The Wean Foundation grants more than $73,000 to 21 neighborhood and grassroots groups in Warren and Youngstown
WARREN, OHIO—APRIL 17, 2025—The Raymond John Wean Foundation announced today more than $73,000 in grants to 21 neighborhood and grassroots groups to support their efforts to engage and empower residents in Warren and Youngstown.
“From increasing accessibility for all at a community garden to exposing youth to film and productions, these organizations are critical to the fabric of the Mahoning Valley,” said Fallon Peterson, Senior Director of Programs and Operations. “We are encouraged to be in partnership with them as they continue to build community.”
Previously known as Neighborhood SUCCESS, Resident Engagement Grants are awards of up to $5,000 that are intended for grassroots organizations and smaller, less established nonprofits that often operate without any paid staff. Each recipient participates in one of the Wean Foundation’s Resident Engagement Grant workshops, a prerequisite to apply for such a grant, where they have an opportunity to refine their narrative and budget before applying.
Lisa Robinson, founder of Youngstown nonprofit Unstoppable Dreams, plans to use the resources to support a summer learning and employment opportunity for area youth, focusing on landscaping and gardening. A first-time Resident Engagement Grant recipient, Robinson was grateful for the guidance she received during the workshop on how to fill out the application.
“I left out of there with knowledge,” she said. “It’s never too late to learn, it’s never too late to dream.”
The grants, ranging from $1,500-$5,000, went to:
- Braceville Community Foundation
- Building Neighborhoods of Youngstown
- Community Connection
- Country Roads Studios
- Dress to Succeed Ohio
- Free the Youth 21
- Game Changers Leadership Development and Peer Mentoring Initiative
- Garfield Community Gardens
- HOLA Fest Youngstown
- Hyer Merit Association
- LIT Youngstown
- Love Your Community
- Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past
- Ministerio Caricias de Amor
- Oak Hill Collaborative
- Ongoing Neighborhood Empowerment
- The Greater Youngstown Community Dialogue on Racism
- Torch Conference
- Trumbull County Youth Organization
- Unstoppable Dreams Foundation
- Walking in My Truth
Since 2008, more than 265 unique grassroots organizations have received over $2 million in funding to activate and sustain critical neighborhood supports and solutions.The Wean Foundation accepts submissions for its Resident Engagement grants two times a year, in the spring and the fall. For more information on the Wean Foundation’s grant opportunities, visit https://www.weanfoundation.org/apply-for-grants/.
About The Raymond John Wean Foundation
Established in 1949, the Wean Foundation is dedicated to community building in the under-resourced communities of Warren and Youngstown in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley. The Wean Foundation leverages a dynamic combination of grantmaking, capacity building, convening and partnerships to provoke new thinking, strengthen communities and disrupt the status quo to achieve its vision: empowered residents creating an equitable Mahoning Valley. Visit weanfoundation.org to learn more.