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Wean hands out awards worth $380K

The board of directors of The Raymond John Wean Foundation has approved grants of more than $380,000, including $151,250 of additional resources to existing grantees to support equitable compensation practices.

To support the Wean Foundation’s strategic priority of economic opportunity, a total of $230,000 was awarded to the following three organizations:

● United Returning Citizens (URC) will receive general operating support over two years. URC works to support justice-impacted individuals and their families with a successful transition into the community. Support is offered to clients through a wraparound approach that includes mental health, workforce and housing services. The organization’s intake efforts help determine the services individuals may benefit from and through partnerships, these services are offered onsite at URC’s office. More than 270 individuals received services in 2024.

● Thrive Mahoning Valley will receive general operating support for one year. The Youngstown-based organization’s work is multifaceted and includes workforce placement services, addressing the transportation gap, and equity and community engagement training for employers. At the heart of its work is a desire to create a community that is welcoming to all, with a focus on meeting the needs of those relocating to the area.

Since its inception, Thrive Mahoning Valley has provided services in both English and Spanish. Its Bikes for Newcomers program has provided 50 bikes to individuals in Warren and Youngstown, with more than 30 people on its waitlist. A job placement pilot program with Schwebel’s Bakery resulted in seven hires, including a bilingual supervisor. In 2025, the organization is seeking to expand to up to 240 job placements.

● Gener8tor Management LLC will receive funding to expand its virtual Skills Accelerator Program in the Mahoning Valley. Gener8tor is a nationally ranked venture capital firm and accelerator that brings together startups, investors, job seekers, musicians, artists and others to create equal opportunities. Its goal is to close equity gaps for founders, continually improve the workforce and foster relationships with diverse communities and organizations. Gener8tor has programs in more than 40 communities across the country and has been in the Mahoning Valley since 2017, when it launched its gBeta program out of the Youngstown Business Incubator.

The Skills Accelerator Program provides online workshop-style courses tailored to support job seekers in becoming proficient in new skills for a growing digital economy. The program also offers one-on-one career coaching and job placement.

Additionally, the board approved $151,250 to be distributed among five black, Hispanic and Latinx-led organizations with up to $2 million in annual revenue that have received a community investment grant in the last two years. This support represents the Wean Foundation’s continued commitment to exploring equitable compensation practices among nonprofits. The issue of equitable compensation has steadily grown in focus for the Wean Foundation over the last several years.

“As we work toward our vision of empowered residents creating an equitable Mahoning Valley, we’ve made a concerted effort to increase our support of black, Hispanic and Latinx-led organizations, which face significant inequities, including less funding and greater restrictions on that funding than White-led organizations,” said Wean Foundation President Jennifer Roller. “This leads to challenges in being able to hire, adequately compensate and retain qualified employees to grow and sustain their important work.”

According to Foundation Center data, less than 1% of foundation grant dollars are invested in developing the nonprofit workforce. Meanwhile, more than 70% of nonprofit executives feel they do not have the resources they need to develop their own leadership — let alone that of their employees.

“The burden of low pay in the nonprofit sector falls disproportionately on women and minorities,” Roller said. “We want to ensure all employees of our community’s nonprofits are rewarded based on the value of their work, skills, experience and job responsibilities.”

Established in 1949, the Wean Foundation is dedicated to community building in the under-resourced communities of Warren and Youngstown in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley. The Wean Foundation leverages a dynamic combination of grantmaking, capacity building, convening and partnerships to provoke new thinking, strengthen communities and disrupt the status quo to achieve its vision: empowered residents creating an equitable Mahoning Valley. Visit weanfoundation.org to learn more.

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