduce child poverty.

Read and download Protecting Stark's Future »

Protecting Stark's Future comes after a year spent analyzing the 2019 Stark County Community Assessment, a data report of more than 50 health, social and economic indicators curated by the three nonprofit partners.

As we drilled down into our community's data, we noticed that every single issue of concern was related to poverty in some way. In particular, child poverty rates in our community demand our increased attention.

One of the key findings of the report is that of the nearly 20,000 children living below the poverty threshold in Stark County in 2018, around 9,000 or 47% resided in communities outside the City of Canton, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2019, the child poverty rate in the City of Canton was 56.9%, tying with Youngstown as the second worst child poverty rate of any city in the United States with a total population greater than 65,000.

Although child poverty is difficult and complex, this is far from a hopeless situation. As a community, we can double down on what is working, bring in new approaches and increase collaboration to reduce child poverty. Protecting Stark's Future provides seven recommendations of how Stark County can reduce child poverty by working together to address immediate needs, increase the earnings of families and break cycles of poverty at the neighborhood level.

We are confident that if we work together, informed by data, we can reduce child poverty and strengthen Stark.

Ways to Get Involved

1. Read Protecting Stark's Future and the 2019 Stark County Community Assessment that helped inform the child poverty report.

2. Watch our webinar to see highlights from the report first-hand from the nonprofit partners that commissioned this work and learn about a funding opportunity to support child poverty reduction plans.

3. Continue the conversation with your friends, family and colleagues about why child poverty exists in our community, its effects and how it can be reduced.

4. Share your feedback of the report through a short and simple online form.

5. Encourage local organizations to review the Protecting Stark's Future funding RFP and submit a proposal by April 1, 2021.

6. Volunteer with organizations that are working to reduce child poverty in our community. Contact United Way of Greater Stark County for specific volunteer opportunities or assistance finding an area organization that aligns with your passion.

7. Donate to the Protecting Stark's Future initiative at Stark Community Foundation. All monies donated will support organizations that receive funding through our RFP process.

Webinar

After publishing Protecting Stark's Future: A Call to Coordinate Child Poverty Strategies in late 2020, we shared highlights from the data-driven publication in a webinar where a new initiative was announced to support child poverty reduction plans.

Watch the full webinar »

Access the presentation slides »

Collaboration Conversations

Two virtual collaboration conversations centered on Protecting Stark's Future were held in March with members of our community. Using a design thinking approach, participants brainstormed how our community can work together to create deeper and shared understandings of and approaches to child poverty. Explore the first and second group's digital whiteboard on Mural to see what was discussed including the 35+ collaborations to reduce child poverty in Stark County.

Funding Opportunity

Through a request for proposals (RFP) process, we hope to solicit the best ideas from organizations who partner together on imaginative solutions to address child poverty at the neighborhood level. Tax-exempt private agencies, 501(c)(3) organizations (that are recognized as public charities) and government entities located within Stark County or directly benefiting Stark County are eligible to apply for funding.

Timeline

February 1, 2021 – Application process opens
April 1, 2021 – Proposal submission deadline
June 2021 – Announcement of grant awards

View the RFP »

Apply now »

Inaugural Grant Recipients

Stark Community Foundation awarded nearly $430,000 in inaugural Protecting Stark's Future grants to 12 organizations to address child poverty in Stark County. Learn about the child poverty solutions

For More Information

For more information, contact Amy Krebs, vice president of grants and community initiatives, at akrebs@starkcf.org or 330-454-3426 ext. 306.