Youngstown Press Club Receives $14K from Foundations

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Two foundations administered by Huntington Bank awarded grants to support Youngstown Press Club activities.

The Edward Barr Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant for the club’s speaker series, and the Frank and Pearl Gelbman Foundation donated $4,000 for the club’s scholarship fund.

The foundations “have so tangibly supported our efforts to promote journalism and communication-related professions in the Valley,” said Lori A. Factor, club president.

“Their gifts will allow us to continue our robust scholarship program while creating an even stronger speaker series. We are strengthened by their generosity,” Factor said.

Speakers at press club events have included prominent journalists and authors, a community activist, various academic experts on journalism and related fields and a First Amendment expert. The speaker series will feature seven events in 2024.

The club’s scholarship fund, which was established this year, makes awards to college juniors and seniors living in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys who are majoring in journalism or a related field. The fund awarded two $2,000 scholarships this year and will do the same in 2024.

The Barr Foundation, which was established in 1973, has funded a broad range of arts, cultural and social service organizations in Youngstown.

The Gelbmans contributed to many Mahoning Valley nonprofit organizations during their lifetimes. The Gelbman Foundation, which was established in 2005, continues to do so.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.