Our Family Tree
Learn about the generous donors who have established charitable funds through Stark Community Foundation.
Stark Community Foundation marked 2025 as one of the most impactful years in its history, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of area individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits committed to strengthening our community.
Throughout the year, the Foundation and its family of donors awarded $26.8 million in grants, representing the largest grantmaking year since the Foundation’s inception in 1963. These grants reflected the charitable passions of local donors, supporting nonprofits across a wide range of causes––from arts and culture and education to health, housing, economic vitality and basic needs.
Donors also established 51 new charitable funds, making 2025 the Foundation’s second-highest year for new funds created and bringing the total number of funds that call Stark Community Foundation home to over 1,000— a powerful sign of community members choosing to build lasting legacies through philanthropy.
“We’re grateful to everyone who chooses to give back through Stark Community Foundation,” said Mark J. Samolczyk, president and CEO of Stark Community Foundation. “Their generosity is creating a powerful ripple effect of good, and we’re honored to witness it and play a small part in it.”
In addition to strong grantmaking and continued momentum in new charitable funds created, Stark Community Foundation raised $31 million in outright and planned gifts, marking the second-highest fundraising year in the Foundation’s history. These gifts signal growing confidence in local philanthropic solutions and will continue to support both immediate nonprofit needs and future long-term charitable priorities.
The Foundation closed the year with approximately $478 million in total assets, driven in part by a 13.8% one-year investment return and a commitment to responsible stewardship that ensures community impact for generations to come. This asset size places Stark Community Foundation among the top 10 percent of community foundations in the United States.