Akron is getting a brand-new health heavyweight. The Trailhead Community Health Foundation has been quietly taking shape this year, set up to manage a major pool of community-focused health dollars created after the sale of Summa Health. The independent grantmaker is being built to boost access to care and health research across Summit, Medina, Portage, Stark and Wayne counties, while also keeping watch on the promises made in the sale.
Board chair Marty Hauser and incoming President and CEO Tracy Carter are steering the startup phase, which includes hiring fundraising and program staff and putting governance structures in place. If everything stays on schedule, leaders expect the foundation to begin awarding grants in late 2026 or early 2027.
Where the money is coming from
According to the Trailhead Community Health Foundation, its endowment will come from two main buckets: the net proceeds from Summa Health’s sale to Health Assurance Transformation LLC (HATCo) and restricted assets that used to sit with the Summa Foundation.
The exact size of Trailhead’s pot is still being hammered out as debt and closing costs from the transaction are resolved. Coverage of the deal has put the overall sale price at roughly $485 million, a figure Becker’s Hospital Review reported along with other purchase terms.
Leadership and early timeline
Trailhead has already picked its top leadership. Tracy L. Carter has been named president and CEO effective Jan. 1, 2026, with longtime Summa executive Marty Hauser serving as board chair, according to Cleveland.com.
The foundation says it is recruiting a chief development officer who will lead fundraising, programs and services as the new entity fills out its staff and refines its policies. Leadership told reporters they expect the organization to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2026, with grantmaking slated to start in late 2026 or early 2027.
What the foundation will fund and the region it covers
Trailhead’s mission is to support health care access and health research across Greater Akron, with a focus on Summit, Medina, Portage, Stark and Wayne counties, according to the foundation’s website. Officials say grants will emphasize preventive health, access to care and the social determinants of health that shape outcomes long before anyone walks into a clinic.
The foundation also notes that it is barred from sending its proceeds back to the new for-profit Summa Health. The Trailhead Community Health Foundation has posted an FAQ that lays out those restrictions, its regional priorities and how it expects to handle future grantmaking.
Attorney general conditions and oversight
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost signed off on the Summa sale, but only with conditions attached to protect the system’s charitable legacy. As part of that approval, the attorney general required an additional $15 million in cash and $15 million in equity to support the nonprofit successor and built in a decade of oversight.
In a June 18, 2025 letter, the attorney general’s office ordered HATCo to file annual compliance reports and reserved the right to enforce post-closing commitments for 10 years. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has published the full approval letter and the detailed conditions attached to the deal.
What comes next for local nonprofits
While the lawyers and accountants finish their work, Trailhead is already making the rounds with other area funders and county officials. The goal, leaders say, is to set clear priorities and avoid duplicating programs that local nonprofits and governments are already running.
Foundation officials told Cleveland.com they intend to move carefully so that grants are tightly targeted and data driven rather than rushed. Nonprofits across the region are watching closely as Trailhead hires key staff and finalizes its grant criteria, knowing those decisions will determine how quickly, and under what rules, community groups can tap into this new stream of health funding.
