Search Through Arts Grants for Nonprofits in Pennsylvania in the U.S.

Background

Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), now including the Pepco Holdings utilities, is the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with 2015 revenues of approximately $34.5 billion. Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 32,700 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 2 million residential, public sector and business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Exelon’s six utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to approximately 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco subsidiaries

Grants

One way we connect with our communities is through local grants. Exelon’s grant applications are easy to complete. You can submit online applications for program, event and sponsorship support.

Exelon Directs Corporate Giving To Four Key Areas:

We fund programs that deliver measurable, sustainable improvements in the communities we serve. We invest in organizations that have proven track records in these areas:

Through our Building Exelon’s Future Workforce focus area, Exelon funds organizations, institutions, and programs that offer Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering (STEM) education and enrichment opportunities for students; scholarship and mentoring support to increase the number of students graduating with college degrees in STEM fields, STEM career and technical education, occupational skills training programs for older youth and adults, and assistance to remove barriers to employment. The following list includes a selection of strategies that Exelon and its operating companies support to build Exelon’s future workforce:

• Out-of-school education & enrichment programs such as summer or after school STEM programs and clubs,
• STEM career exposure opportunities for students such as career fairs and field site visits,
• Novel in-school STEM learning opportunities such as mobile labs and science outreach,
• K-12 STEM teacher training and professional development opportunities,
• STEM classroom resources and lab equipment,
• High school STEM trades career and technical education and training programs,
• Community college-based STEM trade education, training, and apprentice programs,
• Postsecondary scholarships for students majoring in STEM fields,
• STEM career mentoring and tutoring,
• STEM trade occupational skills training programs for adults and older youth, and
• Employment barrier removal assistance services.

Through our Energy Empowerment in Our Communities focus area, Exelon funds organizations and programs that improve the quality of our environment; promote environmental education, conservation, and preservation; develop cleaner sources of energy; protect endangered species; and beautify neighborhoods. Examples of programs that Exelon and its operating companies support through Energy Empowerment grants include, but are not limited to, the following strategies:

• Alternative energy development, installation, and education,  
• Vehicle electrification,
• Climate resilience or adaptation initiatives and education,
• Endangered species protection, wildlife conservation, promotion of biodiversity,
• Landscape and watershed conservation, restoration, and preservation,  
• Neighborhood beautification and green space initiatives, and
• Environmental and energy efficiency education and outreach.  

Through our Enrichment through Local Vitality focus area, Exelon funds a broad range of organizations and institutions that create local employment opportunities, support families, foster resilience, and strengthen communities. Examples of ways in which Exelon and its operating companies support Enrichment through Local Vitality include, but are not limited to, the following strategies:

• Anchor institutions such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and other organizations that provide employment opportunities, economic benefit, and enrichment in communities,
• The establishment and promotion of business districts,
• Projects carried out through community development corporations,
• Community-based programs and nonprofit organizations,
• Emergency preparedness programs, resiliency hubs, and resources that promote public safety,
• Programs that increase local economic investment and employment opportunities, and
• Local Chambers of Commerce.

Exelon believes that our lives are enriched and our communities are strengthened through individual interactions and collective experiences with the arts. Through our Equal Access to Arts and Culture focus area, Exelon funds cultural institutions with broad public exposure and programs designed to make arts and culture more accessible to a wider and more diverse audience. Exelon and its operating companies support a broad range of programs that promote Equal Access to Arts and Culture, including, but not limited to, the following strategies:

• Arts education and enrichment for all ages carried out through schools, community programs, arts institutions, and other organizations,
• Community-based exhibition spaces such as galleries, theaters, performance spaces, and specialty museums,
• The acquisition and exhibition of culturally and locally relevant arts content, and
• The establishment and promotion of theater and arts districts.

Grundy Foundation

Joseph R. Grundy (1863 – 1961) was a businessman who created wealth in a number of enterprises such as textiles, banking, newspapers, and real estate. He was active in the civic affairs of Bucks County and Pennsylvania, having represented the Commonwealth in the U.S. Senate by appointment in 1929 – 1930, and also played a role in national electoral politics, but his heart always remained true to the Bristol Borough community in which he lived.

Upon the Senator’s death in 1961, his Last Will & Testament established The Grundy Foundation to create and oversee the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Museum and the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library. Both the Museum and Library were named in honor of his pre-deceased sister, “Meta.” In addition to the operation of the Museum and Library, The Foundation continues to carry out the Senator’s philanthropic tradition of giving back to his community through grant awards to deserving nonprofit organizations.

Grantmaking

The Grundy Foundation’s endowment, which sustains the operations of both the Museum and Library, also provides for grantmaking. Senator Grundy specified that grant support would be given to “projects for the benefit of the inhabitants and institutions of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and for projects or works designed for the benefit and use of the people generally.”

The Board of Trustees generally has restricted grantmaking to Bucks County public charities, with special consideration to those of Bristol Borough. Grants are made primarily for capital projects throughout the County serving the public in a wide area rather than a single neighborhood. Grants for operating or programmatic support are reserved for pre-selected organizations or Board-designated projects. Applicants receiving operating or programmatic support as a member agency of the United Way of Bucks County are ineligible for grant consideration. Areas of grantmaking interest include arts and culture, education, community development, and health and human services.

Priorities

The grantmaking priorities of The Grundy Foundation are:

• Capital Projects (“Bricks and Mortar”)
• 501 (c) (3) Organizations throughout Bucks County may apply 
• Operating/Programmatic Support
• Pre-selected organizations in Lower Bucks County or Trustee-recommended projects focused on arts and culture, education, and emergency needs.

Mission

The mission of the Independence Foundation is to build leadership, provide services, and encourage systems and cultural change through the support of organizations in the fields of healthcare, human services, legal aid, and the arts. The Foundation invests in people and programs that protect, improve and enrich the life experiences of residents of the Philadelphia and its surrounding Pennsylvania counties, with a focus on the vulnerable and excluded. Its work is based on the belief that a region that promotes physical well-being, provides equal access to justice and services, and appreciates the value of the arts will thrive for generations to come.

Independence Foundation primarily provides unrestricted funding to nonprofits to best help them achieve their missions. Our general operating support offers flexibility to our grantees by allowing funds to be used when and where they’re most needed. 

Funding Initiatives

Arts And Culture

Independence Foundation believes in bolstering the well-being of the region by supporting a variety of opportunities for involvement and participation in the arts. The arts can bind people through shared experience and understanding. Art plays a transformative role in society, one that enriches community and connects people. The Foundation supports programs in the arts that enhance the common artistic spirit through creation or performance. 

Programs which connect the arts with non-traditional participants and increase both access to and awareness of the arts, are of special interest. The Foundation awards general operating grants aimed at strengthening organizations by supporting creative work and administrative capacity, based on community involvement, artistic merit, and leadership in the field. With the exception of organizations currently funded, we do not give grants to dance, music, media arts or broadcasting, museums or historical societies, though we do continue to fund individual artists in some of these disciplines through our Fellowships in the Arts.

Health Care

Independence Foundation believes that high quality, comprehensive primary care and related services result in better health, improved quality of life, reduction in health disparities, and lower costs to the health care system. 

Funding within the health care initiative focuses on the following: 

• Existing nurse-managed health care centers undertaking capacity building projects to expand and/or improve the provision of primary care and related services
• Programs that support health policies and/or infrastructure for nurse-managed and other safety net providers
• Projects designed to inform health care-related planning
• Clinical, community, and/or educational programs designed to improve the health of older adults 

Human Services

Independence Foundation believes that the health of a community can only be as strong as the well-being of its citizens. Our region faces many challenges and continually changing demographics have contributed to increased demand for services, while local and federal funding for these services has declined. Community-based organizations fill in the gaps by providing much needed outreach and support.

The Foundation supports organizations that provide direct services to people who do not ordinarily have access to them for the most basic of needs. The current Human Services funding agenda focuses primarily on programs that address the following areas:

• adequate food and food distribution
• affordable housing and access to shelter by homeless persons
• services which support independence for people living with disabilities

Legal Aid

The Independence Foundation is committed to the support of free legal services for the underserved of the Philadelphia region. Grants provide core operating support to strengthen the administrative capacity and the direct service programs of those agencies that deliver critical legal services.

Agencies funded under the Public Interest Legal Aid Initiative address civil legal issues confronting individuals from diverse populations who do not traditionally have adequate access to legal representation, including the indigent, the elderly, the disabled, and the homeless.

Reentry, Recidivism & Restorative Justice 

The Foundation funds community-based organizations doing the following - either by directly assisting individuals, or working to change systems that cause or contribute to the harm addressed:  

• Providing supports to families and individuals involved with and affected by the criminal justice system
• Working to reduce the number of people who imminently face incarceration or a return to prison
• Providing resources to formerly incarcerated individuals that help them become integrated and contributing members once they are released back into society
• Working to reduce harm to families and neighborhoods caused by incarceration

Background

Mary Hillman Jennings (1921–1979) created the Foundation in 1968 with the intention of advancing her charitable work and her support for Pittsburgh-area nonprofit organizations. Throughout her life, she dedicated herself to a wide range of community activities and believed that a truly world-class region invests in its most vulnerable citizens and its most disadvantaged communities.

Providing opportunity for people in southwestern Pennsylvania facing barriers

Improving the quality of life in southwestern Pennsylvania for all, with a focus on communities historically left out of opportunity, is central to Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation's approach.

Priorities

In the greater Pittsburgh region, Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation's grantmaking focuses on community development, health, education, human services, the arts, and the environment. Serving the most vulnerable among us is a top priority.

• Arts and Culture
• Community and Economic Development
• Education and Workforce Development
• Energy and Environment
• Health and Medicine
• Human Services

Strategic Priorities

Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation prioritizes investments that increase opportunities and promote the economic, social, and emotional welfare of those whose voices and concerns are often overlooked. Current priorities are focused on programs that provide direct services to:

At-Risk Children and Youth

• After-school programs
• Culturally relevant arts and culture education

Homeless Individuals

• Homelessness prevention and response
• Low-to-no barrier housing options and supportive services

Immigrants and Refugees

• Culturally responsive approaches that promote well-being and inclusion, such as translation, interpretation, and student supports

Low-Income Workers

• Neighborhood-based workforce development and financial empowerment initiatives

Mothers and Children

• Lowering premature morbidity and mortality
• Supporting maternal and child well-being from birth

People Struggling with Addiction and Recovery

• Prevention, education, harm-reduction, and increased access to existing services
• Increasing community response capacity

People Formerly Incarcerated who are Re-Entering the Community

• Policy changes, diversion models, collaborative approaches, and innovative in-jail and re-entry programs for juveniles and adults

Victims of Violence

• Reducing neighborhood violence through evidence-based programs
• Mental health and other essential services

There is an often quoted parable that tells of two people fishing downstream who are startled to see a person floating down the river, struggling for life. Working together, the fisher folk pull the person to safety but shortly after they notice another person crying for help. Again, they pull the person to safety. Other community members hear what is happening and rush to help. As the fisher folk tire, volunteers take their place, and the community works together all day and all night to safely pull more and more people from the river. The next morning the community members have a new idea—we need to go upstream and find out why so many people are falling in the water. Upon walking upstream, the community members find that people are drawn to the edge of a cliff to look at the river and its beauty. Unfortunately, there is no safe way to do this and many of them fall. The community members return and report the number of people who have fallen into the river due to the lack of a protective barrier on the cliff. In response, the community builds a wall behind which people may safely view the water. Some still fall, but there are far fewer.

Funding Priorities

• The Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation (GHCF) UPstream grant opportunity seeks to improve our area communities by supporting existing or new “upstream” systems, interventions, programs, or projects that attempt to create positive social change by addressing a problem at its source rather than managing its “downstream” symptoms.
• This grant opportunity is open to singular or collective nonprofit organizations whose proposals will serve the GHCF service area of Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, and/or Perry Counties and the Dillsburg Area of Northern York County.
• GHCF UPstream is available to organizations of all sizes, budgets, and reaches.
• The number of grant awards will be dependent upon the quantity of qualified applicants and funds sought.

GHCF UPstream welcomes creative and strategic solutions that seek to address the source of systemic issues within the communities you serve. Applicants may seek support for ANY “upstream” project, program, or intervention that best meets the needs of the population to be served. Examples of upstream projects include, but are not limited to: access to quality education, access to a safe and healthy environment; life skills training; materials that increase accessibility or improve an individual’s self-sufficiency; availability of reliable and safe transportation that improves an individual or group’s ability to grow, learn, or address a key need; animal spay/neuter clinics; early health screenings; job training and placement; support of basic needs that work to support an individual or group’s ability to grow, learn, or address a key need. The principal focus of GHCF UPstream is the support of any grant application that best presents upstream solutions to any area of community need. In addition, GHCF is empowered by a range of special funds which serve to collectively strengthen our area communities through shared themes and also welcomes upstream applications that address:

• Education: Early childhood education; education & development programs for children & youth; educational programs serving adults
• Environment & Parks: Environmental stewardship; horticulture & the arts; health & environment; park beautification & improvement
• Health & Wellness: Health & human services; programs and projects focusing upon: cancer awareness and/or research, dental care for those in need, HIV & AIDS, individuals with debilitating or terminal illness, Individuals with intellectual disabilities, prevention of head and/or spinal cord injury, purchasing of devices that improve accessibility
• Homelessness & Hunger: Programs & projects addressing homelessness & hunger
• Mental Health: Counseling for children with terminally ill family members; guidance, counseling, or programming that includes guidance and/or counseling for youths; programs and projects that address mental health
• Seniors: Programs & projects serving older adults
• Communities of Focus: Programs and projects that benefit residents of Millersburg, a borough of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Disaster relief & human services that serve the communities of Lebanon City, PA and Cressona, PA. Projects to enhance Camp Hill Borough parks provided by youth organizations such as Scout programs or other youth organizations; programs & projects that focus upon or nurture access to early childhood education within Camp Hill.
• Please note: each community of focus is supported by special funds and parameters established by caring community members and is specific to the respective community.

Attention Prospective Arts Applicants! – The Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation recognizes the artistic, cultural, and economic value of the arts and is pleased to offer funding opportunities for the arts through The Arts for All Partnership, a collaboration between the Greater Harrisburg Community Foundation and the Cultural Enrichment Fund. This unique collaborative funding initiative aims to improve the efficiency of arts grant funding and increase the overall impact of grant funding for arts programming in our communities. Prospective grant applicants whose project is centered upon the arts and access to the arts, will be best served by seeking funding support through The Arts for All Partnership rather than GHCF Upstream.

Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

Mission

To strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of Pennsylvania’s communities through the arts.

Statewide Creative Catalyst Grants

Creative Catalyst Grants - This funding opportunity is designed to encourage and support projects and events that have the potential for statewide impact on the arts and creative sector. Statewide Creative Catalyst grants are not designed to provide ongoing support or to fund projects that occur on an annual or regular basis, but rather to help support special events or unique, strategic opportunities. Applications will be reviewed quarterly by PCA staff; funding recommendations will be presented and voted on at the PCA's quarterly Council meetings. 

Statewide Creative Catalyst Grants support new initiatives and opportunities that advance strategies for strengthening the cultural, educational, or economic vitality of Pennsylvania’s communities through the arts. Applications will be assessed based on the degree to which they meet the following components:

• Align with one or more of the three goals of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts:
• Strengthen Pennsylvania communities through the arts.
• Connect and increase Pennsylvanians’ access to lifelong learning through the arts.
• Champion public awareness and appreciation of the arts in Pennsylvania communities.
• Demonstrate statewide benefit for the creative sector in Pennsylvania.
• Include mechanisms to implement the PCA’s overarching value of diversity, equity and inclusion.

About the Presser Foundation

The Presser Foundation was formally established in 1939 under various deeds of trust of the late Theodore Presser. In the charter of incorporation, The Foundation’s purposes are set forth to promote primarily the cause of musical education and musical philanthropy as follows: to provide scholarships for promising students; to increase the value of music education by erecting suitable buildings; and to administer aid to worthy teachers of music in distress.

While The Foundation’s priorities have evolved over time, it has provided much needed funding to further the cause of music for over 75 years. It has been said that Theodore Presser wanted to give back to music what he had made from it. When he died in 1925, he left no children. He had been widowed twice, and the bulk of his fortune was left to The Foundation.

The small staff and Board of Trustees continue to oversee the work of The Foundation. The Foundation is fortunate to have had a founder who clearly stated the purpose which he desired to achieve. The Board of Trustees includes prominent local and national leaders in music. All Trustees share a passion for music and all are committed to carrying out the intentions of the benefactor.

Special Projects Grants

Introduction & Purpose

The Trustees of The Presser Foundation created the Special Projects Committee to consider grant requests that fall outside the Foundation’s core grantmaking programs. Grant amounts typically range from $5,000 to $25,000 annually for music organizations operating in a broad range of music traditions, genres, and styles. In 2024-25, 9% of The Presser Foundation’s distributed funds ($320,230/$3.73 million) went to Special Project grants. This fiscal year (2025-26), the Special Projects Committee will consider applications for:

• General Operating Support for newly established music organizations (up to 5 years in existence).
• Resilience Grants for small music organizations impacted by government funding or policy changes. These grant requests of up to $7,500 are for organizations with operating budgets under $150,000. Organizations seeking support for the following are encouraged to apply:
  • Artistic and/or organizational development (e.g. workforce programming) projects that have been impacted by government funding cuts;
  • Organizations seeking legal, financial, fundraising, or communications guidance to navigate government funding or policy changes;
  • Efforts to share costs and collaborate* with another nonprofit organization to maintain financial stability for the organization; and
  • Other efforts to maintain your organization’s core mission and/or financial viability in response to the changing arts funding landscape will be considered.
  • *Not intended for one-time creative collaborations.

Scranton Area Community Foundation

The Scranton Area Community Foundation makes grants to foster good ideas that have the potential to strengthen our community and enrich the lives of the people of Scranton, Lackawanna County, and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Foundation responds to community needs and opportunities with grants in such diverse fields as health, education, arts, environment, human services, and civic affairs.

Organizations that serve the needs of residents in Lackawanna County are encouraged to keep the Foundation informed of their programs and services and to share their ideas about addressing community needs and opportunities.

Community Needs Grants 

Community Needs Grants fund a wide range of Lackawanna County nonprofit organizations and programs that respond to a particular community need or issue and which enhance the quality of life in Lackawanna County.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation responds to needs and opportunities with grants in such diverse fields as education, arts, environment, human services, animal welfare, and civic affairs. Applications will be reviewed by Foundation Leadership and the Grants Distribution Committee. Grant applications are assessed and evaluated according to specific criteria including but not limited to:

Community Impact

• Project should be well-defined and should address a need in the community. Project should indicate a defined population served, indicate how it will impact the quality of life in Lackawanna County, and provide qualitative or quantitative measurable outcomes in a certain time frame.

Organizational Capability

• Organizations should present a well-defined mission; A demonstrated record of success; A financially sound structure; and leadership and staff with proper expertise to complete the project.

Project Feasibility and Sustainability

• The application should include an appropriate budget for the project, and should detail how the project will be completed. Other funders and future funding of the project should be identified.

George and Margaret Mee Charitable Foundation Grant

Mission

The Mee Foundation invests in projects and programs of qualified nonprofit organizations that support the communities of Delaware County, New York; Cameron County, Pennsylvania; Broome County, New York; and occasionally the surrounding areas. The general categories of funding include Education, Community and Recreation, Health and Human Services and Arts and Culture.

Funding

Awards are made in the minimum amount of $1,000.00. The Foundation may award less than the amount requested and may also consider providing matching or challenge grants.

About WCCF

The Washington County Community Foundation (WCCF) was initiated by community leaders to encourage charitable giving. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in Washington County by promoting and facilitating philanthropy.

Capacity-Building Grant Cycle I

Capacity-building projects examples include but are not limited to: equipment or material purchases, capital campaigns nearing completion of the campaign, facility upgrades, strategic plans, succession plans, marketing plans or marketing materials, improvements to accounting and financial systems, constituent management software, websites with content management systems, and program design or program expansion.

Grants shall be awarded in any of the following areas:

• Arts & Humanities – projects that benefit arts education, arts appreciation, and cultural and historic projects in our community.
• Community Improvement and Economic Development – projects that focus on strengthening, unifying and building the economic, cultural, educational and social services, and the spirit of any community or neighborhood. Community improvement projects include, but are not limited to, agricultural fairs, community festivals, community parks, green space projects and walking trails. Economic development projects include, but are not limited to, blight removal, increased entrepreneurism, improved low-income housing, job creation, and workforce development.
• Education – projects to enhance the education experience for persons of any age, including literacy and lifelong learning.
• Environment & Animal Welfare – projects to protect the environment and to ensure biodiversity, including conservation, protection of ecosystems, agricultural projects, protection of wildlife, and the care of domesticated animals.
• Health & Fitness – projects that promote the physical and emotional health of the community, including medical services, counseling, fitness, and wellness programs.
• Human Needs – projects that give aid, comfort, support or assistance to children and youth, senior citizens, or the indigent.
• Religious/Faith-Based – projects that promote interdenominational sharing and understanding and that emphasize the importance of spiritual growth and development.

Amount

Requests must be submitted in increments of $5,000, up to a maximum grant request of $50,000.

Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation Grant

Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation provides grants to a wide range of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on education, the visual arts, writing, and literature. The Foundation’s primary geographic focus is Pittsburgh, though a select number of contributions are made each year in other localities where the Foundation has established interests.

The Foundation’s principal program interests are in education, the visual arts, writing, and literature, however, grants are made in other areas such as the dramatic arts, human services, environmental protection, and parks on a limited basis. 

Scranton Area Community Foundation

The Scranton Area Community Foundation makes grants to foster good ideas that have the potential to strengthen our community and enrich the lives of the people of Scranton, Lackawanna County, and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Foundation responds to community needs and opportunities with grants in such diverse fields as health, education, arts, environment, human services, and civic affairs.

Organizations that serve the needs of residents in Lackawanna County are encouraged to keep the Foundation informed of their programs and services and to share their ideas about addressing community needs and opportunities.

Innovative Impact Grants

Innovative Impact Grants seek to provide resources for a nonprofit or collaboration of nonprofits to make a measurable improvement in the region. These competitive grants are made to those nonprofits that are committed to new, innovative, transformational, and/or collaborative efforts to: carry out an important goal or address a specific challenge; become more impactful, effective, and sustainable in their work; achieve a greater impact in the community they serve; meet their personal missions.

About the Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation

At the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, we connect donors who care with causes that matter. A leader in charitable giving in the Lehigh Valley for more than 50 years, we receive support from donors, manage funds to grow over time, and make high-impact grants to strengthen local nonprofits. The Foundation manages more than 300 charitable funds, totaling over $80 million, and we continue to grow—both in size and in the ways we fulfill our mission. We are evolving to engage more deeply with partners, serve more effectively as a thought leader on community issues, and explore more innovative ways to make life better cross the Lehigh Valley.

Upper Bucks Community Foundation Fund of LVCF

The Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation offers funding to nonprofit organizations and programs serving the Upper Bucks area that include the Palisades, Pennridge, and Quakertown School Districts’ service area.

The Upper Bucks Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation consists primarily of two area-of-interest funds. The Richard E. Gasser Fund and Erwin J. and Gertrude K. Neusch Fund are for organizations and programs primarily serving the Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown School Districts in the Upper Bucks area. Recently added to Upper Bucks umbrella, The Bucks County Free Library Endowment Fund is an agency fund that benefits the seven-branch county library system with locations in Bensalem, Doylestown, Langhorne, Levittown, Perkasie, Quakertown, and Yardley-Makefield.

Richard E. Gasser Fund

This Fund provides grants to benefit programs, organizations, and residents in the Upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania, area. The grants are made to support programs and projects which enhance interest, education, and achievements in technology, science, and technology-related fields.

Erwin J. and Gertrude K. Neusch Fund

This Fund provides grants for charitable programs which benefit residents of Upper Bucks County, specifically those in the geographic area served by the Quakertown and Palisades School Districts. The programs of interest to the Neusch Fund are in visual, performing, and industrial arts; art education; agricultural education; and the conservation of rural life.

Areas of Support

Funds will support projects or programs in the following areas

• Visual Arts
• Performing Arts
• Industrial Arts
• Agricultural Education
• Conservation of rural life
• Science
• Technology

Legends & Lore Marker Grant Program

Does your community have a great piece of folklore that should be shared? Legends & Lore is designed to promote cultural tourism and commemorate legends and folklore as part of our heritage.

Generally speaking, folklore is the stories, customs, traditions, and expressive arts and crafts that are passed on from one person to another, often from generation to generation. Folklore is the knowledge that people share as members of a group or community. Our shared identities and sense of belonging are the result of shared traditions, stories, customs, and activities.

Legends & Folklore Guidelines

Successful Legends & Lore marker applications typically fall within three main categories:

Folktale- Fictional stories passed down about people or events not proven to have existed. (e.g. Thirteen Curves, Champy, Headless Horseman, Tramping Ground)

Legends- Stories passed down that are popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable. (e.g. John Henry, Grancer’s Ghost, Betsy’s Ride, Natty Bumppo, “Natty Bumppo”)

Folklife- Traditions such as music, skills, crafts, and events passed along within a community. Often involving real people that can be verified with primary sources. (e.g. “Goose Day,” The Arborglyphs, Dennis McGee, Herbs & Healing, Folk Singer)

Subjects which are not successful include:

• Historical events lacking a folkloric aspect
• Purely literary creations
• Personal/family folklore which does not extend to the greater community

Grants

The Weinberg Foundation’s grantmaking reflects the wishes of Harry and Jeanette Weinberg, as outlined in the Foundation’s charter, as well as the laws and public policy that govern private philanthropy in the United States and Israel.

Capital Grants

Capital grants fund the purchase, construction, and/or renovation of a building; the purchase of major equipment; home modifications for low-income homeowners; and select technology projects. To qualify for capital grant consideration, the proposed project must meet the following criteria:

• Specific, confirmed plans, including value-engineered drawings and confirmed total project costs.
• At least 50% of project costs have been raised (either pledged or received).
• Direct services provided as a result of the project should align with the Foundation’s funding priorities in its focus areas of Housing, Health, Jobs, Education, and Aging (detailed within each focus area page).
  • The Foundation’s charter also sets a threshold for the total funding that it can provide to any one capital project at a maximum of 30%.
  • However, grants are often approved for lower amounts.

Education

Education can help break the cycle of poverty. Providing high-quality academic and developmental opportunities helps young people build the skills they need to succeed in school and life.

Priorities

• College and Career Pathways: The Foundation supports programs that help youth (ages 11–21) meet key milestones and develop skills and introduce them to a wide variety of academic areas and careers, equipping them to graduate high school, complete postsecondary education or training, and build a career. Projects should have a proven record of fostering academic and postsecondary success, focus on creating paths to college completion or well-paying jobs, and prioritize young people in planning and decision-making.
• • Examples of appropriate projects:
    • Science, technology, engineering, art, and math programs in or outside of school that engage students in project-based learning, build technical skills, and provide real-world work experiences that result in college credit or come with stipends.
    • College access and completion programs that help students — in partnership with their families — identify aspirations, navigate the application and admissions process, and persist through graduation.
    • Programs that enable youth who are not in school or working to reengage in their education and community, develop skills, and get on a path to enter and complete postsecondary education or training.
    • Capital for labs, studios, and other facilities that provide the space and technology for young people to develop their skills and passions and support them on the path to college or careers.
• Academic Success and Opportunity: The Foundation supports programs that help middle and high school students stay on track to graduate with the skills they need to be successful, such as reading and math proficiency, and that provide advanced learning and enrichment opportunities for youth with limited access to such experiences. Projects must have an evidence-based academic component with demonstrated results.
  • Examples of appropriate projects:
    • Proven models that help students master core academic subjects (e.g., algebra) and foster successful transitions from middle to high school and to postsecondary education.
    • After-school, weekend, or summer programs that work with students for a minimum of six weeks over the summer and one year during the school year and blend academic learning with enriching activities to increase educational achievement, school attendance, and positive social behavior.
    • Programs that increase access to advanced learning opportunities that promote higher achievement and future success.
• Adolescent Health and Well-Being: The Foundation supports programs that bolster the physical and mental well-being of adolescents so they can fully engage in school and life.
  • Examples of appropriate projects:
    • Youth development programs grounded in sports that provide mentorship, academic support, and athletic competition.
    • Innovative programs that support the mental health and well-being of young people who face significant challenges, including LGBTQ+ youth and young people experiencing homelessness or who are not in school or working.
    • Capital for facilities to provide high-quality sports-based youth development programs.

Small Grants Program

Through the Small Grants Program (SGP), the Foundation supports nonprofits with a streamlined grant application and review process. Grants awarded under this program — operating, program, or capital — must still align with the Foundation’s strategic priorities in the areas of Housing, Health, Jobs, Education, or Aging. The maximum Small Grant amount is $50,000 over two years.

Education

Education can help break the cycle of poverty. Providing high-quality academic and developmental opportunities helps young people build the skills they need to succeed in school and life.

Priorities

• College and Career Pathways: The Foundation supports programs that help youth (ages 11–21) meet key milestones and develop skills and introduce them to a wide variety of academic areas and careers, equipping them to graduate high school, complete postsecondary education or training, and build a career. Projects should have a proven record of fostering academic and postsecondary success, focus on creating paths to college completion or well-paying jobs, and prioritize young people in planning and decision-making.
  • Examples of appropriate projects:
    • Science, technology, engineering, art, and math programs in or outside of school that engage students in project-based learning, build technical skills, and provide real-world work experiences that result in college credit or come with stipends.
    • College access and completion programs that help students — in partnership with their families — identify aspirations, navigate the application and admissions process, and persist through graduation.
    • Programs that enable youth who are not in school or working to reengage in their education and community, develop skills, and get on a path to enter and complete postsecondary education or training.
    • Capital for labs, studios, and other facilities that provide the space and technology for young people to develop their skills and passions and support them on the path to college or careers.
• Academic Success and Opportunity: The Foundation supports programs that help middle and high school students stay on track to graduate with the skills they need to be successful, such as reading and math proficiency, and that provide advanced learning and enrichment opportunities for youth with limited access to such experiences. Projects must have an evidence-based academic component with demonstrated results.
  • Examples of appropriate projects:
    • Proven models that help students master core academic subjects (e.g., algebra) and foster successful transitions from middle to high school and to postsecondary education.
    • After-school, weekend, or summer programs that work with students for a minimum of six weeks over the summer and one year during the school year and blend academic learning with enriching activities to increase educational achievement, school attendance, and positive social behavior.
    • Programs that increase access to advanced learning opportunities that promote higher achievement and future success.
• Adolescent Health and Well-Being: The Foundation supports programs that bolster the physical and mental well-being of adolescents so they can fully engage in school and life.
  • Examples of appropriate projects:
    • Youth development programs grounded in sports that provide mentorship, academic support, and athletic competition.
    • Innovative programs that support the mental health and well-being of young people who face significant challenges, including LGBTQ+ youth and young people experiencing homelessness or who are not in school or working.
    • Capital for facilities to provide high-quality sports-based youth development programs.

Operating Grants

Operating grants fund the overall operating costs of an organization.

About PCA

The PCA is a state agency under the Office of the Governor. The PCA's mission is to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of Pennsylvania's communities through the arts. By leveraging the immense potential of Pennsylvania's arts and cultural sector, the PCA supports jobs, builds community, inspires lifelong learning, promotes the commonwealth nationally and internationally, and sparks innovation.

Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Overview

Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) is a partnership between local organizations and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). Operating in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, PPA partners re-grant PCA funds to support a wide variety of local and community arts activities. PPA goals include:

• Expanding constituent access to the arts by (a) making arts programs available to communities that may have been underserved in the past by state arts funding, and (b) supporting a wide variety of arts activities in communities, developed in a variety of local settings.
• Encouraging and supporting local decision making in regranting of arts dollars.
• Increasing awareness of and advocacy for government support and funding for the arts at the local and state levels.
• Enabling the PCA to provide increased assistance to its broad constituency throughout the state.

Creative Sector Flex Fund

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is excited to introduce a new grant program, the Creative Sector Flex Fund (CSFF). The CSFF is designed to address the changing needs of dynamic PA arts organizations with average annual revenue between $10,000 – $200,000.

This grant program incorporates the current needs of the field by offering grantees the flexibility to use $5,000 grants in ways that ensure the most significant impact for their organizations and communities.

Application Review Process

PPA partner advisory panels evaluate them based on the following criteria:

• Community Value
  • Applicant demonstrates:
    • Artistic offerings that strengthen its community culturally, educationally, and/or economically.
    • Artists and artistic offerings and services involve and are meaningful to the community being served.
    • Relevant arts learning opportunities and creative endeavors for community members.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Value
  • Applicant demonstrates:
    • Apart from being audience members or beneficiaries, community members are central to the design of the applicant’s work.
    • Plans and action-oriented practices toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in ways that are relevant to the community, including efforts to reach new audiences.
• Stewardship Value
  • Applicant demonstrates:
    • Planning processes appropriate to its organization, mission, and goals.
    • Capacity to carry out programs and projects as planned.
    • Appropriate financial planning and oversight practices.

About Our Grants

Impact100 Philadelphia provides high-impact grants that support a nonprofit organization’s core mission. Our goal is to address unmet needs in the Philadelphia region and raise the profile of smaller nonprofit organizations. Impact100 grant funds may be spent on necessary infrastructure, staff salaries, primary programs or services, or other expenses that strengthen an organization and enhance its ability to do its core work. 

A central question in our application is Why now? We ask applicants why this juncture in particular is the time that a $100,000 grant will have a large impact on the organization.

Our Focus Areas are Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Family, and Health & Wellness.

Arts and Culture:

Promote, develop, and enhance artistic expression and creative thinking through culturally diverse art or art education, utilizing varied media and art forms such as exhibitions, performances, or some other method.

Education:

Teach, inform and educate individuals or specific groups, addressing equitable access to create or advance future opportunities for children and/or adults on a wide range of issues and causes.

Environment:

Improve, preserve, and protect community public spaces or natural resources providing equitable access while promoting a just, safe, healthy and sustainable world.

Family:

Strengthen and enhance the lives of children, older adults, and all families to achieve a better life and a healthy, secure future.

Health & Wellness:

Empower wellness as a way to strengthen and improve the mental and physical well-being of communities and people of all ages.

Mission

The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund brings our vision to life through grant-making efforts in three program areas: Education, Human Services, and Healthcare initiatives. We give priority to programs that have demonstrated success, have measurable outcomes and plans for sustainability, and aim to end cycles of poverty and suffering.

Resolute in our belief in the power of partnerships or collaborative efforts to maximize impact, we embrace opportunities to work with other funders in our program areas. We look for funding opportunities that share our philosophy and explore the possibility of joint projects with other nonprofit organizations.

Vision

To impact lives today, create sustainable change, and empower future generations to achieve their greatest potential.

Funding Focus

The Fund puts an emphasis on the building blocks that adults and children need to flourish. While many community efforts are important and enriching—including the arts, animal welfare, and civic life—the programs that are most likely to receive our support hone to our mission and vision of addressing the roots of poverty. In our community grantmaking, we look toward programs that address immediate needs and those that reach for long-term impact in the lives of vulnerable families and individuals.

Education Initiatives

Education makes all the difference. It is the most powerful point of departure for children struggling with poverty, community disruption, family stress, or failure. It’s the prerequisite for most long-lived careers that provide sustainable wages.

Through our grant-making in five geographic regions, the McGowan Fund focuses on innovative programs that show measurable improvement in addressing achievement gaps, improving teaching and learning, and reducing disparities among students.

Areas of support in this initiative include:

• Out-of-school Programs
• Charter, faith-based, and alternative schools
• Scholarships for high potential students in private education.

Human Services Initiatives

The cycles of poverty and homelessness can seem intractable. Homelessness decreases access to food, health, and work and this limited availability in turn hinders access to long-term housing. Recognizing the complexity and dependencies of the problem, the Fund focuses on projects that address basic human needs and stabilize individuals and families.

Areas of support in this initiative include:  

• Stabilized Housing
• Food/Clothing Security
• Adult Education (e.g. ESL, Financial Literacy, GED Attainment)
• Homelessness Remediation/Prevention

Healthcare Initiatives

Lack of healthcare can be a barrier to work, education, and a family’s mobility out of poverty. We fund programs that seek to remove this barrier by providing quality care to those who may not have other care options.

Areas of support in this initiative include:

• Primary Care
• Dental/Vision
• Mental Health Services
• Pharmacy

Vision and Focus Areas

We commit to creating a vibrant, equitable and just Pittsburgh region that supports everyone – regardless of race, identity or circumstance – to thrive and fulfill their potential.

Under our strategic plan, we strive to strengthen our focus on community and the positive impact that can be achieved through our grantmaking. Our current areas of focus are: Basic Needs, Equity and Social Justice, Arts and Culture, Economic Mobility and Environmental Action. From time to time, we have special grant-making opportunities related to specific regions or to issues such as juvenile justice or senior care. 

The Pittsburgh Foundation is committed to helping the communities we serve become equitable and vibrant places where everyone can thrive. We align our grantmaking with resident’s dreams for themselves, their families and their communities and prioritize support in the five focus areas listed below.

Basic Needs

We seek to improve the stability of low-income people by supporting direct assistance to obtain food, housing, health care, mental health supports, child care, education and employment.

Across our basic needs grantmaking, we are committed to expanding knowledge of, improving access to, and improving coordination among local resources and human services.

• Food Access: We seek to support programs and services that assist low-income individuals and families to obtain enough food.
• Child Care: We seek to ensure equitable access to quality child care.
• Education: We strive to ensure access to high-quality in-class education as well as culturally-responsive,  out-of-school time programs.
• Mental and Physical Health: We aim to support the mental and physical health needs of residents by ensuring access to quality, affordable and culturally responsive services.
• Housing: We seek to support or fill gaps in a county-wide eviction prevention system, and help support those living in transitional housing and/or facing unexpected loss of housing.
• Employment: We seek to support youth and adults who experience significant barriers to employment.

Equity and Social Justice

We seek to support civic participation and community organizing to achieve policy changes.

Our equity and social justice grantmaking places strong emphasis on leadership by individuals who have been directly impacted by systemic injustice, as we believe that they are best positioned to propose solutions that remove barriers that impeded their ability to thrive.

• Civic Participation
  • Voter Engagement: We seek to support the ability of the nonprofit sector to engage historically underrepresented populations and communities that have documented low voter turnout.
  • Access to Information: We seek to support public media  outlets and other platforms that produce professional, regionally focused, fact-based news coverage and information.
• Community-Driven Solutions
  • Protect Basic Needs:  We seek to support grassroots organizations and resident-informed initiatives that address barriers that prevent families from being able to meet their basic needs and thrive.
  • End Mass Incarceration:  We seek to uplift and provide resources for community-led efforts to change policies and practices that result in over-policing and over-incarceration.
  • Youth Justice:  We are interested in supporting intervention and prevention activities that support youth who have any involvement with the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

Environmental Action

We seek to protect the health of our communities and the preservation of our environment.

Our environmental action grantmaking prioritizes support for projects, initiatives and collaborations that center communities in environmental decision-making and amplify the intersectional nature of working to protect the health of our communities and the preservation of our environment. We recognize that environmental issues span beyond geographic borders. While we will continue to prioritize projects serving residents of Allegheny County, we will also consider on a case-by-case basis projects that work across the southwest Pennsylvania 12-county region.

• Equitable Access to Land, Water, and Air: To promote equitable access to land, air and water, we seek to support community-centered conservation and stewardship of natural resources.
• Learning and Action: We seek to address the harms of chronic pollution and mitigate future impacts, translate research into action to protect the health of communities and their environments and support resident voice in environmental decision-making in their communities.

Arts and Culture

We seek to strengthen small-to-mid-sized arts organizations and support individual artists by fostering a diverse, healthy and just arts ecosystem. 

• Small-to-Mid-Sized Arts Organizations: Small and Mid-Size Arts Organizations face disparities in their ability to access resources.
• Support for Careers and Lives of Individual Artists: Through this funding to individual artists, the Foundation hopes that the Pittsburgh region will be exposed to the breadth of human experience and the unparalleled talent the region has to offer.

Economic Mobility

We seek to reduce the wealth gap in Allegheny County.

• Access to Post-Secondary Education: We seek to support programs that enable students to earn college credit while in high school; admissions navigation support and academic and financial counseling; re-engagement strategies for students who have stopped attending school; and supports for non-traditional students.
• Career Advancement: We are interested in supporting organizations that offer technology training with career potential. 
• Entrepreneurship: We are interested in efforts to increase entrepreneurship.
• Homeownership: In 2025, applications for the Homeownership focus area will be by invitation only.

Types of Grants

Recognizing that nonprofits need flexible support that allows them to adapt to changing community needs, we offer applicants the opportunity to apply for two types of grant support:

• Project/Program Support:  Funds are used to develop and/or implement a specific set of programmatic activities. These grants are usually time-bound and aimed at achieving specific goals and milestones.
• General Operating Support: Funds can be used at the discretion of the organization to cover any costs necessary to carry out its mission. This means that the grant award can be used to cover day-to-day activities or ongoing expenses such as administrative salaries, rent and office supplies, etc., as well as for program costs, software and hardware purchases, and professional development

Our Priorities

We will prioritize funding for organizations that reflect one or more of the following:

• Primarily serve communities disproportionately impacted by poverty.
• Have a demonstrated commitment to addressing the historical and present-day impact of social injustices on the specific communities it serves.
• Have an established history in the communities in which it works.
• Are representative of the communities it serves, including but not limited to, leadership and staff who have lived experience in the community issues that it addresses.
• Meaningfully integrate the experience and perspectives of the communities that it serves in the design, implementation, evaluation and/or decision-making process for its strategies and/or programs.

Funding

Generally, grants will be awarded for no more than two years due to limited availability of funds. One-year grants generally range from $10,000 to $75,000. Two-year grants will generally not exceed $150,000.

In limited situations, proposals that align with one or more of our grantmaking focus areas and with grantmaking priorities, and that clearly demonstrate the need and potential impact, may be considered for a larger grant. Organization leaders should have a conversation with a program officer before submitting a request for more than $150,000.

Mission Statement

The Sheila Fortune Foundation was formed in 1998 by Sheila Fortune to promote the interests of at-risk youths by providing them the opportunity to experience and participate in educational activities through the arts. 

The Foundation holds the philosophy that many youths from all backgrounds and experiences are gifted but need a medium and the opportunity to express and develop their talents. In accordance with its philosophy and the resources available to the Foundation, it has initially established the following guidelines for its activities.

• The Foundation will identify organizations which are familiar with at-risk youths and provide the youths with a stabilized setting, and the Foundation will grant support in order to enable these organizations to develop and administer programs promoting the interests and abilities of these youths in the arts.
• The scope of arts programs is not intended to be limited to any particular programs but could include interests in theatre, dance, painting, music, film and photography.
• The Foundation will defer to other organizations as to the identification, intervention, and the immediate or long-term physical and emotional needs of these youths.

Background

Mid Atlantic Arts was established to promote and support multi-state arts programming in a region that includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is one of six regional arts organizations in the United States, and works in close partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and its member state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Mid Atlantic Arts distinguishes itself through its work in international cultural exchange, model programs in performing arts touring, its knowledge and presence in the jazz field, and its support of folk and traditional arts.

Mission

Mid Atlantic Arts nurtures and funds the creation and presentation of diverse artistic expression and connects people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond.

Vision

Mid Atlantic Arts envisions a future in which artists and creators are actively engaged with diverse communities to energize the transformative power of the arts.

Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Grant

Mid Atlantic Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects that support the vitality of traditional arts and cultures in the mid-Atlantic region.

Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects that support the vitality of traditional arts and cultures in the mid-Atlantic region. Non-profit organizations in DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, USVI, PR, or WV may apply for $1,000 to $7,000 grants. A 1:1 match is required.

Eligible project activities may include performances, public art collaborations, workshops/trainings, exhibitions, fieldwork/documentation, and creation of new traditional work. Mid Atlantic Arts encourages projects that cross state/territory borders, as well as projects that support or engage underserved or underrepresented artists, practitioners, traditions, or constituents.

Grant support range: $1,000 – $7,000

As a family foundation in Pittsburgh, PA, our philanthropic traditions are well rooted in our continued support of organizations that foster transformative programs which best serve the local community as a whole in the areas of arts and culture, education, environmental, health and medical, human services, and religion.

Even though the Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation encompasses many broad areas of concern, or categories, there is no one area deemed more important than the next. Nevertheless, the Foundation has found it beneficial underwriting grants that are tangible in nature or serve a higher number of individuals within the community and surrounding areas. The Foundation continually aids organizations that are endlessly striving to serve the community in various ways such as improving social conditions, expanding education, and working to better the environment.

Category Definitions

The Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation’s Board of Directors has designated several areas of concern comprised of specific intentions.

• Arts/Culture: Performing arts, humanities, media and communications, multipurpose museums, public broadcasting, and historical preservations.
• Education: Promotional programs for elementary, secondary and vocational systems, colleges/universities, graduate programs, adult and multipurpose libraries.
• Environmental: Support of natural resources, beautification programs, pollution control, environmental education, and horticultural/botanical programs.
• Health/Medical: Rural health care, crisis intervention, special programs in health centers, and prevention/treatment of specific diseases.
• Human Services: Youth development and recreation, disaster relief, employment training/ placement, multipurpose agencies, and abuse prevention.
• Religion: The theological education and ecumenical programs as well as the mission of many churches, synagogues, and religious charities.
• Miscellaneous: Because every grant cannot be included into a category, the Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation permits grants for animal welfare, community development, sports, camps, fire and police departments and economic development as miscellaneous grants.  

Forman Family Fund Grants

The Nessa Forman, David Forman, Eleanor and Solomon Forman Family Fund -- a Designated Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation -- supports Southeastern Pennsylvania nonprofits serving young people aged 11 to 18 offering in-school or out-of-school-time programs that address one of the following areas:

• Photography
• Architectural Drawing and Architecture
• Written Arts

Up to 10 grants of no more than $40,000 each will be awarded annually. The fund was established through the estate of Nessa R. Forman, former V.P. for Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at WHYY and former Arts and Leisure Editor of the Philadelphia Bulletin. She was a passionate advocate for arts education.

Types of Projects Funded

• Direct program expenses
• Staff time
• Materials and supplies
• Indirect expenses (up to 15% to total grant amount)
• Transportation, meals and field trips for participants

Art Works

Founded in 2021 by Forman Arts Initiative and Philadelphia Foundation, Art Works is a joint $3 million grant program designed to support Philadelphia arts and cultural organizations and artists working in partnership with BIPOC and other underserved communities.

Art Works accepts applications from local cultural nonprofit (or fiscally sponsored) organizations with annual operating budgets between $250,000 and $5 million as well as individual artists with a commitment to incorporating community perspectives into their work.

• Four Philadelphia-based artists will be selected annually to receive two-year grants of $25,000 per year. Grants can be used freely by artists. Some artists may wish to use the grant to support the development of new work while others may use it to pay for living or studio expenses. Artists will be chosen based on how closely their work aligns with Art Works’ programmatic goals.
• Four community-based organizations will be selected annually to receive two-year, unrestricted grants ranging from $75,000-$150,000.  Organizations will be chosen based on how closely their work aligns with Art Works‘ programmatic goals.

In addition to the awarded funds, all grantees will have access to experiential professional development workshops and pro bono professional consulting services designed to provide strategic and tactical support on a range of topics including legal, marketing, communications, budgeting and finance, among others.

Art Works also provides grantees the opportunity to host co-operative education students from Drexel University to support programs and operations.

These placements, administered by Drexel’s Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships, are designed to provide students with meaningful work experience in the arts and culture sector. 

Mission

The Detwiler Family Foundation invests in local organizations to enrich and improve the lives of children in our community. We strive to serve children dealing with difficult life challenges by facilitating access to education and the arts.

Improving The Lives Of Children In Our Communities

The Detwiler Family Foundation invests in local organizations to enrich the lives of children in our community who are dealing with difficult life challenges. We strive to support projects and programs that improve the health, safety and welfare of children with a focus on facilitating access to education and the arts.

The foundation focuses on creating a local impact by serving specific communities in the United States. We believe in the power of community investment and strive to build relationships with organizations that directly impact the areas near where we live and work.

Areas of Service

The Detwiler Family Foundation supports organizations that enrich the lives of children and families though programing that focuses on the following areas of service:

• Children and Families Experiencing Food/Housing Insecurity
• Children in need of Mental Health/Medical Services
• Education and After School Programming for Disadvantaged Children
• Children with Disabilities
• Arts and Cultural Programs Benefiting Children Experiencing Trauma 

Organizations may apply for a grant to support specific projects or programs that will enhance the organizations ability to serve the children in our communities.

Grants

The Detwiler Family Foundation has defined a grant structure that reflects our commitment to our local communities. We award several grants a year to organizations that further our mission.

Project Grants (75%): The Detwiler Family Foundation accepts applications for Project Grants on a rolling basis. Funding applications should be for programming in one of the following categories:

• The Arts
• Education/Literacy
• Community Resource Improvement

Matching Grants (25%); The foundation supports successful fundraising through our Matching Program. Organizations with ongoing fundraising efforts may apply for funds that are conditional on the success of other efforts.