Wean Foundation Announces New Community Investment Grants

WARREN, Ohio – The Raymond John Wean Foundation Board of Directors recently approved a total of $215,000 for three nonprofits supporting the Mahoning Valley.

Freedom Righteous Organizing Collaborative and African American Male Wellness Agency are the newest recipients of Wean Foundation Community Investment Grants. Organización Cívica y Cultural Hispana Americana Inc. received a renewal of an existing grant.

Freedom ROC will receive funding over two years to support its expansion in the Valley. Founded in 2021 in Akron, the organization builds progressive Black community and political power by organizing within communities around key issues and candidates. It accomplishes its mission through healing care, nonpartisan voter education, engagement and registration initiatives, and leadership development workshops and programs. The grant will support voter registration and engagement activities in Warren and Youngstown.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Wean Foundation as we work to empower everyday citizens in Warren and Youngstown through civic education and community organizing efforts,” said Rev. Raymond Greene Jr., executive director of Freedom ROC.

The African American Male Wellness Agency received a one-year grant to support its Financial Opportunity Center, which provides financial and career education, mentoring and support to increase economic mobility for Warren and Youngstown residents. Founded in 2004, AAMWA is a national organization based in Columbus and with a presence in nearly 20 cities, including the Valley. Although it began as a grassroots organization focused primarily on Black men’s health, AAMWA has grown in recent years to include programs and initiatives for all, with a focus on fatherhood, financial wellness, mental health, mentoring and research.

“We are pleased to support these equitable, resident-centered solutions in the Mahoning Valley,” said Fallon Peterson, senior director of programs and operations at the Wean Foundation.

The foundation’s board of directors meets four times a year to review and distribute community investment grants, or grants of more than $5,000, to efforts and organizations that further the foundation’s strategic priorities of community revitalization, economic opportunity, educational opportunity, and public and civic sector leadership.

To date in 2024, the Board of Directors has approved over $400,000 in Community Investment Grants to six organizations. More information about the Foundation’s grantmaking philosophy and opportunities can be found HERE.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.