Giving back has always been a pillar of Scott Schulick’s values. It began at home and church, where there was always encouragement to be thankful for those who gave to you and to spread that by giving what you can to others. It was a part of everyday life throughout his childhood and teenage years, and eventually Youngstown State University. In fact, it was that institution where his work in philanthropy truly began.
As he prepared to graduate college in 1993, after an academic career that included time leading the Student Government Association and serving as a student trustee, he decided to make his first “real” gift: a $100 donation to Youngstown State’s annual fund.
“I remember writing that check and thinking it was a big deal because it was the first gift I made where it was something that I wanted to do,” he recalls.
That gift marked the beginning of a journey that has led to Schulick becoming among one of the loudest voices to support the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
His involvement with the Community Foundation pre-dates the formation of the organization itself, serving as an alternate representative for Butler Wick Trust Co. on the steering committee that created the foundation. He has since served as a member of the finance & investment committee and a board member of the Western Reserve Health Foundation.
“From the beginning, I was in touch with why the Community Foundation was being set up and how it was being set up,” he says. “The flexibility the Foundation has had since its inception – and it’s there by design – to offer endowments, agency funds, donor-advised funds, supporting organizations allows it to be something other organizations are not.”
It was in his role on the investment committee that he helped to establish the Young Philanthropist Fund, working to connect two organizations that are important to Schulick: the Community Foundation and the Mahoning Valley Young Professionals. The fund is supported by proceeds from the annual 25 Under 35 awards dinner – originally the 40 Under 40 – and makes an annual grant chosen by leaders in the club. The 2025 class of grantees from the Young Philanthropist fund are The Butler Institute of American Art, Oak Hill Collaborative and the local chapter of Society of St. Vincent de Paul; in total, the fund has awarded more than $70,000 since it was created in 2006.
“In those early days, a concern that [CFMV Founding President Patty Brozik] shared with me was that with wealthy families from the area, the next generation wasn’t connected to Youngstown,” he says. “We may not have that same level today, but we still have industry, still have manufacturing, still have business leaders. We have to find ways to connect and educate those leaders with places like the Community Foundation and bring those people into the philanthropic world.”
When talking about philanthropy, there’s a word Schulick often returns to: legacy. In its Gilded Age, the Valley’s industrialists supported projects that benefited the community. Henry Stambaugh provided the funds to build Stambaugh Auditorium, which celebrates its centenary in 2026. When she passed away, Olive Arms left her home to the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, which now uses it as the Arms Family Museum. And in the 1960s, Edward and Alice Powers saved the former Warner Theatre from demolition and paid for renovations; it reopened as Powers Auditorium in 1969.
“There was a vision and desire to build something for the community and support the greater good. That’s why all people give,” he explains. “They were thinking of how they could make the community a better place than it was before.”
In his work as a financial adviser, now a senior vice president at Stifel, it’s that idea that he uses to talk to clients about philanthropy. It’s why he so often recommends the Community Foundation as a place to create funds.
“I know that their desire to fund projects is best done with the Foundation. They know that after they’re gone, their legacy will go on. There’s a care for the donor’s legacy and emphasis on the community,” he says. “What keeps me coming back is that it’s always been well-run and focused on trust. It’s evolved with the times and it provides a lot of outlets for donors to give back in so many different ways.”
Schulick was instrumental in the establishment of the Rick Shale Fund, a discretionary fund opened in 2023 to support the arts, local history, parks, education and social services, as well as nonprofits that were near and dear to the late YSU professor (read more about the Rick Shale Fund HERE).
His support of the Community Foundation extends beyond referrals and board service; he has been a steadfast donor and has a legacy fund agreement with CFMV to establish a fund that will carry on his giving well into the future.
“From being here since the beginning, I’ve seen the consistent work to build trust. Over 25 years, that is a lot of work,” he says. “And that, to me, has made this a great place.”