Community Foundation Awards $113,000 in Grants

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley today announced the award of $113,000 in grants to 22 nonprofit organizations across Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

The largest grant was $12,500 for Habitat for Humanity, which plans to open a new ReStore, a nonprofit home improvement center, in Trumbull County. Proceeds from the store will help cover operating costs and build Habitat homes in Trumbull County. These funds were provided by the First Place Community Fund and the Kennedy Family Fund.

Also included in the grants is $10,000 for the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley’s roof replacement project, also through the Kennedy Family Fund. The work will ensure safe storage and distribution of food at Second Harvest’s 23-year-old Youngstown building.

The foundation also approved $10,000 for the Warren YWCA’s month-long summer day camp for middle school girls. The camp features a STEAM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). Other grants included:

• $7,500 for the Beatitude House’s House of Blessing in Youngstown. The transitional housing program provides 12 apartments for homeless women with children whose income is at or below 35 percent of the area median income. The program also helps women access post-secondary education, job training and other services with a goal of helping them escape poverty and homelessness (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $6,500 for the Trumbull Metropolitan HousingAuthority’s Youth Build program, which provides young people with on-the-job training while repairing residential properties for low- and moderate-income residents (First Place Community Fund and Kennedy Family Fund).
• $6,000 for the Oh Wow! Children’s Center for Science and Technologyto offset discounts the center offers to schools and organizations. The center expects more than a third of its visits this year to be from field trips or outreach projects (First Place Community Fund and Kennedy Family Fund).

These organizations also received grants of $1,500 or more from one or a combination of the funds the Community Foundation manages:

• $5,000 for Junior Achievement of the Mahoning Valley’s student programs (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $5,000 for the Mahoning County Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litem program (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $5,000 for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning Valley’s summer learning programs (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $5,000 for Tabernacle Baptist Church’s summer learning programs for elementary school students (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $5,000 for the Salvation Army’s drop-in center, which assists mentally ill patients (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $5,000 for Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries, for employment programs (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $5,000 for Youngstown CityScape, for beautification work in the greater downtown area (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $5,000 for the Regional Chamber’s Route 422 Corridor Plan, which aims to improve the area near Vallourec on U.S. Route 422 (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $5,000 for the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way, for operating support (First Place Community Fund).
• $3,500 for Senior Independence, for 60 gift baskets provided to caregivers in Trumbull County (Trumbull County Hospice Trust).
• $3,000 for the Johnston Kids Playground, a playground in Johnston that is accessible to children with physical handicaps (Kennedy Family Fund).
• $2,500 for the Butler Institute of American Art’s Good Neighbors program, which engages students in museum tours, discussions, writings and more (First Place Community Fund).
• $2,500 for the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges for scholarships to three Mahoning Valley students from low- or moderate-income families (First Place Community Fund).
• $1,500 for Trumbull Mobile Meals to replace a 15-year-old van it uses to deliver meals (First Place Community Fund).
• $1,500 for YMCA Camp Fitch to offset the cost of bringing 372 children from low-income families to the camp on Lake Erie (First Place Community Fund).
• $1,500 for the local office of SCORE, the Senior Corps of Retired Executives, for general support of its small business mentoring program (First Place Community Fund).

These organizations also received distributions:

• Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley
• Angels for Animals, Inc.
• The English Center
• Cardinal Mooney High School
• Catholic Charities Diocese of Youngstown
• John F. Kennedy High School
• Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic
• Northeast Ohio Medical University
• Park Vista Retirement Community
• Poland Village Gardeners
• The Catholic University of America
• The Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown
• The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges
• The Youngstown Playhouse
• Trumbull County Educational Service Center
• Westminster College
• Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries, Inc.

The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and its affiliates hold more than $56 million in assets and distributed more than $1 million in grants during its 2014 fiscal year. It is the only local foundation with certification from the Community Foundation National Standards Board.

SOURCE: Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.

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