Axess Family Services, a nonprofit organization that is focused on helping unhoused individuals receive support and care in Portage County, received a $5 million donation from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. The donation was made Nov. 2024 and has started to transform the work that Axess Family Services completes. 

Mark Frisone, executive director of Axess Family Services, said he originally dismissed the emails as spam. 

“It actually took someone from the National Coalition for the Homeless to call me and implore me to open these emails, informing me we were being considered for this unbelievable award,” Frisone said. 

The fund was created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2018 to provide awards to organizations or civic groups that are doing “compassionate, needle-moving work to help families experiencing homelessness,” the fund’s website states. It has provided 248 leadership awards in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, totaling over $750 million. 

“Axess Family Services first and foremost intends to make this $5 million turn into $10-15 million,” Frisone said. 

The organization plans to create long-lasting partnerships across the region that will also help put resources into homeless projects or programs, Frisone said.

“We believe it is imperative that our partners have some financial skin in the game,” Frisone said. “We are developing a couple ideas in neighboring counties that will bring together providers, foundations and governments.” 

Some of the project ideas that Axess Family Services plans to be a part of include expanding affordable housing, shelters and outreach programs. 

The organization plans to replace their county’s only Domestic Violence Shelter, Safer Futures, which has been serving Portage County families for over 40 years. The facilities at Safer Futures were completely full throughout all of 2024.

“[Safer Futures] is not adequate to meet the growing need,” Frisone said. “Safer Futures serves twice as many children as women or men … This new facility will more than double our current capacity so families from Portage County can stay in Portage County.” 

The recipients of the donations this year mostly come from urban and highly populated areas, with Axess Family Services being one of the only 12 organizations to receive the $5 million donation in this award cycle. 

Frisone, who has been leading Axess Family Services for 33 years, said, “This gift is certainly the single largest we have ever received.” 

“We have a sacred obligation to spend these dollars wisely,” he said.