The William Swanston Charitable Fund is committed to supporting children in Mahoning and Trumbull counties who have experienced crises, including those who are/have been abused, neglected or dependent (children reliant on others and/or external systems of support, besides parents, for their care).
Donor Name: Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley
State: Ohio
County: Mahoning County (OH), Trumbull County (OH)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/15/2026
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Those experiences can limit opportunities for their gifts and talents to fully manifest throughout their lives. The Swanston Fund is the legacy of a local farmer who cared about his community and who wanted to uplift the well-being of others, especially children.
Priorities
No child is the sum of the challenges and adversities they may have encountered, and all children deserve an equitable chance to pursue success. Reflecting on its commitment to fostering transformative change in the lives of children, The William Swanston Charitable Fund will prioritize their grant making in 2024 for innovative projects that prevent or reduce the risk factors that can create disparities and 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:
- Mental and Behavior Health
- Asthma
- Maternal and Infant Health
- Community Conditions (food access, crime and violence, housing, 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
- High School Graduation/College & 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.
Funding Information
Grant awards typically range between $5,000 and $10,000.
Target Population
Funds are interested in transforming the lives of Mahoning Valley children confronted with challenges to equitable opportunity. Research shows that children in the below demographics have been most adversely impacted by societal neglect and community disinvestment over time, and are therefore the primary target for support:
- Low-income
- Non-Hispanic Black
- Hispanic
- Living in the cities of Youngstown and Warren, as well as a few select disinvested communities
- Children facing challenges based on their experience(s) with abuse, neglect, dependency, and/or their experience with Children’s Welfare or Juvenile Justice systems.
Eligibility Criteria
Funds consider how an organization works and who leads the work. Strong proposals will incorporate the following:
- Individuals with personal knowledge or direct experience have key roles in planning & implementation.
- Success is clearly defined as are plans to achieve it and evaluate results toward it.
- Qualitative and quantitative data is used to inform approach and measure impact.
- Underlying social and economic challenges contributing to poor health are addressed, such as racial inequity, poverty, as well as barriers to healthy food, quality housing and safe parks/recreational spaces.
- Projected outcomes include change in policies, systems and environments to help make healthy options
- practical and readily available in an equitable manner to all residents.
- Requested funds will leverage other public and private funding sources.
- Partners from different sectors, including public health, government, education, healthcare, etc., have been engaged to develop shared priorities and strategies.
For more information, visit CFMV.
