What if a solar array could power more than electricity? In Toledo, it can — and does.
The Toledo Neighborhoods Foundation, a fund of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, is built on a simple but transformative idea: harness the energy of a local business partnership to fuel lasting change in the neighborhoods that need it most. Through an agreement with Dana, a local manufacturing company, the Foundation receives proceeds generated by a commercial solar array and channels them directly into the historically disinvested communities surrounding it. This year, that model is delivering $90,000 across nine community investments — funding everything from youth coding programs to community gardens to safer neighborhood parks.
"The Toledo Neighborhoods Foundation is a powerful example of what's possible when business, philanthropy and community align around a shared vision," said Kate Sommerfeld, president and CEO of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation. "These investments reflect our neighbors' own priorities and build on the momentum happening in these communities right now."
Here's a look at the organizations putting those dollars to work.
The Arts Commission — Swayne Field Shopping Center | Englewood
The Arts Commission returns to the Toledo Neighborhoods Foundation for a second year, building on a 2024 community investment. This year's funds will support the continued revitalization of the Swayne Field Shopping Center as a vibrant community gathering space — a place where residents can connect, celebrate and invest in the fabric of the Englewood neighborhood.
BESN X Community — Park Quest 2.0 | Junction, Englewood, Old South End
Park Quest 2.0 brings together youth from three neighborhoods for hands-on learning in coding, digital design and environmental storytelling. BESN X Community's program uses the outdoors as a classroom and technology as a creative tool — empowering young people to document, amplify and shape the stories of their own communities.
Community of Hope Free Health Clinic — Medications & CBC Machine | Vistula, Lagrange
For uninsured patients in the Vistula and Lagrange neighborhoods, Community of Hope Free Health Clinic is often the only option for quality medical care. This community investment will expand the clinic's diagnostic capacity through essential medications and a complete blood count (CBC) testing machine — giving care teams better tools to identify and treat illness for patients who have nowhere else to turn.
Grace Community Center — Grace Garden of Life | Toledo Olde Towne, Lagrange, Warren Sherman
The Grace Garden of Life is more than a place to grow vegetables — it's a hub for food access, environmental education and community belonging across three neighborhoods. Grace Community Center's garden meets residents where they are, providing fresh produce alongside opportunities to learn sustainable growing practices side by side.
Habitat for Humanity – Maumee Valley — Englewood Celebration & Fund | Englewood
Habitat for Humanity – Maumee Valley also returns as a Toledo Neighborhoods Foundation grantee, following a 2024 award. This year's community investment will support outreach and engagement activities that bring Englewood residents together, build awareness of homeownership opportunities and deepen the sense of pride and possibility taking root across the neighborhood.
Old West End Association — Electrifying Glenwood Park | Old West End
Safety and beauty go hand in hand at Glenwood Park, where the Old West End Association is working to install new lighting throughout the park grounds. The project will make this beloved green space more welcoming and accessible after dark — encouraging families and neighbors to gather year-round in the heart of the Old West End.
Old West End Association — Scooptopia in the Old West End | Old West End
Paired with their park lighting project, the Old West End Association is bringing Scooptopia back to the neighborhood — a youth-led entrepreneurship and community activation event that blends fun, creativity and local economic energy. The event gives young people a platform to build real business skills while celebrating what makes the Old West End a place worth investing in.
Toledo Tomorrow — Career Tech Pathway Partners | Englewood, Toledo Olde Towne, Vistula
Toledo Tomorrow's Career Tech Pathway Partners program connects high school students across three neighborhoods with career-technical exploration, personalized advising and direct engagement with local employers. By opening doors to viable pathways before graduation, the program helps ensure Toledo's next generation of workers is prepared — and stays — right here at home.
Urban Wholistics — Urban Farmers of the Future | Junction, Englewood
Urban Wholistics is cultivating the next generation of food producers through hands-on agricultural education and urban farming training for youth in the Junction and Englewood neighborhoods. The Urban Farmers of the Future program equips young people with practical growing skills while building environmental stewardship, entrepreneurship and a deeper connection to the land in their own backyards.
Rooted in community, powered by partnership
Together, these nine projects represent something bigger than any single community investment: a resident-driven vision for neighborhoods where people have the resources, opportunities and connections to thrive.
The Toledo Neighborhoods Foundation's model — turning renewable energy into neighborhood investment — is proof of what becomes possible when the Community Foundation brings together forward-thinking partners, local nonprofits and the sustained power of philanthropy working in concert.