Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley invites applications for William Swanston Charitable Fund

The William Swanston Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valleyaims to transform the lives of Mahoning Valley children confronted with challenges to equitable opportunity.The fund aims to foster transformative change in the lives of Mahoning Valley children confronted with challenges to equitable opportunity, including low-income, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic children who live in the cities of Youngstown and Warren, as well as a few select disinvested communities; and children facing challenges based on their experience(s) with abuse, neglect, dependency, and/or their experience with the children’s welfare or juvenile justice systems.In 2024, the fund will prioritize innovative projects that prevent or reduce the risk factors that can create disparities, and that create opportunities for all children in Mahoning and Trumbull counties to thrive in the following areas: Health and Wellness:Initiatives that can result in greater opportunities for children to excel by providing prevention and early intervention in mental health and behavioral health, asthma, maternal and infant health, and community conditions (food access, crime and violence, housing, and spaces for physical activity).Education:Initiatives addressing the race and income disparities in education that exist in the following areas: kindergarten readiness, 3rd-grade reading proficiency, 8th-grade math proficiency, and high school graduation/college and career readiness.Children’ s Services:Initiatives that address the intersection of child welfare and parental substance abuse and/or parental incarceration, or initiatives that address the needs of youth involved with the juvenile justice system. Applicants must be nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley