Giving
The Fund for Ravenswood is a charitable fund of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF), a nationally certified community foundation founded in 1963. Created in 2019, The Fund for Ravenswood’s mission is “to work together to make Ravenswood better by supporting programs, projects and initiatives that lead toward the vision of a better future for all residents.” Jackson County is among the eleven counties in the PACF’s regional service area.
“The Fund’s founders see that a lot of good things are happening in Ravenswood right now and that there is energy in the community to help it to advance," said Judy Sjostedt Ritchie, Executive Director of the PACF. "So, they wanted to create a charitable fund to strengthen this momentum and to support the vision of a socially vibrant and economically robust community where people are healthy, respectful and inclusive of others, and have ample opportunities to thrive. Ravenswood is a great community and they want to help build up its positive aspects.”
Grants are made bi-annually via the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation’s online Community Action Grants Program process. If an opportunity is time-sensitive or of an emergency nature, grant seekers may contact the PACF for off-cycle support, but generally, larger requests must use the online grant application process.
A key requirement to consideration for a grant is that an applicant organization can demonstrate significant benefit for the citizens of Ravenswood. Grants will be considered in five broad areas of life:
- Quality of Life Improvement;
- Vibrant Economy-Downtown Support;
- Healthy Lifestyles; Public Safety;
- and Workplace Readiness.