BUSINESS ROUNDUP | PNC Foundation awards $100K to 2 Youngstown organizations

The PNC Foundation has awarded $100,000 in grants to two Youngstown organizations to address racial equity.

United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley received a two-year, $70,000 grant to “provide service and education, focusing on financial coaching, outreach and education, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Programs, improving banking relationships for individuals and small businesses, debt elimination, credit score improvement, first-time home buyers’ support, rent/utility assistance, transportation assistance, custody assistance and legal advice,” a news release states.

“We are excited to receive the PNC Foundation’s social justice grant to help our neighbors in need access the help they need,” said Bob Hannon, president of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. “With these funds, we are able to take our Financial Empowerment workshops directly to those communities that do not have easy access to these services.”

The Youngstown Business Incubator received a two-year, $30,000 grant to “increase the level of entrepreneurship, government contracting, scalability and overall economic activities of minority and disadvantaged businesses.”

“The grant from PNC allows us to not only expand our programs and workshops into the seven counties we serve, but we are tech-enabling companies through the support of website development and other technical assistance needs such as accounting and legal services,” said Stephanie Gilchrist, regional director of the Youngstown Business Incubator’s Minority Business Assistance Center.

The grants are part of PNC’s Community Benefits Plan.

Other business updates

• YSU partners with Foxconn: Youngstown State University is partnering with Foxconn to create a national electric vehicle workforce training and innovation center, the university announced Tuesday. The training center “will focus on helping the emerging EV industry build and scale a sustainable workforce around advanced manufacturing, energy storage and other integrated technology solutions, such as artificial intelligence, 5G and cybersecurity,” a news release states.
• New office: The Mahoning County Land Bank has opened a new office at the City Centre One building in Youngstown, 100 E. Federal St., Suite 300. “One of the neat things about being here in City Centre One is that we have a number of partners in the building,” Debora Flora, executive director of the land bank, said in a video about the new office. “We already have worked with Western Reserve Port Authority and Eastgate transportation agency for the region. And we have some potential partners in the building as well.”
• Youth Market Day: Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio will host a Youth Market Day from noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 5 in Center Court at Eastwood Mall in Niles. The event will feature young entrepreneurs who will sell their original products and services to the public. Shoppers can vote on their favorite businesses, and prizes will be awarded at the end of the event. Participants can register here.

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