Community Foundation of Western PA, Eastern OH Makes It Easier to Give

SHARON, Pa. – The Community Foundation of Western PA & Eastern OH last year awarded in excess of $5.4 million to charitable initiatives throughout the region, reports Kyle English, executive director.

These grants included more than $700,000 in scholarship money awarded to local students to help them pay for college.

Last year marked the first year that students could apply for scholarships through the foundation’s website. After receiving 3,980 applications, more than 300 students who live in 10 counties in Ohio and Pennsylvania were able to count on the support of “generous donors investing in their futures,” English says.

In October, the foundation held its annual donor thank-you dinner. Ron Anderson, founder of Universal Development, Girard, was honored with the James E. Winner Jr. Humanitarian Award for his decades of service to the community. Over the years, the Anderson Family Foundation has supported local charities with the belief that stable homes have a better chance of creating happy, healthy children.

“Ron’s actions have allowed others to live better, to learn better, to take better care of their children and to have hope,” says Karen Winner Sed, president of the Community Foundation of Western PA & Eastern OH.

This year, the foundation is investing in a new accounting system that will allow donors to view fund information and grants to local charities directly through the foundation’s website, which will make it even easier to give,” English says.

“It is our mission to ensure that anybody in the community who would like to give back is able to do so,” he says. “Throughout our history, we have always adhered to the guiding principle that anyone can be a philanthropist.”

The Community Foundation of Western PA & Eastern OH was established in 1981. It comprises six affiliate foundations: the Lawrence Community Foundation, the Grove City Foundation, the Northern Mercer County Community Foundation, the Trumbull County Community Foundation, the Shenango Valley Foundation and the Northern Trumbull County Community Foundation.

The foundation manages more than 700 funds with total assets of more than $90 million. Throughout its history, funds within the foundation have awarded more than $65 million to support charitable causes throughout the region.

Editor’s Note: This story was published in The Business Journal’s Growth Report 2018. The 144-page edition features growth reports from more than 200 local businesses and organizations. It was published this week. If you are not a subscriber, CLICK HERE to purchase a copy or call Eileen Lovell at 330 744 5023 Ext. 1008.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.