(June 24, 2021 – Warren, Ohio) Neighborhood SUCCESS Grants, a program of the Raymond John Wean Foundation, has awarded a total of $49,575 to 13 resident-led organizations for 2021. These grassroots community builders leverage the financial, human and material resources that exist in Warren and Youngstown neighborhoods to improve quality of life in their communities. Funded projects align with resident identified priorities and are primarily focused on efforts to address neighborhood challenges caused by the pandemic or to provide necessary resources to bolster organizational operations.
This year, the grant program was streamlined in response to the challenges experienced by residents due to the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racial inequity. Grantseekers and staff alike benefited from a streamlined application portal, rolling deadlines and on-demand virtual orientation and technical assistance. Likewise the SUCCESS Program’s Resident Council, residents representing the community’s rich diversity of thought and experience, adapted its review process by conducting virtual interviews and bi-weekly meetings to expedite funding decisions. The result was a rapid infusion of nearly $50,000 directly into community initiatives across the Mahoning Valley. Significantly, the leadership makeup of this year’s grantees is representative of the community with 46% Black-led, 16% Hispanic/Latinx-led and 39% White-led. Grants were equally distributed to Warren and Youngstown neighborhoods.
“We are encouraged by the spirit of resiliency that we have seen in the 2021 grantees and our Resident Council in response to the challenges of the last two years,” said Corrie Adams, program officer for the Foundation. “The Foundation is honored to partner with their resolve and ingenuity, and to promote that same spirit to our local neighborhoods as we continue to combine our resources to strengthen Warren and Youngstown.”
Since 2008, Neighborhood SUCCESS Grants has invested over $1.6 million in support of more than 525 resident-led projects in the Mahoning Valley.
2021 Neighborhood SUCCESS Grant Awards
| Organization | Project Title |
| Black Boys Read | Black Boys Read Spring/Summer 2021 |
| Boston Avenue Neighbor Association (BANA) | Happy Places Greenspace |
| Boulevard Park Block Watch | Boulevard Park Phase III |
| Greater Youngstown Community Dialogue on Racism (GYCDOR) | The Greater Youngstown Community Dialogue on Racism |
| Handels Neighborhood Association | Handels Neighborhood Engagement & Beautification Project |
| Hunger Helpers | Hunger Helpers – Project Corner Store |
| Lit Youngstown | Literacy and Literary Love: Head Start Book Project |
| Paradise Gardens Development | Greenspace Project |
| Quilts From the Heart | Quilts from the Heart |
| SOPHIA (Stop One Place Help is Avaialble) | Assistance for Utilities |
| The Harriet TaylorUpton Association | Warren Schools Historic Tours |
| Thrive Mahoning Valley | Dear Mahoning Valley |
| TNR of Warren | Pet Food Giveaways in Response to COVID |