Allegheny College Announces $1 Million Grant from Richard King Mellon Foundation to Support Meadville Community Revitalization Corporation

New Initiative to focus on startup and redevelopment activities to revitalize downtown Meadville

MEADVILLE, Pa., Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allegheny College, one of the nation's oldest and most innovative four-year colleges where multidisciplinary learning breaks the conventional mold, is pleased to announce a new grant of $1 million from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to accelerate the initial redevelopment activities of the Meadville Community Revitalization Corporation (MCRC).

The grant will help the MCRC hire key staff, prepare and introduce a range of programming to activate and revitalize downtown Meadville, set up the BUILD Meadville Development Fund and establish a comprehensive fundraising strategy for the future. While MCRC will operate as a separate entity from Allegheny College, the College is the applicant and grantee on behalf of MCRC and will file achievement reports to the Foundation over the next two years.

"One of the key commitments of Allegheny College's Strategic Pathway is to grow capacity for long‐term improvements and collaborative initiatives with community partners for local and regional economic development," said Allegheny College President Ron Cole. "The resources provided by the Richard King Mellon Foundation will help the Meadville Community Revitalization Corporation continue to build a vital downtown that meets the needs of current and future residents and businesses, draws talent to our region, and serves as a destination for our students, families and visitors."

Allegheny College began its collaboration with the City of Meadville to bolster downtown revitalization and development to become a strong economic anchor two years ago with a planning grant from the Foundation. This investment enabled the new entity to organize and gather stakeholders and build on prior work under the guidance of Andy Walker, a Meadville community leader and 2000 graduate of Allegheny College, who most recently served as executive director for economic, civic and community engagement at the College.

"Colleges such as Allegheny are uniquely positioned to work with the communities they call home to help drive positive economic growth," said Sam Reiman, Director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation. "Allegheny College's longstanding work with Meadville's local government and business community is a tremendous example of such positive collaboration, and we are pleased to work with the College as one of our partners in this important initiative."

"The Richard King Mellon Foundation's investment in Allegheny College is really an investment in Meadville and is a vote of confidence in the energy and momentum in our community that is embodied by the MCRC. This funding gives MCRC the resources to hire staff and to begin to implement the priorities identified in the stakeholder and public engagement process over the past year," concluded Walker.

About Allegheny College
Allegheny College, founded in 1815, is one of the nation's most historic and innovative four-year colleges. With the distinct requirement of completing a major and minor in different academic areas, students receive multidisciplinary learning that celebrates their unusual combinations of interests. This develops creative, independent thinkers with a path for educational depth and intellectual growth, preparing students for careers that may not yet exist. Located in northwestern Pennsylvania, 1.5 hours equidistant from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, Allegheny College is one of 40 colleges featured in Loren Pope's "Colleges That Change Lives" and recently ranked #4 by The Princeton Review in its Top 20 Best Private Schools for Making an Impact. In its 2025 rankings, U.S. News & World Report recognized Allegheny College as one of the country's top 100 national liberal arts colleges, with special distinctions including one of the top 10 best for senior capstone experience and one of the top 25 best for undergraduate research and creative activities.

About the Richard King Mellon Foundation
Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation's 2023 year-end net assets were $2.9 billion, and its Trustees in 2023 disbursed more than $176 million in grants and program-related investments. The Foundation focuses its funding on six primary program areas, delineated in its 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.

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SOURCE Allegheny College