Community Foundation of Mahoning Valley - General Grant

The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley offers general grants designed to support a broad range of initiatives that benefit the Mahoning Valley community. While there are no defined funding priority areas, applicants are encouraged to submit proposals that clearly demonstrate how their project or initiative meets a recognized need within the Mahoning Valley. Grants are considered not only by the Foundation itself but also by its advised funds, with final funding decisions reflecting the personal philanthropic interests of individual fund holders. The Foundation allows rolling submissions, meaning applications can be submitted at any time. However, completed applications are evaluated after one of the set deadlines, which occur three times annually on April 15, July 15, and October 15. Funding decisions are generally made within three months following each cycle's deadline, offering a predictable review and decision-making timeframe. Though there are no strict limits on grant sizes, applicants should note that the Foundation typically does not fund more than half of a project's total cost. This encourages applicants to seek diversified funding sources. For general grants awarded directly by the Community Foundation, funding amounts generally range between $5,000 and $10,000. Affiliate foundations within the organization may award grants in the $10,000 to $20,000 range. Eligible applicants must be organizations operating within the Mahoning Valley region. While the application is open in scope, the organization emphasizes alignment with the community’s needs and suggests that proposals demonstrate a direct benefit to local residents. Because of the funder’s unique structure—incorporating both a general foundation and various advised funds—the grantmaking process may vary slightly depending on the interest areas of the participating fund holders. As such, applicants may indirectly benefit from multiple streams of philanthropic interest within a single submission process.