WCCF Announces Spring 2026 Community Grants

The Wayne County Community Foundation (WCCF) Board of Trustees met in May and approved grant awards for the Spring competitive grant cycle. Twenty-five organizations were awarded grants totaling over $556,943.00 from a variety of the Foundation’s named Community and Field of Interest funds:

Adaptive Sports Ohio received a $20,000.00 grant from the Lloyd W. James Memorial Fund and the Edward, Arlene and Kaye Maibach Community Fund to help purchase an enclosed 6x12 trailer for transporting wheelchairs to practices/competitions and specialized sport wheelchairs to support the expansion of the Interscholastic Wheelchair Basketball program in order to launch and sustain a fully inclusive interscholastic wheelchair basketball team that enables students with physical disabilities to participate as recognized student-athletes.

American Heart Association, Inc. received a $15,000.00 grant from the Robert L. and Kathleen M. Polsky Foundation Community Fund to purchase refrigeration/freezer units and food to expand access to healthy foods  in the Wooster City School District.

Ballet Wooster received a $5,000.00 challenge grant from the Ceylon E. Hudson Charitable Fund to support artistic & production expenses for their 2027 Annual Spring Production including venue rental, lighting equipment, sets, drops/backdrops, and costumes.

Catholic Charities received a $10,000.00 grant from the General Fund to support the development of a community collaboration to meet the specialized needs of drug-endangered children and the planning of Rise Above 2.0 to break the cycle of substance abuse within the family.

Church of the Brethren (for Inspiration Hills Camp) received a $40,000.00 grant from the John Kaylor Memorial Fund to construct a 1,200-sq-ft, ADA-compliant pavilion to be able to host a new Outdoor Education program for schools and school-break day camps for regional youth and community groups.

Coleman Health Services received a $20,000.00 grant from an anonymous community fund to support their youth employment program, including community outreach, developing more relationships with diverse partners and enhancing working experiences for youth with disabilities and behavioral health challenges in Wayne County.

The College of Wooster/AMRE received a $20,000.00 grant from the General Fund to support the AMRE Consulting projects of three local non-profits: 1) Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank - to evaluate potential uses for the donated Smucker site; 2) Homeward Bound - to create systems to improve intake times, track inventory, item and meal donations, and a database for guests; and 3) Boys and Girls Club of Wooster - to define success metrics and audiences; develop a survey; run interviews/focus groups; and analyze and quantify data and results; and deliver findings and a plan.

Downtown Arts Theater, Inc. received a $7,768.70 grant from the Nolan and Elsie Hite Community Fund to expand equipment for live events at The Lyric including staff training on the equipment and to purchase improved cleaning equipment to extend the lifespan of the space.

Friends of Secrest Arboretum received a $40,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to help finance a professionally-executed, long-range Master Plan for Secrest Arboretum.

Friends of Wayne County Park District Inc. received a $10,000.00 grant from the Stanley and Josephine Kastelan Family Fund and the Earle and Ann Klosterman Family Community Fund to restore and maintain the meadow and grasslands habitat at Barnes Preserve.

IncludeAbility received a $16,500.00 grant from the Lloyd W. James Memorial Fund to purchase a motorized hiking wheelchair, giving individuals with severe physical disabilities the dignity, independence, and opportunity to explore nature alongside their families and communities.

Kidney Foundation of Ohio Inc. received a $2,500.00 grant from the Lloyd W. James Memorial Fund to provide direct dollars to kidney patients, from Wayne County, to pay for prescription medications and nutritional supplements, transportation costs, and emergency necessities relating to health care.

Neighborhood Bridges Wooster received a $1,500.00 grant from the General Fund to assist in fulfilling needs for students of the Wooster School District, such as personal hygiene items and items of clothing.

P. Graham Dunn Park Inc. received a $11,500.00 grant from the Jeanne Heise Adams Community Fund to construct a 10'x20' wooden pavilion with metal roof to house a rented ADA accessible portable restroom and handwashing station and a 6'x10' utility storage room for park supplies at Silver Linden Park, located in Dalton, offering privacy and allowing community members of all mobility levels to enjoy the park.

Pregnancy Care Center received a $30,000.00 grant from an anonymous community fund to help purchase high-demand items, including diapers, wipes, formula, baby hygiene products, infant and toddler clothing, and baby monitors for Wayne County clients.

Quota of Wayne County received a $39,033.00 grant from the Margaret Hauenstein Memorial Fund, the Paul Leckrone Memorial Fund , and the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to be used towards classroom amplification systems requested by schools that were not able to be funded by Quota. The systems are for classrooms in grades K-6.

The Rittman Server received a $2,300.00 grant from the Andrew Berkey Fund to purchase a new commercial coffee maker, a new electric range stove, and a new refrigerator/freezer, for the Rittman location.

St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic School received a $1,035.00 grant from the Albert "Koby" Kobilarcik Educational Fund to purchase library enhancements, including age appropriate book series for K-8^th grade.

Treasurer of Wayne County, Ohio/Wayne County Sheriff's Office received a $30,232.33 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to purchase an American-made drone to replace a current outdated drone, along with associated support equipment, software and training.

Village of Shreve received a $60,000.00 grant from the Helen A. Sprowls Charitable Fund and the Marjorie B. Newland Memorial Fund to help build a new community park, the Harold Miller Park, located in Shreve, that would include inclusive playground equipment, ADA-accessible features, safety surfacing, benches, and walking paths, creating a safe and inviting outdoor gathering space for residents of all ages.

Wayne Center for the Arts received a $50,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to support inclusive play structures and surfacing on the playground in the new Arts Park at Wayne Center for the Arts.

Wayne County Humane Society received a $12,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to repair the severely cracked floors in one of their dog rooms by applying durable epoxy to create a safe, sanitary environment for the animals.

West View Healthy Living received a $50,000.00 grant from the Beaverson Foundation Community Fund to replace flooring and repaint the Carrington Wing to create a safer, more calming environment for residents living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Wooster Community Hospital Foundation received a $39,224.00 grant from the Florence L. Rice Community Fund to launch a Crisis Prevention and De-Escalation Training Program at WCH.

YMCA of Wayne County received a $23,350.00 grant from an anonymous community fund to support Y on the Fly, a mobile YMCA outreach initiative that transforms an existing YMCA bus into a fully branded, non-transport engagement hub designed to bring YMCA programs, activities, and resources directly into the community.

The WCCF is a not-for-profit charitable community organization established in 1978 to accept contributions, create and administer funds, and make grants for the benefit of the people of Wayne County. Since 1978, the Foundation has awarded more than $129 million in the form of grants and scholarships from its 620 separate funds.

Community and Field of Interest Funds permit the WCCF Board of Trustees to be responsive to the changing needs of the community. Donations to these funds by individuals, families, businesses and service organizations help to increase the amount available for grants each year. Contact Melanie Reusser Garcia, WCCF Executive Director, for more information.

Competitive grant applications from nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable organizations should be submitted by March 1 and September 1 each year. The grant guidelines and online application are available on their website, www.waynecountycommunityfoundation.org.