Foundation kicks off third year of its Osborne Meese Academy
By Maura Teynor
January 13, 2017
The Richland CountyFoundation held an orientation January 12 for staff members from 15 nonprofit organizations to kick off its third year of the Osborne Meese Academy. The program is designed to build and support nonprofit organizations and to act as a catalyst to encourage stronger collaboration in the community.
The Osborne Meese Academy encompasses three key components: education, professional support and grant writing assistance. The initiative was named the Osborne Meese Academy to honor the Foundation’s founding father.
Half-day educational workshops will be held through November at the Foundation, 181 South Main Street. Topics such as developing a marketing and fundraising plan, engaging in collaborations and building an effective board and identifying outcomes and measures will be explored.
The organizations were selected by an application process to participate based on the following criteria: willingness to collaborate to address community issues, willingness to embrace organizational change and growth, the current strength of an organization with regards to programming, governance, staff leadership, financing, administrative, the staffing and marketing.
The organizations participating are Bellville Neighborhood Outreach Center, Community Health Access Project (CHAP), Habitat for Humanity of Richland & Crawford Counties, Humane Society of Richland County, Independent Living Center of North Central Ohio, Love INC. of Greater Mansfield, Mansfield Makerspace, Mansfield-Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mid-Ohio Guardianship Services, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Richland County, North Central Ohio Industrial Museum, Ohio Bird Sanctuary, Richland Community Development Group, Richland County Park District and Richland County Regional Planning Commission.
Foundation President Bradford Groves said, “This is a perfect way to recognize the work done by Osborne Meese at the beginning of the Foundation. He believed in and was passionate about this community. It is not just about what can be done today, it’s about helping agencies fulfill their mission and to improve over time to positively impact people."
