The Foundation of the Valley
The below local foundations are supporting organizations of the Community Foundation, partnering with us to leverage resources for our collective community, improve grantmaking impact and better serve the Mahoning Valley together.
The William Swanston Charitable Fund
The William Swanston Charitable Fund, established in 1919, is committed to supporting children in Mahoning and Trumbull counties who have experienced crises, including those who are/have been abused, neglected or dependent.
Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation
The Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation was established to continue supporting the healthcare needs and education of Trumbull County residents.
Western Reserve Health Foundation
The Western Reserve Health Foundation was established to continue supporting the healthcare needs and education of Mahoning County residents.
The William Swanston Charitable Fund
The William Swanston Charitable Fund, established in 1919, is committed to supporting children in Mahoning and Trumbull counties who have experienced crises, including those who are/have been abused, neglected or dependent.
Apply for Funding
All grant opportunities under the Community Foundation’s umbrella can be found on the Apply for a Grant page.
Board of Directors:
Ernest Brown, Board Chairperson
Kevin Chiu
Erica Horner
Crissi Jenkins
Loree Richardson
Matthew Ries
Impact Stories
Read how the foundation made an impact in our community.
History
The William Swanston Charitable Fund is the legacy of William Swanston, a farmer from Canfield Township who cared about his community, especially the area’s children. Upon his death in 1919, he left his assets and his large farm to be used to help children who had nowhere to live.
Mr. Swanston, who was born in northern Ireland, came to America when he was 10 years old and grew up working odd jobs throughout the Mahoning Valley. He and his many brothers and sisters lived through the Great Depression and were considered frugal and wise. According to published reports about early families in the Mahoning Valley, Mr. Swanston left home when he was 17. He bought his Canfield farm in the mid-1800s for $7,000 – around $200,000 in today’s money – and was able to pay off his entire mortgage within 10 years.
Originally, Mr. Swanston wanted his estate and farm to be used to build an orphanage, but there was not enough money in his estate to accomplish that in the years just after his death. When the interest from his money grew to the point where an orphanage could be built, society’s ideas and laws about orphanages had changed and trustees of Mr. Swanston’s estate were not able to carry out his exact wishes.
Instead, trustees and the Mahoning County Probate Court have worked to meet Mr. Swanston’s intent. Over the years, they have awarded funding to programs that support children experiencing crises, including those who are/have been abused, neglected or dependent.
Today, the Fund’s board of directors continues advancing William Swanston’s legacy of helping area youth through charitable grants to local initiatives and projects in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation
The Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation was established to continue supporting the healthcare needs and education of Trumbull County residents.
Apply for Funding
All grant opportunities under the Community Foundation’s umbrella can be found on the Apply for a Grant page.
Scholarship Opportunities
Similarly, the annual TMHF scholarship opportunity can be found on the Scholarships page.
Board of Directors:
Jenna Amerine
Sarah Braun, Board Chairperson
Dr. Jean Cairns
Linda Day
Patrick Flanagan
Shibani Massacci
Melissa Miller
Vinitra Murray
Sandra Scott
Kevin Stringer
Shniqua Walker
Gordon Wean
Impact Stories
Read how the foundation made an impact in our community.
History
The Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation was originally incorporated in 1976 as an Ohio nonprofit corporation, with its supported organization and sole member being Trumbull Memorial Hospital. In March 2009, the foundation, the hospital and Forum Health, along with other related entities, filed for bankruptcy protection.
After more than two years of proceedings, the foundation was released from the bankruptcy process and the foundation board secured a supporting organization designation with the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley in July 2012.
Trumbull County Probate Court Judge Thomas Swift released restrictions on nearly $11 million in TMHF funds, concurring with the opinion of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Previously restricted to the support of Trumbull Memorial Hospital, the funds are now used to support a broad range of healthcare services and healthcare education needs of Trumbull County residents.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation partners with the community to achieve health equity by investing in and serving as a catalyst for systemic change, leading to improved public health and quality of life for all residents of Trumbull County, Ohio.
VISION STATEMENT
Our vision is of a Trumbull County where everyone has the opportunity and capacity to thrive, regardless of race, gender, background, income or any other social condition.
VALUES STATEMENT
As an organization, we value:
- Health Equity - Mindful of historic and persistent health disparities in our community (as in the country at large), we place the highest priority on removing barriers to achieving equitable health outcomes for all Trumbull County residents.
- Equity and Inclusion - Inclusion is central to our mission, not only because it is right, but because historically discriminatory policies and practices lie at the root of most social barriers to equitable health outcomes. Achieving racial equity is especially critical in overcoming these barriers and is a top priority of the Foundation. Through acknowledging and addressing the injustices of the past we can begin to move toward a more just future.
- Continuous Learning - We are committed to continuous learning from a broad range of sources, from local residents and neighborhood leaders to national and international funders and professionals, staying actively engaged with various partnerships and perspectives to pursue innovative and idea-driven solutions to the needs of our community.
- Partnership - The Foundation does not see itself as separate from the community. Rather, we pledge to listen to, work closely and lead jointly with community members in identifying barriers to health equity and determining how to remove them.
- Respect - Keenly aware of the real and perceived power differential between grant makers and grant seekers, we recognize the crucial importance of respect for residents and the nonprofits serving them, and we pledge to build and maintain respectful, purposeful relationships in the community.
- Commitment - Achieving health equity requires removing many systemic obstacles, and change will never come quickly enough. However, we are committed to working closely with the community to achieve its goals and will not deviate from this vital effort.
- Accountability - We pledge to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards, and we invite the community’s scrutiny to hold us to account as we seek to advance with them the cause of population health for all of Trumbull County.
Western Reserve Health Foundation
The Western Reserve Health Foundation was established to continue supporting the healthcare needs and education of Mahoning County residents.
Apply for Funding
All grant opportunities under the Community Foundation’s umbrella can be found on the Apply for a Grant page.
Board of Directors:
Doris Bullock
Phillip Dennison, Board Chairperson
Leigh Greene
Benjamin McGee
Dr. Michael Miladore
Scott Schulick
Lou DiPaolo
Denise Bayer
Impact Stories
Read how the foundation made an impact in our community.
History
The Western Reserve Health Foundation was established in the 1980s as the fundraising arm of the Western Reserve Care System. In 2009, the care system’s successor, Forum Health, filed for bankruptcy protection, a move that affected the system’s hospitals and the foundation. After more than two years of bankruptcy court proceedings, the foundation was reshaped with a broader mission to support healthcare needs across Mahoning County.
WRHF funds that had been tied up in court proceedings were released in 2012 to serve this larger purpose and the foundation became a supporting organization of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley. The foundation continues to operate with a board of directors composed of local community leaders.
“The Western Reserve Health Foundation is grateful to have the support and guidance of the Community Foundation throughout this process,” said Phil Dennison, WRHF chairman. “The superior service the foundation provides us as a supporting organization allows us to focus on meeting the healthcare needs of Mahoning County residents.”