Chamber Foundations Award $157K in Grants
WARREN, Ohio – Two foundations managed by the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber distributed $157,200 to multiple organizations in 2015 for a variety of projects in Trumbull County. The foundations, established in 1991, exclusively fund projects in the county.
Among the recipients of the $57,200 distributed by the Education, Civic & Cultural Foundation was the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Any Given Child program for the City of Warren/Warren City Schools. Warren is the 20th site chosen nationally and the first community chosen in Ohio for the program that creates a long-range arts education plan for students in grades K-8.
The program will incorporate existing resources of the Warren City Schools, local arts organizations and the Kennedy Center to create a plan for arts education specific to the city. Students Motivated by the Arts and its executive director, Becky Keck, are serving as the lead arts organization for Any Given Child Warren. While the Kennedy Center covers a majority of the cost of this initiative with gift-in-kind services of $125,000, sites have to raise $25,000 to contribute to the first four years of the program.
Other recipients of the ECC Foundation funds were Warren G. Harding High School, Eastern Ohio P-16 Partnership for Education, Trumbull Art Gallery, Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley, Inspiring Minds, Leadership Mahoning Valley, Trumbull 100, Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County, YWCA Warren, Trumbull Soil & Water Conservation District, Warren Philharmonic, Kent State University Foundation, and the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation.
Since 1991, the ECC Foundation has given more than $1.7 million to organizations. On Dec. 31, the foundation’s assets totaled $749,665
The Warren Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Foundation distributed $100,000 last year to support the Regional Chamber’s economic development activities in Trumbull County. The foundation and has awarded more than $2.4 million to the organization since 1991.
Among the Trumbull County projects the chamber’s economic development staff assisted with was upgrades to the Norfolk Southern rail line. Staff assisted in securing $285,000 from the Ohio Rail Development Commission to support $571,000 in rail upgrades. These upgrades not only benefit existing users but also present an opportunity for future development on land sites that can be served by rail.
The chamber has spent an additional $28.8 million on development efforts in Trumbull County over the past 24 years, including $1.25 million in 2015. Since 1991, the chamber’s development team has completed 270 projects in Trumbull County, which resulted in investments totaling nearly $2.8 billion and the creation of 10,347 jobs, made 7,285 retention visits and helped to retain 21,396 jobs.
As of the close of 2015, the ED foundation’s assets stood at $993,878.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
