At its June meeting, The Raymond John Wean Foundation board of directors approved $637,000 of grants to three organizations to support economic opportunity, community revitalization and public and civic sector leadership in the Mahoning Valley.

The organizations that received grants are:

• Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries Inc. For more than 50 years, Goodwill has supported individuals in overcoming barriers to employment, including economic hardship, disabilities and other challenges.

Services include vocational assessments, skills training, transitional work experience, job placement and ongoing support for long-term success.

Funding will support the implementation of a Social Information Exchange Network (SIEN), a digital care coordination system to connect social services, health care and workforce development across Goodwill’s five-county service area. The system will enable real-time referrals and connect individuals to training programs, job placements and other services, reducing barriers to housing, food and employment.

• Ohio Community Development Corporation Association (OCDCA). The OCDCA is a statewide membership organization of more than 250 locally-based rural and urban nonprofits that work to rebuild neighborhoods through affordable housing, financial education, food access and more. The OCDCA provides training, resources and other support to its members to ensure they can fulfill their missions.

The Wean Foundation funding will support capacity-building and policy advocacy efforts for the organization’s members, including 11 organizations in Warren and Youngstown, focused on stabilizing low- and moderate-income neighborhoods and rehabilitating blighted and vacant residential properties.

• Kent State University (KSU) Foundation. The KSU Foundation was established in 1965 to receive gifts on behalf of KSU to advance its priorities and initiatives. The Wean Foundation funding will provide three-year operating support for the Building Black Leaders program, a student-run organization on the Trumbull campus focused on the success of black, biracial and multiracial students.

Since its inception in 2022, the program has served more than 70 students, providing a safe, racially inclusive environment that supports students in embracing their racial identity and offering services and programming focused on their well-being.

“We’re grateful to partner with organizations that share our vision of empowered residents creating a healthy, vibrant, equitable and economically stable Mahoning Valley,” said Fallon Williams, senior director of programs and operations at the Wean Foundation. “It is an honor to work alongside partners who listen and respond to the needs of the community and that are deeply committed to making a better quality of life attainable for all people.”