Young Philanthropist Fund makes $5,000 in grants

YOUNGSTOWN

The Young Philanthropist Fund made $5,000 in grants during its only grant cycle of the year.

Established in 2006 to introduce young leaders to philanthropy, the Young Philanthropist Fund’s grantmaking is directed by the G.I.V.E.S. Committee of the Mahoning Valley Young Professionals club. This year, the committee selected two organizations to receive funding: Autism Society of the Mahoning Valley and Project MKC.

Autism Society of the Mahoning Valley is a volunteer-led organization that offers services and support to families with autism or a related diagnosis in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. The organization received $2,000 for Camp FRIEND, a two-week summer camp for children with autism and related disabilities. The camp boasts an intensive 1:2 staff to camper ratio and covers all expenses for campers except lunch.

Founded in 2010, Project MKC offers a variety of programs designed to bring positive emotional experiences to local children and their families. The organization received $3,000 for the Comfort Kit Program, which ensures infants, children and teens entering the foster care system receive a hopeful start by giving them new care bags to replace items they were forced to leave behind or never had to begin with. Specifically, care bags are filled with brand new, age specific toys, books, school supplies, food, clothing, personal toiletries and a homemade no sew fleece blank, all for the children to keep.

The Young Philanthropist Fund solicits applications from local 501(c)(3) organizations one time a year. Details on the competitive grant process can be found on the Community Foundation’s website at www.cfmv.org and the 2020 due date will be released toward the end of 2019. The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley is a leader and advocate for strategic philanthropy, partnering with donors to anchor a permanent and growing endowment and making investments in the Mahoning Valley that improve the quality of life for all residents. The Community Foundation is the only local foundation with certification from the Community Foundation National Standards Board, and its lifetime grants total more than $23.5 million.