MANSFIELD – The Richland County Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $3,617,687 during its February meeting.

Competitive, field of interest and donor-advised fund grants approved by the board:

Akron Children’s Hospital Mansfield Location

Behavioral Health Center

The hospital will construct a building north of its current one on S. Trimble Road. It will house a Behavioral Health Center and will employ 20 staff by 2025. Richland County ranks highest in the Greater Akron Region for the number of children who have experienced two or more adverse childhood experiences in their lifetime.

City of Ontario

Inclusive Playground and Spray Park

Ontario is taking steps at Marshall Park to provide an inclusive playground and spray park for families. It will be constructed in 2022 to provide opportunities for able-bodied children to play alongside differently abled children in a unique environment accessible to everyone.

OhioHealth Foundation

Mobile Mammography Unit

OhioHealth will purchase a new mobile mammography unit to provide mammograms in our area. Only 50% of eligible women receive a mammogram annually. The unit will bring care to women and remove a key barrier of accessibility.

Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio

Helping Hands Program

Families with a seriously ill child hospitalized at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus can stay at the Ronald McDonald House while their child receives treatment. In 2021, RMHC provided service to 67 Richland County families for a total of 521 nights. The grant will provide 250 nights of rest for Richland County families this year.

— The Renaissance Theatre, Mansfield-Richland County Public Library, Little Buckeye Children’s Museum, and Idea Works will collaborate to show three outdoor movies this summer in the greenspace by the theatre on Park Avenue West.

This is a Mansfield Rising project and a grant from the Board Discretionary Fund will support it.

— Zoe’s Learning Center received a general support grant and Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center received a COVID-19 Rapid Response grant for general operating support.

— One career technical education scholarship was approved for a student to earn a certification at a technical institution. The Scholarship Committee implemented a rolling deadline for CTE scholarships to meet various enrollment deadlines.

In aligning with Ohio’s Attainment Goal, the Foundation wants to help fill the gap between job openings and certified employees as well as lead the way to support workforce development through CTE scholarships.

Graduating high school seniors and current college students from Richland County are eligible to apply for college and career technical education scholarships.

New applicants including high school seniors must have at least a 2.5 grade point average (GPA), and returning applicants must have at least a 2.0 GPA, attend an accredited school and be a resident or high school graduate of Richland County. The deadline for college scholarship applications is April 1.

The Board of Trustees approved grants from donor-advised funds which allows individuals and families the opportunity to make grant suggestions to favorite charities. Donor-advised funds are a flexible and convenient alternative to a private foundation. It is also a way to keep charitable contributions anonymous, at the preference of the donor.

The following organizations received grants from donor-advised funds:

Akron Children’s Hospital, Mansfield location

American Red Cross, Richland County

Ashland Schine Theatre

Ashland University

Bruce Museum

Catalyst Life Services

Catholic Charities

City of Ontario

Cooperstown Food Pantry

Discovery School

Domestic Violence Shelter

Downtown Mansfield Inc.

Family Planning of South-Central New York

Fenimore Art Museum

First Congregational Church

Friendly House

Friends of the Richland County Park District

Galion Community Center – YMCA

Glimmerglass

Grace Episcopal Church

Habitat for Humanity – Richland County

Harmony House

Helios Care

Humane Society of Richland County

Idea Works

Little Buckeye Children’s Museum

Mansfield Christian School

Mid-Ohio Civic Opera

Mid-Ohio Jazz Orchestra

Mid-Ohio Youth Mentoring

Nature Conservancy

New Store

North Central Ohio Land Conservancy

North Central State College Foundation

North End Community Improvement Collaborative

Ocean Conservancy

Ohio Bird Sanctuary

Ohio Environmental Council

Old Growth Forest Network

OhioHealth Foundation

Ohio Heartland Community Action Center

Pathfinder Village Foundation, Inc.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio

Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center

Renaissance Theatre

Richland Academy of the Arts

Richland Community Development Group

Richland County Commissioners – Dog Warden

Richland Pregnancy Services

Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio

Salvation Army, Mansfield

Shelby Help Line Ministries

Sierra Club Foundation

Sierra Club of Ohio

Springbrook Foundation

Supporters of Del-Nor Wiggins Park, Inc.

Trust for Public Land

United Way of Ashland County

United Way of Crawford County

United Way of Richland County

Wayne Center for the Arts

The board allocated grants from donor-designated and agency funds. Agency funds are established by charitable organizations and can be endowed or non-endowed.

The agency benefits from the Foundation’s professional asset management, which allows the agency’s staff and board to focus on providing services to their constituents.

Designated funds provide annual support to the charities selected by the donor. They offer the added benefit that if the organization ceases to exist the Foundation has the responsibility to ensure that the donor’s original intent is met in seeking a new suitable organization.

The board approved grants from donor designated and agency funds to the following organizations:

AA/Mansfield Intergroup

American Guernsey Foundation

American Red Cross

Ashland University

Buckeye Council Boy Scouts of America

Catholic Charities

Catalyst Life Services

Center for Individual and Family Services

Children’s Dyslexia Center

Children’s Theatre Foundation

Clear Fork Valley Foundation

Community Action for Capable Youth

Discovery School

Domestic Violence Shelter

Downtown Mansfield Inc.

First Christian Church, Mansfield

First Congregational Church

Friendly House Association

Friends of Richland County Park District

Habitat for Humanity Richland County

Hospice of North Central Ohio

Kingwood Center Gardens

Lucas Local Schools

Malabar Farm Foundation

Mansfield Richland Public Library

Mansfield 1 st Evangelical Presbyterian Church

Mansfield Area Y

Mansfield Art Center

Mansfield Aviation Club

Mansfield Cancer Foundation

Mansfield Cancer Foundation – Pat Kracker

Mansfield Christian School

Mansfield City Schools

Mansfield Memorial Homes

Mansfield Playhouse

Mansfield Police Department

Mansfield Rotary Club Foundation, Inc.

Mansfield/Richland Public Library

Methodist Theological Seminary

North Central Ohio Alzheimer’s Association

North Central Ohio Land Conservancy

North Central State College

North Central State College Foundation

North End Community Improvement Collaborative

Ohio Bird Sanctuary

Ohio Genealogical Society

OhioHealth Foundation

OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital

Ohio State College of Medicine

Ohio State University – Mansfield

Ontario Local Schools

Ontario Police Department

OSU/NCSC Photo Arts Programs

Pioneer Career and Technology Center

Renaissance Performing Arts Association

Renaissance Theatre

Richard David Gardner Fund

Richland Academy of the Arts

Richland Carrousel Park

Richland Community Development Group

Richland County Children Services

Richland County Historical Society

Richland County Museum

Richland County Sheriff’s Office

Richland Newhope Center

Richland Newhope Industries

Richland Pregnancy Services

Salvation Army

Shelby Helpline Ministries

St. John’s Church

The New Store

Third Street Family Health Services

Trapshooting Hall of Fame Inc.

United Way of Richland County

University Club

Volunteers of America

About the Richland County Foundation

The Richland County Foundation, a not-for-profit 501c3, was established in 1945 as a way for individuals to pool and invest their gifts for the long-term good of Richland County and its residents.

The Foundation helps people in Richland County give back to their community by investing their gifts for charity wisely so that grants can be made to improve the quality of life for all the county’s citizens. Collaborating with donors, the Foundation meets important needs today and plans for a strong future.

Architect’s rendering of the Akron Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health Center on S. Trimble Road in Mansfield.

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