Foundation awards $3M in grants to help meet local needs
By Maura Teynor | February 17, 2026
The Richland County Foundation Board of Trustees approved grants totaling $2,997,083 during its February meeting.
Competitive, field of interest, and donor advised fund grants approved by the board included the following grants:
Catholic Charities received a grant to assist Richland County residents struggling with poverty or temporary financial hardship by providing the following assistance to maintain family stability: rent/mortgage assistance, budget counseling/financial workshops, and up to one year of ongoing case management. The grant also will aid the Adult Advocacy Services (AAS) program which provides a court-appointed staff guardian to older adults who have been deemed incompetent by the Probate Court, have a diagnosed incapacity, and do not have family or other appropriate individuals, to advocate on their behalf and protect against abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) received a grant to develop a neighborhood store and café named “Grow by NECIC” at its Springmill Road location. “Grow by NECIC” will increase access to affordable, healthy food while creating hands-on learning and leadership opportunities for local youth and residents. The store will serve North End residents living in a historically disinvested area with limited access to fresh, nutritious food. The need for this project was identified directly by North End residents through NECIC’s Community Platform and community forums, where food access and economic opportunity consistently emerged as one of the top three priorities.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio received a grant for its Helping Hands program. The grant will offset the cost to house Richland County families at the Ronald McDonald House while their severely ill children are receiving care at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The cost to house one family per night is $100 per room and families are asked to donate $20 per night to help cover costs. However, the average donation in 2023 was $4.70 per night.
The Board of Trustees approved grants from donor advised funds which allow individuals, families, and corporations the opportunity to make grant suggestions to their favorite charities. Donor advised funds are a flexible and convenient alternative to a private foundation and a way to keep charitable contributions anonymous, at the preference of the donor.
The following organizations received grants from donor advised funds:
| Alzheimer’s Association, Northwest Ohio Chapter |
| American Red Cross |
| Buckeye Imagination Museum |
| Community Foundation of Otsego County |
| Discovery School |
| Family Planning Of South Central New York |
| Fenimore Art Museum |
| Greater Cleveland Food Bank |
| Hartwick College |
| Heartwood |
| Helios Care |
| Highlands Nature Sanctuary (DBA Arc of Appalachia) |
| Idea Works Kitchen, Inc. |
| Killbuck Water Shed Land Trust |
| Kingwood Center Gardens |
| NAMI Richland County |
| North Central Ohio Land Conservancy (NCOLC) |
| North Central State College Foundation |
| Ohio Bird Sanctuary |
| Ohio Environmental Council |
| Pathfinder Village Foundation |
| Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center |
| Rails to Trails of Wayne County |
| Richland Community Development Group (RCDG) |
| Renaissance Performing Arts |
| Richland County Foundation |
| Richland County Land Reutilization Corporation |
| Rubies Women’s Group Inc |
| Springbrook Foundation |
| The Brookwood School |
| The Glimmerglass Festival |
| Third Street Family Health Services |
| United Way of Ashland County |
| United Way of North Central Ohio |
| United Way of Richland County |
| West Creek Conservancy |
| Wooster Community Hospital Foundation |
The board allocated grants from 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 clients.
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 the donor’s original intent is met in seeking a new suitable organization.
| The board approved grants from designated and agency funds to the following organizations: American Guernsey Foundation | |
| American Red Cross | |
| Ashland University | |
| Buckeye Council Boy Scouts of America | |
| Catalyst Life Services | |
| Catholic Charities | |
| Children’s Dyslexia Center | |
| Children’s Theatre Foundation | |
| City of Mansfield | |
| City of Ontario | |
| Clear Fork Valley Foundation | |
| Community Action for Capable Youth | |
| Discovery School | |
| Domestic Violence Shelter, Inc. | |
| Downtown Mansfield Inc. | |
| First Christian Church, Mansfield | |
| First Congregational Church | |
| Friendly House Association | |
| Friends of the Richland County Park District | |
| Hospice of Western Reserve | |
| Humane Society of Richland County | |
| Kingwood Center Gardens | |
| Lucas Local Schools | |
| Malabar Farm Foundation | |
| Mansfield 1st Evangelical Presbyterian Church | |
| Mansfield Area Intergroup | |
| Mansfield Art Center | |
| Mansfield Aviation Club | |
| Mansfield Cancer Foundation | |
| Mansfield Christian School | |
| Mansfield City Schools | |
| Mansfield Playhouse | |
| Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society | |
| Mansfield Richland County Public Library | |
| Mansfield Rotary Club Foundation, Inc. | |
| Methodist Theological Seminary | |
| Monsignor Dunn Foundation | |
| NECIC, Inc. | |
| North Central Ohio Alzheimer’s Association | |
| North Central Ohio Land Conservancy | |
| North Central State College | |
| North Central State College Foundation | |
| Ohio Bird Sanctuary | |
| Ohio Genealogical Society | |
| OhioHealth Foundation | |
| OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital | |
| Ohio State College of Medicine | |
| Ontario Local Schools | |
| Pioneer Career and Technology Center | |
| Plymouth Area Historical Museum | |
| Renaissance Performing Arts | |
| Richland Academy of the Arts | |
| Richland Carrousel Park | |
| Richland Co. Children Services Auxiliary / The New Store | |
| Richland Community Development Group (RCDG) | |
| Richland County Children Services | |
| Richland County Habitat For Humanity | |
| Richland County Historical Society | |
| Richland County Sheriff’s Office | |
| Richland Newhope Industries | |
| Richland Pregnancy Services | |
| Salvation Army | |
| Shelby HelpLine Ministries | |
| St. John’s Church | |
| St. Peter’s Parish | |
| The Ohio State University – Mansfield | |
| The Ohio State University Foundation | |
| Third Street Family Health Services | |
| Trapshooting Hall of Fame, Inc. | |
| United Way of Richland County | |
| Visual Bucket List | |
| Volunteers of America | |
| Wayfinders Ohio | |
| Wayne County Agricultural Society | |
| YMCA of North Central Ohio | |
Career Technical Education Scholarships:
The Foundation Board of Trustees awarded 16 scholarships to students attending a career technical education school. The Scholarship Committee implemented a rolling deadline for CTE scholarships to meet various enrollment deadlines. Aligning with Ohio’s Attainment Goal, the Foundation helps to fill the gap between job openings and certified employees as well as lead the way to support workforce development through CTE scholarships.
Special Grants:
Richland Community Development Group (RCDG)
