Programs supported by Wean
Staff report
Youngstown
The Raymond John Wean Foundation has awarded more than $45,000 to two programs at Youngstown State University.
“We are excited about the work that these organizations have been doing in the Mahoning Valley and are pleased to be able to help support their efforts,” said Gordon Wean, chairman of the foundation’s board of directors.
The NewsOutlet.org, a partnership between YSU’s journalism program and professional media organizations, is receiving $30,000.
TheNewsOutlet.org reports and then offers to area media important issue stories that traditional media often do not have the time or staff to develop.
Recent stories have included an investigation of living conditions in an adult group home for mentally challenged individuals.
Funding from the Wean Foundation will allow TheNewsOutlet to seek national foundation support and to secure the program’s future.
The NewsOutlet, including YSU journalism faculty members Alyssa Lenhoff and Tim Francisco, was recently featured in a story in the Columbia Journalism Review.
“What started as an experiment modeled after similar collaborations in large media markets is growing quickly and providing northeastern Ohio with in-depth journalism with a new media flourish,” the article says.
To read the full article, go to www.cjr.org/the_news_frontier_database/2011/05/the-news-outlet.php.
The Wean Foundation also awarded $15,395 to YSU’s Center for Urban and Regional Studies for its effort to expand the Mahoning County Regional Property Information System to Warren and Trumbull County.
The system collects data about vacant properties, crime rates, property ownership, foreclosure, tax liens and basic census data.
The information is important in assisting local government agencies as well as nonprofit organizations in understanding the needs of various neighborhoods and developing plans for how to best address the issues.
The foundation awards between $3.5 million and $4 million to organizations that are working to help the area become known for equity, innovation and collaboration, according to a foundation press release.