Keep Akron Beautiful

What Keep Akron Beautiful does

Keep Akron Beautiful is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1981 and headquartered at 850 East Market Street in Akron, Ohio. It operates as a local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, focused on environmental beautification, litter reduction, and community improvement across the Akron metropolitan area. Its core workstreams include the annual Clean Up Akron Month, recurring neighborhood cleanups, tree-planting initiatives, and Community Appearance Index surveys that track environmental conditions across the city.

The organization delivers impact primarily through volunteer mobilization, corporate sponsorship, and government grants. Notable recent outputs include 76.89 tons of trash removed in 2025 and 841 volunteers engaged in the 2026 Clean Up Akron Month. The 100k Trees for Akron Campaign establishes a long-term goal to plant 100,000 trees across the city by 2034, representing the most significant multi-year program expansion in the organization's recent history. Education and outreach to neighborhood associations form a secondary program layer.

Keep Akron Beautiful funds operations through a mix of individual donations, corporate sponsorships, government grants, and fundraising events such as the annual Green the Scene gala. Named partners and sponsors include the City of Akron, Ohio EPA, WM (Waste Management), PepsiCo, Lowe's, Dow, and Acme Fresh Market. The organization is staffed by approximately 17 employees, with programmatic execution heavily reliant on volunteer labor and in-kind corporate support rather than paid headcount.

Name

Keep Akron Beautiful

Legal name

Keep Akron Beautiful, Inc.

Website

https://keepakronbeautiful.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Keep Akron Beautiful is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1981 that mobilizes volunteers, corporate sponsors, and government partners to remove litter, plant trees, and improve neighborhoods throughout Akron, Ohio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Environmental Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Pollution Prevention & Toxics Reduction (BPAGAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

Keywords

• Community beautification services
• Litter reduction programs
• Volunteer cleanup coordination
• Urban tree planting initiative
• Environmental nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donations at various levels ($10-$150) that fund cleanup supplies, beautification materials, and operational costs. Website prominently features donation options with specific impact levels tied to dollar amounts.
2. Annual Fundraiser - Green the Scene: Annual signature fundraising event featuring silent and live auctions, food, and entertainment. Tickets sold at $75/person with corporate sponsorship packages ranging from $500-$10,000.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors fund specific programs including the Loan-A-Receptacle program (Ohio EPA, WM, PepsiCo), Litter Letter Project sponsorships, and Clean Up Akron Month supply donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Keep Akron Beautiful is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs community beautification, litter reduction, and community improvement programs across Akron, Ohio. It mobilizes volunteers, deploys an in-house litter crew, loans equipment (receptacles, trailers) for public events, removes graffiti, and coordinates tree-planting efforts, with services provided at no charge and funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and government grants.

Product overview

Keep Akron Beautiful is a non-profit community organization operating as a local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. The organization offers a portfolio of environmental and beautification services organized around three core pillars: Beautification (Adopt-A-Sites, Flowerscape, Daffodil Tour, Beautification Watch Awards), Litter Reduction (Litter Collection Program, Clean Up Akron Month, Loan-A-Receptacle, Litter Letter Project), and Community Improvement (Recycle-Bowl Competition, Trailer Program, Graffiti Wipeout Services). Key programs include an annual tree-planting initiative (100k Trees for Akron) and various educational resources including recycling games, nature scavenger hunts, and the Waste in Place curriculum. The organization also operates fundraising events including Green the Scene and Rough to Green golf scramble.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Loan-A-Receptacle Program Provides 50-gallon wax-coated cardboard litter and recycling receptacles borrowed free of charge to support public space events such as downtown festivals, concerts, and park events. Recipients pick up and return containers at the City Central Services Building. Funded by Ohio EPA, WM, and PepsiCo.
• Litter Collection Program Year-round litter and illegal dumping removal performed by an in-house litter crew who supervises court-ordered community service workers, cleaning city ramps and heavily littered public areas throughout Akron.
• Litter Letter Project Community outreach initiative that sends letters to property owners and businesses to raise awareness about litter concerns and encourage cleanup and maintenance through educational accountability. Also includes decorative letter installations spelling environmental messages (e.g., 'THINK', 'CARE', 'AKRON') in public spaces.
• Adopt-A-Sites Program Volunteer beautification program where participants adopt public spaces for planting and maintenance. KAB provides assistance the first year with landscape plans, materials, and site preparation.
• Flowerscape Program Beautification initiative involving planting flowers in public spaces throughout Akron as part of KAB's Beautification pillar.
• Community Pride Trailer Program Loans community improvement trailers to volunteers for neighborhood cleanup and beautification projects from May through September, weather permitting. Applications are required.
• Graffiti Wipeout Services Graffiti removal service provided in partnership with the City of Akron as part of KAB's community improvement efforts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76.89 tons of trash removed from January to November 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Summit ReWorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for household hazardous waste recycling resources and information. Manages the HHW Recycling Center and provides guidance on proper disposal of hazardous materials.
• Summit County Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides D.U.M.P. (Dispose Unused Medications Properly) program locations for medication disposal and partners on health-related environmental initiatives.
• City of AkroncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore municipal partner providing support for Clean Up Akron Month and ongoing beautification efforts. Collaborates on graffiti abatement and community improvement initiatives.
• Tansy RecyclingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business partnering on the Read for a Greener Akron event, showcasing sustainability and waste transformation at community events.
• Akron Fire DepartmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for recycling drop-off locations at fire stations. Benefits from aluminum can donations that support the Akron Children's Burn Unit.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• EarthShare: National federation supporting environmental nonprofits through workplace giving campaigns. Functions as a fundraising channel partner for KAB and similar organizations rather than a direct service competitor.
• City of Akron Public Service Department: Municipal partner and partial functional overlap as the city government entity responsible for parks, streets, and public space maintenance. Works with KAB on Clean Up Akron Month but also competes for the same litter/beautification mandate from public funding.

Direct peers

• Keep Indianapolis Beautiful: Midwest sister affiliate operating an established beautification, litter reduction, and tree-planting program portfolio. Comparable mid-sized-city scope, donor-driven funding model, and longstanding community engagement approach.
• Keep Cincinnati Beautiful: Sister affiliate of Keep America Beautiful serving Cincinnati, Ohio. Operates the same three-pillar model (Beautification, Litter Reduction, Community Improvement) with analogous programs—volunteer cleanups, beautification, recycling education. Most directly comparable peer given identical structure and Ohio geography.
• Keep Cleveland Beautiful: Sister KAB affiliate serving Cleveland, Ohio. Operates analogous litter prevention, beautification, and community improvement programs under the same Keep America Beautiful national framework with comparable corporate and municipal partnerships.
• Keep Columbus Beautiful: Sister KAB affiliate serving Columbus, Ohio with the same three-pillar structure, Adopt-A-Site programs, litter collection, and beautification services. Comparable funding model (donations, corporate sponsorships, municipal support) and program portfolio.
• Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful: Sister KAB affiliate operating similar litter prevention, community beautification, and recycling education programs. Comparable operating model with strong corporate sponsor base and municipal partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Keep America Beautiful: National parent network of over 700 affiliates including Keep Akron Beautiful. Operates the Great American Cleanup and provides branding, methodology, and national sponsor relationships that directly support KAB's programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/K_Akron_B
• Facebookfacebook.com/282690660603
• Instagraminstagram.com/keepakronbeautiful
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keep-akron-beautiful

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Keep Akron Beautiful