Wean Foundation Board of Directors Meets at Amphitheater
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Raymond John Wean Foundation Board of Directors this week held its quarterly meting on the stage of the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, in full view of the Wean Park it funded.
Presentations and discussions centered around the foundation’s racial equity outcomes, which include funding viable solutions led by organizations whose leadership represents the race demographics of the communities they serve and supporting the sustainability of Black and Hispanic/Latinx organizations.
Bethia Burke, president of the Cleveland-based Fund for Our Economic Future, was the guest speaker at the meeting. She shared insights from her fund’s “Where are the Workers” analysis. “We are in a choice market where people are now able to make these choices about leaving their jobs,” stated Burke. “We think this information we have collected can help foster better relationships between leadership and staff.
The Fund for Our Economic Future is a grantee of the Wean Foundation. Its survey of workers for the “Where are the Workers” project included those living in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
During the board meeting, the foundation awarded multi-year general operating grants in support of capacity building totaling $240,000 to the following organizations:
Heart Reach Neighborhood Ministries Inc.– Runs youth and family assistance programs in Youngstown and Campbell with a mission to build relationships that create safe, supportive and empowered communities one person at a time. HRNM is a result of the 2018 Merger of Heart Reach and Neighborhood Ministries.
United Returning Citizens Inc– Engages residents reentering society from incarceration through a wraparound approach in the primary areas of employment, housing and workforce development. Additionally, URC offers entrepreneurial programs, provides case management and addresses trauma associated with incarceration.
“This grant will allow us to continue to expand upon and deepen our services, while ensuring their sustainability for the years ahead. Day in and day out we see both the immense need and impact of the work we do in combating mass incarceration and its consequences. What we do would not be possible without the generosity and investment from the community and the Wean Foundation,” says Dionne Dowdy, executive director of United Returning Citizens.
The Wean Foundation accepts applications for community investment grants year-round. There is no deadline to apply. Completion of the WeanFolio through the foundation’s website is the entry point for all grantmaking, capacity building and community building engagement.
All information in the WeanFolio is stored securely online and can easily be updated with the organization’s leadership, programs, reports or other important information. All submissions are reviewed by foundation staff. Those interested in potential partnerships, opportunities or other types of engagement with the foundation are invited to submit a WeanFolio. To learn more, visit WeanFoundation.org.
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Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
