YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Youngstown Foundation announced their approval of $477,500 in grants to local organizations.

The largest grants are $100,000 each and will be going toward the funding of The Autism Society of the Mahoning Valley and Meridian HealthCare.

"We have received an unusually high number of requests in recent months for general operational funding, and we are pleased to meet those needs for organizations with strong records for serving local residents and families," said President Lynnette H. Forde.

Executive director of the Autism Society, Stacie Bacorn noted that the Youngstown Foundation's grant will help them stay on top of the higher enrollment rates of Camp Friend, the society's weeklong summer camp for school children at the Jewish Community Center.

"These funds will enable us to work more strategically and effectively to respond to the increased needs we're seeing across all of our programs and services," Bacorn said.

The Autism Society's Camp Friend is scheduled for June 16-20 and July 28-August 1 at the Jewish Community Center.

The other $100,000 grant will go on to help Meridian HealthCare in adding administrative staff.

The other 12 Youngstown Federation grants are listed below:

  • McGuffey Centre, operational funding, $50,000
  • Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, women's health initiative, $50,000
  • Trumbull County Historical Society, Museum of Science Fiction, $50,000
  • Oak Hill Collaborative Inc, digital advantage initiative, $37,500
  • Veterans' Outreach, new vehicle, $30,000
  • Thrive Mahoning Valley, operational funding, $25,000
  • Clothed in Strength, programming support, $25,000
  • The English Center, operating support, $25,000
  • Finer Things Academy, one church one child project, $15,000
  • God's Warehouse Inc., operating support, $10,000
  • Boulevard Park Block Watch, Pleasant Grove Peace Park, $5,000
  • Eversight, cornea donation and transplantation, $5,000

The Youngstown Foundation says its mission is in devoting their resources to ensuring the quality of life and sustaining a prosperous community in the Mahoning Valley. The Youngstown Foundation has grown from just $33,000 in assets to over $150 million today and has distributed over $100 million into the Youngstown community through grants supporting nonprofit organizations.