Opportunity Overview
The William Swanston Charitable Fund, administered by the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley (CFMV), is accepting 2026 proposals for innovative projects that prevent or reduce risk factors creating disparities and expand opportunities for children in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. The current 2026-2028 focus areas are Health & Wellness, Education, and Children’s Services. No separate solicitation or grant number is published by CFMV for this cycle.
Funding and Deadline
Funding is typically available up to $10,000 for general operating support or specific programs/projects. Applications are due October 15, 2026. CFMV’s required Grantseeker’s Guide states that applications are accepted until 11:59 p.m. on designated deadline dates; the guide does not state a time zone, so Atlas does not infer one.
Priorities
Health & Wellness priorities are Mental & Behavioral Health, Access to Care, and Health Information. The current RFP further emphasizes convenient quality care, early intervention, care coordination, access to providers and affordable coverage, navigable health services, trusted health information, and family empowerment. Education priorities are kindergarten readiness, third-grade reading proficiency, eighth-grade math proficiency, and high-school graduation/college and career readiness. Children’s Services priorities include youth involved in the justice system and the intersection of child welfare with parental substance abuse and/or incarceration.
Eligibility and Allowable Uses
CFMV funds organizations deemed not-for-profit by the IRS, including 501(c)(3) public charities, religious organizations, government entities and public schools. Organizations that are not public charities may apply through a fiscal sponsor. Proposed activities must directly benefit residents of Mahoning or Trumbull counties or the surrounding area. The Grantseeker’s Guide states that grants may cover programmatic, general operating, or capital needs. Requests from individuals, election-influencing activities and retroactive funding for completed work are not eligible or are typically not supported.
Match and Leverage
No formal mandatory match or cost-share requirement is stated in the current Swanston materials reviewed. CFMV does state that it usually does not provide more than half of a project’s total costs, and the Swanston RFP says requested funds should leverage other public and private funding sources. Applicants should therefore build a credible leveraged budget rather than assume the grant will cover an entire project.
Submission and Required Materials
Applications are submitted through CFMV’s online grant portal. CFMV states that grant applications must include the organization’s current annual budget, year-to-date income statement and board list; if the organization has been audited, it must also include the management letter from its most recent audited financial statements. Applicants must review the Grantseeker’s Guide before submission. First-time portal users should prepare organization and executive-director contact information, EIN/Tax ID, leadership and equitable-practices information, and any application-specific uploads requested in the live portal. If awarded, the recipient must execute a grant agreement and submit a final report within 12 months unless otherwise stated.
Evaluation Considerations
Strong proposals use clearly defined success measures, people with direct experience in planning and implementation, qualitative and quantitative data, cross-sector partners, and strategies addressing underlying social and economic barriers. The current RFP also favors work that can influence policies, systems or environments and leverages other funding sources.
Atlas Strategic Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 91/100. This is a well-aligned local health-and-education opportunity with clear child health access, behavioral health and pediatric-equity priorities, but the typical award size is modest.
N9+ Fit Score: 63/100, conditional applicant-led. N9+ can be defensible only where an eligible Mahoning/Trumbull applicant owns a specific pediatric access-to-care or early-intervention project in which guided remote examinations, vitals or telehealth-enabled encounters directly advance the funded objective. The fund does not expressly prioritize connected-exam technology, so Atlas should not force a device purchase. Capital needs are generally allowable under CFMV guidance, but project-specific technology allowability should be confirmed in the live application before commitment.
Direct Applicant and Vendor Review
Dr. Miltie/QC Healthcare should not be treated as a direct prime applicant absent independent qualification under CFMV’s nonprofit/public eligibility rules. A realistic path is applicant-led vendor or implementation participation, subject to the applicant’s approved scope, budget and any procurement requirements.
Contact and Verification
CFMV lists general grant questions at grants@cfmv.org and 330-743-5555. Mae Medore is listed for questions about grantmaking shifts and denied applications at MMedore@CFMV.org. Verified sources: CFMV Grant Opportunities; William Swanston Charitable Fund 2026-2028 Grant Focus Areas; and CFMV’s Grantseeker’s Guide linked from the current grant-opportunities page.