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Updated: September 11, 2025 @ 1:19 pm
Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia awarded about $1.4 million in grant funds last year, and more will be released soon.
Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia Board Chair Joshua Rogers stands next to a giant check during the organization’s annual grant presentation ceremony in Bridgeport last November.
Willa Hughes became a nurse after receiving a grant from the Monongalia County Training and Resiliency Fund.
Community leaders, organizations and educators came together last November for Your Community Foundation’s 2024 grant awards celebration.
Ryan
Ryan
Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia awarded about $1.4 million in grant funds last year, and more will be released soon.
Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia Board Chair Joshua Rogers stands next to a giant check during the organization’s annual grant presentation ceremony in Bridgeport last November.
Willa Hughes became a nurse after receiving a grant from the Monongalia County Training and Resiliency Fund.
Community leaders, organizations and educators came together last November for Your Community Foundation’s 2024 grant awards celebration.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — About $1.4 million was distributed to the communities of Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston and Taylor counties last year by Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia (YCF), and more funds will soon be released.
In November, YCF will hold its annual conference where it will announce the recipients of numerous grants that are used to support North Central West Virginia.
“My hope is that we’re able to at least maintain or grow what we’ve been doing,” said YCF President Patty Showers Ryan.
Last year’s distribution was a bit higher than normal, Ryan said, as YCF generally released about $1 million per year.
To date, YCF has about $27 million in its endowment pool, according to Ryan.
“And that continues to grow with donations that we receive from the community,” she said.
Distributions are made from investment earnings while the principal amount continues to grow to support greater contributions in the future.
Last year’s distributions included 109 scholarships, which totaled more than $303,000, and more than $156,000 in community grants.
YCF supports about 50 different scholarship programs that have been established by donors, including a unique opportunity for adults to be retrained.
After receiving an anonymous donation in 2021 from someone concerned about the closure of Milan Pharmaceuticals, an area coal mine and general job loss following the COVID-19 pandemic, YCF was able to establish the Monongalia County Training and Resiliency Fund.
The fund concluded this June, but for the past three years recipients were able to apply for up to $10,000 for trade technical and certificate programs in Monongalia County.
More than $635,000 was distributed to 110 individuals seeking new job skills, including Willa Hughes, who used her grant to become a nurse.
YCF also supports numerous grant opportunities, including the S.T.E.M. for Girls Fund, Stephen D. Tanner Children’s Enrichment Fund, Taylor County Charitable Interest Fund, Women’s Giving Circle of North Central West Virginia, YCF Community Grants and Educator Mini-Grants.
Mini-Grants, which award recipients with up to $750, are used by educators to create new, engaging learning opportunities for their classrooms.
“We’re just now into our third year of offering those. It started three years ago when our board of directors agreed that it was an opportunity for YCF to help with the learning loss we saw from the pandemic,” Ryan said.
These grants have been used by teachers to provide classroom supplies, white boards, 3D printers, rugs for circle time and more.
Applications for grants will be accepted until Sept. 22. YCF’s board of directors will meet in October to determine which applications will be approved and then the grants will be awarded at YCF’s annual conference in November.
Staff Writer Damian Phillips can be reached at 304-626-1404 or dphillips@wvnews.com.
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