MANSFIELD — It’s hard to drive through Mansfield without seeing the impact of the Richland County Foundation.
At its annual meeting Friday, President and CEO Allie Watson highlighted several high level projects the foundation has supported the past year, from the restoration of the Vasbinder Fountain to the Mansfield Main Street Corridor Improvement Project, the Trimble Road connector trail, Taking Root Farms and the Richland County Land Bank’s Thriving Home program.
But the work of Richland County’s philanthropic hub also shows up in less visible ways, like summer camp scholarships and bags of groceries for new or pregnant mothers.
The RCF received more than $5 million in gifts last year, most of it in the form of donations less than $500 each, according to President and CEO Allie Watson.
Meanwhile, the foundation poured more than $8.2 million in grants back into the community in 2025, investing primarily in causes like education and youth, community and economic development, arts and culture and health and human services.
“All of this work we do is with just six staff members. We have about half the staff of other foundations our size,” Watson said. “We have created efficiencies over the years that allow us to accomplish the same goals with fewer employees.”
The RCF’s annual meeting Friday was a celebration of the foundation’s work, but also a call to action.
“For 80 years, the Richland County Foundation has been doing extraordinary good with very ordinary gifts,” Watson said. “None of this would be possible without the generosity of individuals like you.”
Watson highlights RCF’s next big project: Downtown revitalization
While ordinary gifts have been the RCF’s driving for years, Watson did take time to highlight a recent, rather extraordinary gift.
RCF is in the process of accepting a donation of 14 buildings in downtown Mansfield. The buildings will be donated by John and Mimi Fernyak through their real estate holding and management company, Engwiller Properties.
Watson said the Fernyaks approached the RCF two years ago about donating the properties. In order to accept them, the foundation had to update its policies and do significant research on what a well-designed revitalization would take.
“We researched property ownership, development and management. We learned quickly that many community foundations across the country invest in their downtowns as part of their impact investment strategy,” Watson said.
“What makes us unique is the large donation of buildings, because that magnitude of giving has not happened in any other city.”
The foundation will partner with Windsor Companies, a vertically integrated real estate development firm based in Powell, to redevelop the buildings. The $25 million project will result in 95 new downtown apartments.
The work is expected to begin in August 2026 and take about two years to complete.
The proposed revitalization’s focus on housing aligns with the Mansfield Rising plan developed by local residents and leaders in 2018.
Watson said a recent downtown housing survey done by the RCF showed Mansfield was rated “healthy,” which is a notch below vibrant, the highest category possible.
“The company that did the survey said what you need is residential units. You need people living downtown,” Watson said in a prior interview with Richland Source. “The foot traffic … people going into businesses, restaurants, bars every day is what creates a vibrant downtown.
“We are so close, and this is a huge step forward.”
While the Fernyak’s gift and the downtown revitalization work to follow represent a historic first for the foundation, board chair Lee Tasseff said RCF remains just as committed to the type of work it’s always done.
“None of this takes away from the foundation’s core mission. It’s just a new way of investing in the community to make Richland County a stronger, more vibrant place,” Tasseff said.
“We will continue to facilitate philanthropy, fund scholarships and build stronger nonprofits, which improve and enhance the quality of life across Richland County.”
