Fund to make Northeast Ohio economically competitive

The Wean Foundation became part of a similar partnership in March.

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — The Fund for Our Economic Future announced that the Trumbull County Community Foundation and Trumbull 100 have formed a partnership to join the fund’s collaborative effort to strengthen Northeast Ohio’s economic competitiveness.

Together, the two organizations, collectively called the Trumbull 100 and Trumbull County Community Foundation Economic Coalition, contributed $100,000 to the collaboration.

The fund uses grant making, research and civic outreach to strengthen the economic competitiveness of the 16-county region. Larry Haynes, executive director, Trumbull County Community Foundation, and Mike Craig, Trumbull 100 president, will alternate duties as representatives to the fund for the partnership.

Fund members vote quarterly on how to allocate the collaboration’s grant dollars. Since 2004, the fund has raised more than $55 million to support regional economic-competitiveness initiatives.

“We look forward to their involvement in our work to attract and generate more jobs and investments in our region,” said Brad Whitehead, fund president.

The two organizations are the second partnership from the Mahoning Valley to join forces to participate in the fund. In March, Raymond John Wean Foundation and the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley formed a similar partnership.

Trumbull 100 was formed in 1994 to provide leadership, coordination and motivation to improve the quality of life in Trumbull County. It comprises area CEOs, professionals and business leaders.

The Trumbull County Community Foundation was established in early 2008 as a regional affiliate of the Community Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, which has served the region since 1981.

The foundation has granted more than $22.8 million to a variety of causes, including economic development projects, educational scholarships and support of charitable organizations and programs for youth.

The fund collaborates with partners in the private and public sector to help implement the region’s economic action plan — called Advance Northeast Ohio — which has four focus areas: business attraction and growth; talent development; growth through racial and economic inclusion; and government collaboration and efficiency.