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Wean Foundation Revises Criteria to Award Grants
WARREN, Ohio -- The Raymond John Wean Foundation is revising the criteria it uses to award grants, Jeffrey M. Glebocki announced Tuesday.
Glebocki is president of the foundation.
Through what the foundation has begun calling “Big Bets," foundation staff is working to help the Mahoning Valley reinvigorate itself through new, combined efforts to engage residents as leaders, strengthen community organizations and foster collective efforts and impact.
By focusing rather than diffusing its support, the foundation is taking deliberate steps to fulfill a vision of "empowered residents creating a healthy, vibrant and economically stable Mahoning Valley with equal opportunity for all," Glebocki said.
Foundation strategy is to provide financial, technical and training help in five areas: early childhood, educational opportunity, economic opportunity, community revitalization and public and civic sector leadership. It is concentrating efforts through three core programs, for resident engagement, organizational excellence and networking for impact.
"This new, more explicit approach was adopted after a long period of reflection and discussion, and is one that remains rooted in our history of the past decade of community change," said Gordon B. Wean, chairman of the foundation. "We are energized by the hope that we will be able to help make greater impact and engage in meaningful partnerships with organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people of the Mahoning Valley."
"Our priorities aren't changing as much as they are being refined to make the Foundation's interests more transparent," Glebocki added. This should result in improved communications with those seeking grants more informed decisions by the foundation.
Under the Neighborhood Success and Leadership Program, small grants of between $500 and $5,000 remain available although there will only be one round of grants per year instead of two.
The five critical issue priorities are defined as follows:
- Early Childhood: Support of organizations and programs working to improve quality, standards, policies, practices and guidelines for services targeting newborns to 5-year-olds in the Mahoning Valley.
- Educational Opportunity: Support of nonprofit organizations, schools and school districts by providing low-income youth in distressed, high-need communities with quality educational opportunities that encourage staying in school and being qualified to attend college. Funding will be focused on Youngstown and Warren schools.
- Economic Opportunity: Support of nonprofit organizations, programs, services and efforts that improve the finances of of low-income residents through improved access to capital and investment, credit, quality jobs, job training and job placement -- while building the community capacity for investment resource.
- Community Revitalization: Support of nonprofit organizations, programs, services and efforts that are community-driven and intended to develop and revitalize the Valley. The core focus will be on Youngstown and Warren.
- Public and Civic Sector Leadership: Support of nonprofit organizations, government entities and academic institutions working to improve the quality of leadership and decision-making among staff, officeholders and members of boards and commissions in municipal governments in the Mahoning Valley.
Changes to the foundation's issues priorities, strategies and grant application guidelines begin with the March 2013 grant cycle. Those seeking grants should visit the foundation website, http://www.rjweanfdn.org. Full proposals are accepted by invitation only.
The deadlines for the letter of inquiry are Dec. 1 for the March board meeting; March 1 for the June board meeting; June 1 for the September board meeting; and Sept. 1 for the December board meeting. Proposals, if requested, are due six weeks after letter of inquiry deadlines.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.