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Grants Program Grant Guidelines Our Process Grant Limitations Letter of Inquiry Workshops Grant Guidelines The Raymond John Wean Foundation is committed to enhancing community well-being and vitality in the Mahoning Valley. The Foundation will do this through strategic grantmaking intended to support people living in the Valley's economically disadvantaged communities and neighborhoods. Our Grantmaking is focused on Trumbull and Mahoning Counties. These guiding principles inform our grantmaking: - To explore new, innovative approaches to addressing issues
- To seek inclusion and broad community involvement
- To build on the considerable assets of the Mahoning Valley
- To strive for equity and support social justice
- To leverage additional resources, partners, and ideas
- To support the development of human assets and capital
- To cultivate leadership in the community
- To provide support to people and communities which are often overlooked or insufficiently funded
Focus Areas I. Building Community Capacity This effort will be focused on neighborhoods, particularly in Youngstown and Warren which have received insufficient investment in recent years. We seek to build on community strengths by investing in the social and political capital of individuals and families and to support the achievement of authentic and sustainable change. The Foundation believes it is important to start from local conditions. The best efforts flow from and adapt to local realities. Collaborations of local residents, community-based organizations, businesses, schools, religious institutions, health and social service agencies and funders are the core of successful community building. Consequently, community ownership and involvement in the proposed project or activity is critical.
II. Building Organizational Capacity We believe that strong nonprofit organizations in a variety of areas are central to the development of the Valley. Strong nonprofits are efficient, well-managed, responsive, results-oriented, open, thoughtful ,and strategic. By assisting nonprofits to develop these attributes, the Foundation leverages the investment of other funders in the well-being of the community. We seek to assist nonprofits in thoughtful planning, developing collaborations, and increasing their capacity to accomplish their goals. We also believe it is important to invest in the development of nonprofit leadership. The Foundation believes that strong nonprofit groups are central to any effort of thoughtful community change.
III. Building Network Capacity The Foundation believes it is important to connect diverse organizational and residential leaders to come together for collective action. By promoting collaborative working relationships and supporting the development of networks and partnerships between networks, the Foundation can invest in a thoughtful process of community change which emphasizes collaboration and building on community assets.
All grant proposals should consider the above principles and priorities. Specifically, grant proposals should be for efforts which contribute to: Developing and implementing solutions to the problems faced by low-income people Increasing the organization and development of neighborhoods in the Cities of Youngstown and Warren Improving the quality of life in neighborhoods Increasing the ability of nonprofit agencies to do their work in a way that has impact in the community Building of collaborations among and between groups that will lead to an improved quality of life Understanding between people and groups of people, particularly where there is a history of friction or enmity Developing better educational opportunities specifically for those with limited access to education (no scholarship programs or individual scholarship proposals please) Effecting the economic growth in a manner that directly impacts on the creation and development of jobs for low-income people. (Specifically we are seeking efforts that are thoughtful, creative, and differ from standard job creation efforts.) - Developing leadership in underserved communities
Our Process We have two levels of funding: $1,000 and not to exceed $5,000 Over $5,000 Grant Requests $1,000 and not to exceed $5,000 The Foundation will accept application for Grants, not to exceed $5,000, anytime during the year. These requests will receive immediate review; generally, a decision is forthcoming within four (4) weeks of receipt of the proposal. A Letter of Inquiry is not required for grant requests not exceeding $5,000. Application Form Grants $1,000 to $5,000 - (PDF Format) Application Form Grants $1,000 to $5,000 - (Word Format) Final Evaluation Form - (Word Format) Grant Requests Over $5,000 Request Procedures The Foundation requests that interested organizations submit a Letter of Inquiry, which may be downloaded from this site. A response will generally be received within four (4) weeks of receipt. The Foundation will then advise the organization if it is appropriate to submit a proposal. Deadlines for proposals are: January 15 for the March Board Meeting (The Letter of Inquiry should be submitted no later than December 1) April 15 for the June Board Meeting (The Letter of Inquiry should be submitted no later than March 1) July 15 for the September Board Meeting (The Letter of Inquiry should be submitted no later than June 1) October 15 for the December Board Meeting (The Letter of Inquiry should be submitted no later than September 1)
If any of the above dates occur on a holiday or a weekend, the proposal may be postmarked on the next business day. Organizations can only apply for one (1) grant per calendar year Grant Limitations The Foundation can not consider grants to individuals and generally will not consider grants for: - individual scholarships or grants, even if through an otherwise qualified organization
- sectarian religious activity
- endowment funds
- film or video production
- debt reduction
- foreign operations or expenditures
- national fund-raising campaigns or mass mailing campaigns
- membership in civic organizations or trade associations
- veterans' organizations or fraternal societies
- annual support to local or national offices of organizations whose stated purpose is to combat a particular disease or family of diseases
- organizations that do not provide services to Ohio's Mahoning Valley
Workshops As part of our grantmaking to nonprofit groups, we intend to provide useful sessions to potential grantseekers. We will offer these sessions before each of our quarterly rounds of grantmaking. PLEASE SEE OUR EVENTS PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS! Summer 2008 Grantseek Orientation Power Point Presentation - (PDF Format) If you would like a hard copy of the Grantseeker Orientation Power Point Presentation, please contact the Foundation Office. Letter of Inquiry The Foundation requests that initial contact for our giving programs be made through the Letter of Inquiry. In order to properly process your request, we ask that you submit your form at least 6 weeks prior to the deadline date for invited proposals. Please feel free to contact us if there are questions about this program or to obtain a hard copy of the Letter of Inquiry. We welcome your inquiries. Please print out the form in the format of your choice. You may return the completed form to the Foundation office via mail, fax, or email. Letter of Inquiry - (PDF Format) Letter of Inquiry - (Word Format) Final Evaluation Form - (Word Format) Revised 4/22/08
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