Search Through Bucks County Grants for Nonprofits in Pennsylvania

Grants

Social impact organizations and leaders often need early investors and additional resources such as thought partnership to try new ways of tackling emerging or persistent problems. They need to be able to take risks, test hypotheses and challenge assumptions.

The Catalyst Fund is Barra’s core grantmaking program.

These grants provide early-stage dollars that enable an organization to test an idea that might not work—yet. Since 1963, we have provided this type of risk capital to nonprofits in the region that are aiming to test a new idea, assess the results, learn from them and share those lessons with others in an effort to advance knowledge and inspire transformative change that strengthens communities.

The Catalyst Fund provides grants that act as risk capital for early-stage, bold approaches that have the potential to result in outsized impact and thriving, equitable communities.

Our Areas of Interest

Our four areas of interest—Arts & Culture, Education, Health and Human Services—help us organize our grantmaking, but we recognize possible overlaps and resist making them rigid lines of work. These areas of interest collectively contribute to creating a stronger and more vibrant community. As such, all projects and initiatives supported by Barra should aim to improve the lives of under-resourced individuals, families and communities.

The Catalyst Fund

There are proven models and best practices that work. And then there are intractable and emerging problems that require a different approach, imagination and fresh, bold thinking.

The Catalyst Fund supports early-stage, novel approaches that have the potential to result in durable, transformative and equitable change, particularly in under-resourced communities.

These timely early-stage Catalyst Fund ideas should:

• Address a precisely defined and timely problem or opportunity
• Demonstrate a break from existing practice
• Be informed by the people most affected by the issue being addressed
• Create outsized impact for communities
• Have the potential to inspire deep change in a field, sector, region or system
• Address the needs of under-resourced communities and/or needs for a vibrant cultural sector in the Greater Philadelphia region
• Stem from a shift in underlying assumptions, often built upon new or emerging evidence or arguments; or, a shift in cultural/social awareness

Connelly Foundation Grant

Inspired by our Catholic heritage, the mission of the Connelly Foundation is to create access for those in need and opportunity for those with vision.

Since its founding in 1955, the Connelly Foundation has been a responsive and proactive grantmaking organization awarding grants to nonprofits in the Philadelphia area that demonstrate outstanding performance in meeting community needs.

Focus Areas

To achieve its mission to create access for those in need and opportunity for those with vision, the Connelly Foundation provides grants toward costs associated with programs, direct services, general operations, and capital projects to nonprofit organizations and institutions working in the following fields:

Education: Promoting Access to and Excellence in PreK-12 Catholic Education 

The Connelly Foundation is committed to helping Philadelphia-area Catholic schools thrive. The Foundation’s grantmaking and signature education initiatives prioritize: 

• Programs that support or improve the academic quality of local Catholic schools 
• Investments in talent that attract, develop, and retain high-quality teachers and leaders in schools and systems 
• Efforts for strategic improvement around enrollment growth and financial sustainability 
• Strategies to increase access to a high-quality Catholic education.

Human Services: Essential Needs and a Path to Stability

The Connelly Foundation’s Human Services grantmaking reflects the compassion of our Founders, John and Josephine Connelly, and their respect for human dignity. Inspired by our Catholic heritage, we seek to alleviate urgent, basic needs through access to food, emergency shelter, clothing, and critical home repair. We strive to create pathways to stability and independence through investments in youth and workforce development.

• Our Human Services Funding Priorities:
  • Basic Needs: Alleviating urgent needs through access to food, emergency shelter, clothing, and critical home repair
  • Investing in Youth: Supporting evidence-based or outcome-focused youth out-of-school time programs
  • Workforce development: Creating pathways to sustainable employment and stability through foundational skill building, entrepreneurship, and workforce development programs

Culture & Civic Life: Rewarding Destinations that Inspire 

In a region where civic and cultural opportunities abound, the primary focus of our "investment" in the arts is to support access and the development and delivery of educational programs.

Grants are awarded to organizations that strive to engage a broad audience and bridge cultural boundaries.  

The Foundation seeks to identify and support sites and projects that provide a deep appreciation of Philadelphia's rich heritage. 

Criteria 

• The degree to which the proposal directly addresses and furthers the Connelly Foundation’s objectives and goals .
• The significance of the problem or need addressed by the proposed program .
• The overall quality of the proposal and whether the organization has made a convincing case that funding to the organization will facilitate more effective and efficient service delivery to constituents
• The history and stability of the organization with regard to board, management, and financial support
• The organization’s track record, prior accomplishments and unique role in providing service to its specific constituencies
• The reasonableness of the prepared budget

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

Our Mission

Quest for the Best® strives for a better tomorrow by providing funds and/or services to those who are committed to strengthening the common good of mankind.

The legal professionals of Quest for the Best® provide business and transactional legal services to organizations recognized as tax exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code serving the disadvantaged and enhancing the quality of life in Pennsylvania.

We do not undertake litigation, criminal or intellectual property matters. Each request is reviewed individually, and Quest for the Best® reserves the right to determine if we will accept a matter after review of all facts provided.

Grantmaking Criteria

We consider requests for funding that meet the overall mission and goals of Quest for the Best.

These include initiatives that:

• Include plans for long-term sustainability
• Have secured co-funding
• Support specific programs, projects and equipment

Focus

We focus on the following areas: police and nurse training, education for underserved communities, funding for wildlife and environmental conservation, and humanitarianism, specifically clean water, homelessness, hunger, and support for those suffering through the opioid epidemic.

Our Mission

Quest for the Best® strives for a better tomorrow by providing funds and/or services to those who are committed to strengthening the common good of mankind.

The legal professionals of Quest for the Best® provide legal services to Pennsylvania organizations recognized as tax exempt or seeking tax exempt status under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, with priority offered to nonprofit organizations located in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

We do not undertake litigation, criminal or intellectual property matters. Each request is reviewed individually, and Quest for the Best® reserves the right to determine if we will accept a matter after review of all facts provided.

Legal Services Grants

With over a century of combined experience, the attorneys and paralegal at Quest for the Best® are prepared to serve your nonprofit with all its legal needs.

Incorporation Assistance.

• Name Search
• Incorporation
• Obtain Tax ID Number
• Draft By-Laws

Tax Exempt Assistance

• Assist with 501(c)(3) Application
• Sales Tax Exemption Application

Employment

• Personnel Manuals and Policies
• Employment Contracts
• Laws on Hiring

General Legal Consultation

• Charitable Registration Guidance
• Contract Review
• Board of Directors’ Roles and Responsibilities
• Develop Policies and Procedures

Pennsylvania Grant Opportunities

The PPL Foundation empowers communities by supporting student success from cradle to career; advancing diversity, equity and inclusion; and promoting the development of vibrant and sustainable communities.

The PPL Foundation’s grant programs provide grants up to $50,000 to support education, workforce development and community revitalization initiatives.

Energizing Education Grants

Supporting equitable and engaging high-quality educational opportunities for all students, these grants fund programs focused on:

• STEM (with a focus on programs that inspires students to pursue careers in the energy industry)
• Literacy and summer learning
• College and career readiness

Independence Public Media Foundation

The Independence Public Media Foundation connects creators, industry experts, community organizations, and philanthropists to support community-driven media-making and storytelling. We’re committed to transforming the Greater Philadelphia region into a hub for community-owned media, redefining the role of community in philanthropy, and evolving to best meet the needs of the people we serve.

Community Voices Fund

About the Fund

Independence Public Media Foundation's (IPMF) Community Voices Fund supports creative, community-centered media and media-making across Greater Philadelphia..

Grant Awards

The Community Voices Fund will award one-year, non-renewable project grants at three different amounts:

• Level 1: $10,000
  • Typically geared toward new or smaller-scale projects, community engagement, or experimentation.
• Level 2: $20,000
  • Generally seeks to support larger-scale projects or collaborations that result in innovative media that builds stronger networks and collective power.
• Level 3: $30,000
  • Will support existing programs to expand, evolve, or deepen their work focused on movement building or new, larger-scale projects that result in innovative media that builds stronger networks and collective power.

Please consider what level of funding works best for your proposed project and the scale of the work. Proposals will only be considered for the level of funding you request, so be sure to make a strong case for that tier and your project's budget. Historically, the average Community Voices grant has been $20,000. 

The Black Community Leaders Fund fortifies Black-led nonprofit organizations serving Black communities in Greater Philadelphia. The goal is to build the resilience of Black-led nonprofits serving Black communities, ensuring they have stable leadership, operations and finances so they are better able to respond to and rebound from unexpected challenges. The Fund defines a Black-led nonprofit organization as having a chief executive or board chair who identifies as Black and a demonstrated commitment to Black leadership throughout the organization. Black-serving organizations meet the needs of a predominately Black constituency (51% or more).The Fund supports:

• Greater stability in nonprofit internal leadership, finances and operations;
• Stronger capability of nonprofits to assess their impact on communities served; and
• Broader ability of nonprofits to weather challenges.

Ultimately, Black-led, Black-serving nonprofits will be adequately resourced to deliver services to residents, contributing to a more vibrant, equitable Greater Philadelphia.

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

Overview

Pennsylvania has two coastal areas: 112 miles of coastline along the Delaware Estuary and 77 miles of coastline along Lake Erie:

• Delaware Estuary – Lies within Bucks, Philadelphia and Delaware counties. The coastal zone also contains islands, marshes and shorelands of tributary streams that are tidally influenced. The combined facilities of the Delaware Estuary comprise the largest freshwater port in the world. 
• Lake Erie – Located within Erie County and includes the shorelines of major tributaries. The coastal zone also extends to the middle of the lake, to the boundary with Canada and inland an average of 1.4 miles. The Lake also contains Presque Isle Bay and is one of the state ports for international shipping. 

In order to safeguard these resources from future adverse impacts, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, acting through the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), developed a unified approach to act as trustee to conserve and maintain the natural resources of Pennsylvania’s coastal regions known as the Pennsylvania Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). The CZMP was finalized and approved in September 1980, under the authority of the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce. DEP’s Compacts and Commissions Office manages the Coastal Resources Management (CRM) Program in the two defined coastal areas within Pennsylvania.

As a result of the adopted CZMP, annual grants are provided to DEP by the Office for Coastal Management (OCM), NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Grant awards are used to implement the CRM Program and provide a grant-in-aid program if sufficient funds permit. Monies are dispersed to fund projects within the coastal zone and coastal non-point pollution boundaries, such as planning, design, engineering, education, outreach, construction, acquisition and research as authorized by Section 306A of the CZMA, as amended. 

Coastal Zone Focus Areas 

Program policies were developed to further the goals and objectives of the CRM Program: 

Primary Focus Areas 

• Coastal Hazard Areas: Includes Lake Erie bluff recession, shoreline erosion, wave action and coastal flooding, including flooding from projected sea level rise and storm surge.
• Fisheries Management: Involves activities supporting ecologically and economically important fisheries and their habitats.
• Wetlands: Involves the protection, enhancement, and creation of coastal wetlands to maintain benefits for wildlife habitat, flood control, water quality, water flow stabilization and environmental diversity (biodiversity).
• Public access for recreation: : Includes efforts to meet the public need for boating, fishing, birding, walking, picnicking, sightseeing and other recreational pursuits associated with waterfronts.
• Historic sites and structures: Preservation, restoration and enhancement of coastally significant historic sites and structures within the coastal zones.
• Port activities: Development and enhancement of coastal port infrastructure.
• Energy facilities siting: Proper siting of energy-producing facilities to protect fragile coastal ecosystems.
• Intergovernmental coordination: Includes intergovernmental efforts to protect Pennsylvania’s coastal resources, especially the quality of air and water.
• Public involvement: Increase awareness, provide information and create opportunities for public participation in a variety of coastal issues.
• Ocean resources/biodiversity:  Includes efforts directed toward the research, study, and/or management of non-native (invasive) aquatic or terrestrial plant and/or animal species.

Activities that protect coastal waters from nonpoint source pollution resulting from marinas and recreational boating, urban activities, hydro-modifications, agriculture and other nonpoint sources are eligible for funding.

Project Eligibility

CZ grants may be applied to a wide variety of studies, plans, designs, research, acquisition and construction projects pertaining to one or more of the established program policies, which guide the competitive selection process.

Examples of some typical project proposals are as follows: 

• Efforts to educate the public regarding issues of environmental protection, non-point source water pollution, protection of coastal resources or efforts to promote such action to the public. 
• Preparation or revision of local comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, sub-division regulations and special ordinances containing provisions in support of CRM Program policies. 
• Plans, studies or other projects to improve port facilities and infrastructure, future use of coastal ports or providing public access for recreational use of docks, piers and wharves. 
• Improving resource management and environmental protection programs at the state or local level, including disseminating information or providing technical assistance to coastal communities and the public. 
• Plans, studies or projects that enhance economic development within the coastal zone, including activities to help economically revitalize under-used coastal and/or port facilities.
• Studies for interpretation and enhancement of coastal features and habitats and restoration and preservation of historic coastal sites and structures. 
• Land acquisition of coastal properties, including real estate appraisals, to improve or provide for public recreational access or open-space preservation.
• Preparation of designs, engineering plans and specifications for coastal recreational sites owned or legally controlled by a ‘government’ applicant. 
• Low-cost (defined by NOAA as no more than a total project cost of $400,000) construction projects for recreational access facilities or for rehabilitating significant historic buildings and structures located within the designated coastal zones. *Note: rehabilitation work on buildings and structures should be supported by a structural feasibility study, architectural assessment, engineering plans or similar planning products included as part of the application. If awarded, grantee must wait for NEPA approval from NOAA and notification from DEP. 

A $75,000 grant limit is generally imposed on any single project. Applicants with proposals requesting more than $75,000 in grant funding should discuss funding alternatives with CRMP staff before submitting an application.

Project Requirements

• Be environmentally sound and consistent with current state, regional, county and local ordinances and plans. 
• Obtain applicable federal, state and local permits and/or approvals for all construction projects before any construction may commence.
• Obtain concurrence of any municipal government whose approval is required for project implementation, via letter of support or resolution, if the applicant is a non-governmental agency.
• Benefit the public at large and may not be for the purpose of private gain, benefit or profits.
• Be made available and useful to all members of the general public; therefore cannot be for exclusive use of any particular group of persons.
• Be accessible to persons in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
• Be constructed on public property and open to the public.

Our Mission

The William Penn Foundation is committed to expanding access to resources and opportunities that promote a more vital and just city and region for all.

Arts and Culture Programming

WPF aims to support projects and programs that connect more Philadelphians to high-quality arts and culture experiences, reflect the cultural diversity of the region, and contribute to its vibrancy. We are most interested in prioritizing performances, exhibitions, and other arts and culture projects in which participants see themselves and their communities and experience joy, affirmation, and a sense of belonging.

We are requesting proposals for 1-3-year projects that will increase opportunities for people across the region to engage with a range of high-quality arts and culture experiences. This funding opportunity is for activities beginning in or after February next year and will focus on inclusive and equitable opportunities shaped by deep and enduring community relationships. Project teams will be deeply rooted in the community they seek to serve and have a history of inclusive and community-centered practices. After reviewing proposals, WPF will conduct site visits and gather additional information from a limited number of applicants.

Applicants that propose projects in partnership with other applicants will be considered on their individual merits. The Foundation recognizes that making significant progress on the objective is difficult and values partnerships that leverage complementary strengths, resources, and expertise for the mutual benefit of the applicants and their communities.

Objective

This specific Request for Proposals (RFP) was created to help organizations to advance the following objective:

• Provide access to arts and culture experiences that are intentionally designed to engage a community or audience.

Arts and culture programs, projects, and experiences can provide a wealth of benefits for individuals and communities. By participating in experiences and programming that are designed for them – whether performances, exhibitions, or hands-on opportunities to make art – we believe that people across the region will experience joy, beauty, and deeper appreciation for different cultures. To ensure more Philadelphians connect to arts and culture, we are supporting dynamic projects that seek to create culturally relevant and accessible ways for people across the region to engage with arts, culture, and their communities.

The Foundation recognizes there are many ways that organizations and communities can contribute to advancing this objective. A project may focus on any or multiple artistic disciplines and include a range of activities as long as those activities provide access to high-quality arts and culture experiences that center equity, inclusion, and the needs, interests, and experiences of its intended beneficiaries. Proposals may have a small geographic focus or may seek to provide programming on a citywide scale.

Funding

WPF has a total of $3 million available to advance this objective at this time. WPF values diverse approaches from various organizations and communities to address the objective. We aim to attract and fund a range of projects. There is no minimum or maximum amount of funding that projects may request but the most competitive proposals will likely be those with total grant requests under $600,000 (for 3 years). The grant amount requested should be proportionate with the scope of the project and the contribution that the project will make to the overall objective.

Education & Leadership Impact Grants

BLBB Charitable considers requests for operating support, project support, and capacity building (including sustainability and strategic planning, program planning and growth, leadership or professional development, or staff training) in the following areas:

• College Access & Post-Secondary Opportunities:
  • BLBB Charitable supports programs that assist disadvantaged youth and their families in navigating the college application process. We also back initiatives offering innovative or alternative post-secondary opportunities, particularly for young people who may benefit from options beyond the traditional four-year college model. Furthermore, we fund career and leadership development opportunities for youth, including formal internship and leadership programs.
• Economic Self-Sufficiency:
  • Programs that work deeply with individuals over time to break the cycle of poverty on an individual level impacting the community and future generations. We particularly focus on programs that work with family systems and intergenerational stability.
• K-12 Educational Opportunities:
  • Youth Development & Leadership: programs focused on youth from middle through high school that provide academic enrichment, character, and leadership development. We prioritize organizations that remove barriers to success for disadvantaged youth, or provide life-changing opportunities, experiences, or connections that allow them to flourish.
    • The preference is for programs that maintain connections over a longer period of time and have the potential to change a participant’s life trajectory in a positive way.
  • K-12 Independent Schools: programs that focus on strengthening independent schools and their sustainability in our region, or support students’ educational pathways through teacher professional development, innovative teaching models, or special programs or curricula.
• Local Environmental Education Opportunities:
  • Organizations located in eastern Montgomery County and Bucks County that focus on educating youth and local communities about nature and environmental issues. These organizations work to increase awareness and understanding of our natural surroundings and environmental challenges within our region.

Policies

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust is a private foundation which makes grants primarily for three specific purposes. With few exceptions, grants are limited to organizations within Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties as well as the City of Camden, New Jersey.

Mission

Ensuring basic human needs, supplementing higher education scholarships, supporting maritime education/maritime heritage preservation, and enabling basic medical research in the areas of heart disease, cancer and AIDS.

Vision

Helping organizations and individuals achieve their goals, 

Basic Needs

The Trust awards grants to nonprofits that provide direct assistance to those in our community who are in need of food, clothing or shelter. We prioritize requests that benefit disadvantaged and vulnerable children and older adults who reside within the five county Greater Philadelphia region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties) or the City of Camden, NJ. The Trust monitors basic needs trends in the region to help us reassess and adjust our grantmaking.

W. W. Smith funds efforts to provide food, clothing, or shelter assistance for children and older adults in the five-county Greater Philadelphia area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia counties) or the City of Camden, NJ.

Funding Duration & Award Size

• Grants are awarded for a one (1) year term.
• Organizations that receive three (3) consecutive years of funding must then wait two (2) years before being eligible to reapply. We make this determination based on the calendar year of your notice of award.
• The minimum award is $5,000.
• There is no maximum award limit. Grants typically range from $10,000 to $40,000. Higher-dollar awards are possible for certain projects. Please contact the Grant Administrator when planning your grant request amount.

Our Mission

The mission of the Bucks County Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for residents of the county by stimulating philanthropic opportunity and developing long-term financial assets to meet a wide range of the community’s charitable needs.

Grantmaking Priorities

Each year, Bucks County Foundation (BCF) awards grants to nonprofit organizations from its discretionary funds through a competitive grantmaking process. This process is steeped in community knowledge, relying on the contributions of foundation staff and trustees, along with a broad and diverse group of ambassadors. BCF’s grantmaking priorities underscore its mission to enhance the quality of life for residents of Bucks County.

BCF seeks grants that work to:

• Identify community concerns and interests and initiate creative approaches to addressing these needs.
• Promote solutions that address the causes of community problems, with emphasis on supporting underserved and disadvantaged people.
• Encourage innovative projects that favor collaborative efforts among community groups or organizations, to address unmet needs.
• Respect individual concerns in seeking community solutions.

Competitive Grants

These grants are awarded twice a year through a competitive grant process. Nonprofits serving Bucks County, PA may apply.  There are two grant cycles.

Our Mission

The mission of the Bucks County Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for residents of the county by stimulating philanthropic opportunity and developing long-term financial assets to meet a wide range of the community’s charitable needs.

Grantmaking Priorities

Each year, Bucks County Foundation (BCF) awards grants to nonprofit organizations from its discretionary funds through a competitive grantmaking process. This process is steeped in community knowledge, relying on the contributions of foundation staff and trustees, along with a broad and diverse group of ambassadors. BCF’s grantmaking priorities underscore its mission to enhance the quality of life for residents of Bucks County.

BCF seeks grants that work to:

• Identify community concerns and interests and initiate creative approaches to addressing these needs.
• Promote solutions that address the causes of community problems, with emphasis on supporting underserved and disadvantaged people.
• Encourage innovative projects that favor collaborative efforts among community groups or organizations, to address unmet needs.
• Respect individual concerns in seeking community solutions.

Impact Bucks Grant

This grant opportunity is supported by BLBB Charitable, Bucks County Foundation and Foundations Community Partnership. Each partner is contributing equally to the IMPACT grant, providing a $75,000 grant award opportunity.

The IMPACT Bucks grant is designed to support nonprofits that are committed to creating safe, healthy, and thriving communities by improving economic self-sufficiency and opportunity for socially and/or economically disadvantaged people.

Goals

The Visionary Leadership Fund is a separate endowment managed by the Valentine Foundation. Created in 2005, this endowment provides a dedicated source of funding for leadership development for women executives and aspiring leaders in organizations that improve the lives of women and girls in the Greater Philadelphia region. The Fund for Visionary Leadership enhances these organizations and creates positive social change by making valuable leadership training accessible to those working in the non-profit sector with the goals of:

• Supporting the Effectiveness of Current Women Leaders
• Developing the Next Generation of Women Leaders
• Fostering a Community of Women Leaders

The Valentine Foundation envisions a society in which all women, and girls, and non-binary individuals thrive. We encourage submissions from women executive and aspiring leaders from groups that have historically been under-represented in leadership roles.

Our definition of “women and girls” includes anyone who is cis-gender or trans woman/girl, or non-binary.

The groups we focus on who have historically been under-represented in leadership roles include, but are not limited to, those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ+, and/or People with Disabilities.

Our grantmaking goal is to close the gender, racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and other equity gaps in non-profit leadership. We do this by actively funding the leadership development of as many current women executive and aspiring leaders from groups that have historically been under-represented in leadership roles as possible, within our means and mission.

Characteristics of Visionary Leadership

The Valentine Fund for Visionary Leadership is committed to advancing, encouraging, and developing visionary leadership skills in both aspiring and executive-level women nonprofit leaders. The Fund understands visionary leadership, apart from management and executive authority, to include the following characteristics:

• Demonstration of innovation and entrepreneurial vision: (Takes initiative, is not risk averse, seeks new solutions, partnerships, tries alternative approaches)
• Credibility: (Demonstrates knowledge of issues from the standpoint of content and policy. Demonstrates capacity for strategic synthesis of knowledge and practice).
• Demonstration of the capacity to influence others with or without the formal authority or title.
• Demonstration of the capacity to respect followers, promote their voices, and protect their interests.
• Exhibition of generosity: Shares knowledge, power, and resources in the interest of an aim.
• Demonstration of life decisions and actions consistent with a set of core values and ethics.
• Demonstration of effectiveness. Achievements, even if modest, that reflect intelligence, creativity, vision, advocacy, and a healthy balance of outrage and optimism.
• Ability to think expansively about long term challenges
• Seeks new solutions

Funding

A total grant pool of $40,000–$45,000 will be awarded to successful applicants.

Our grantmaking goal is to close the gender, racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and other equity gaps in non-profit leadership. We do this by actively funding the leadership development of as many current women executive and aspiring leaders from groups that have historically been under-represented in leadership roles as possible, within our means and mission.

Our definition of “women and girls” includes anyone who is cis-gender or trans woman/girl, or non-binary.

The groups we focus on who have historically been under-represented in leadership roles include, but are not limited to, those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ+, and/or People with Disabilities.

Please refer to FAQ for additional guidelines.

Partnership in Youth Services Grants (PYS) award up to $5,000 to non-profit organizations that are dedicated to solve community problems and enhance the quality of lives for children, young adults, and families in Bucks County, Pa.

Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grants

PHMC provides funding for construction activities through its Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grants with revenue from the Commonwealth's Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund. Funding is available to nonprofit organizations and local governments for small construction projects for publicly accessible historic resources. (Private property owners are not eligible for funding under this program and may wish to refer directly to Federal Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit Program for information on historic tax credits.)

The purpose of the grant is to support projects that rehabilitate, restore, or preserve historic resources listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. These guidelines address only construction-related activities. Please review the separate guidelines for the Keystone Historic Preservation Project Grants for information pertaining to the preservation projects. 

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission also annually uses a portion of the realty transfer tax revenue to rehabilitate and maintain Commonwealth-owned historic sites and museums.

Categories Of Support

There are three categories of support defined in the following paragraphs. Examples of eligible projects, interior or exterior, are provided after the definitions and apply to all three categories.

Preservation 

The act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity and materials of a historic property. Work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. New exterior additions are not within the scope of this treatment; however, the limited and sensitive upgrading of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and other code required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a preservation project. 

Rehabilitation 

The act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural and architectural values. 

Restoration 

The act or process of accurately depicting the form, features and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and other code related work to make properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project.

Maximum Number Of Awards

Eligible applicants may apply for only a Keystone Historic Preservation Project Grant OR a Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grant, not both. Applicants meeting the relevant eligibility requirements may also apply for support through the Certified Local Government Grant Program.

Availability Of Funds 

Grant awards are subject to the annual availability of funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Funding is based on the state fiscal year, July through June.

Levels of Funding

Requests for funding to the Historic Preservation Construction Grants may range from $5,000 (for $10,000 projects) to $100,000 (for projects of $200,000 and over) and require a 50/50 CASH match. The Commission may, at its discretion, consider applications for grants under $5,000 and may approve partial funding for larger requests.  The Commission may also at its discretion direct additional funding, if available, to current grantees in emergency situations, such as flooding or structural failure, without exceeding the program’s maximum level of funding.

Eligible Projects

Work may be interior or exterior. Specific examples of fundable project work include the following:

• Site work - subsurface investigation, selective demolition, drainage and restoration of designed landscapes and gardens;
• Concrete - poured-in-place concrete, precast concrete, concrete restoration and cleaning;
• Masonry - brick or stone repair or replacement, repointing mortar joints and cleaning;
• Metals - structural metal framing and metal restoration or replacement;
• Wood and Plastics - rough and finish carpentry, architectural woodwork and millwork;
• Thermal and Moisture Protection - roofing, flashing, waterproofing, damp proofing and insulation;
• Doors and Windows - repair and restoration, frame repair, replacement and hardware;
• Finishes - lath and plaster repair, gypsum wallboard, ceramic tile, wood paneling, floors and painting;
• Conveying Systems - elevators;
• Mechanical - plumbing, fire protection systems, heating, cooling and air distribution;
• Electrical - service, distribution and lighting; and
• Accessibility improvements for people with disabilities.

Background

As established under the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, funding under the Keystone Historic Preservation Planning Grant program is available to nonprofit organizations and local governments for the planning and development for publicly accessible historic resources listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The purpose of the grant is to support projects that identify, preserve, promote and protect historic and archaeological resources of Pennsylvania for both the benefit of the public and the revitalization of communities. These guidelines address only historic preservation projects under the planning category. Please review the separate guidelines for the Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grants for information pertaining to the bricks and mortar program.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission also annually uses a portion of the realty transfer tax revenue to rehabilitate and maintain Commonwealth-owned historic sites and museums.

Categories Of Support

The following categories of support are broadly defined and include examples of the kinds of projects that may be considered for funding. The examples are by no means a complete list of eligible projects. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their project and ideas with the grant manager or their regional Community Preservation Coordinator.

Cultural Resource Surveys 

Grant assistance is available for conducting cultural resource surveys. (Grants may not be used to prepare Historic Resource Survey Forms for determinations of eligibility to the National Register.) Surveys may be organized by municipal or county limits, by drainage area or physiographic zone (for archaeological surveys), by historic theme, or by property or site types. Projects must be conducted in accordance with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office's standards, guidelines and documentation requirements. Contact the grant manager or regional Community Preservation Coordinator for advice on planning your survey. Consultants will be required to attend a special training session in Harrisburg, and this cost should be factored into the proposal. Examples of projects include: 

• Historic sites surveys
• Architectural surveys
• Archaeological surveys
• Thematic surveys.

National Register Nominations

Grant assistance is available for preparing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places for resources already determined eligible for listing by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. (Grants may not be used to prepare Historic Resource Survey Forms to establish eligibility) Nominations must be prepared in accordance with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office's standards, guidelines and documentation requirements. Contact the grant manager for advice on planning your project. Preparers will be required to attend a special training session in Harrisburg, and this cost should be factored into the proposal. Examples of projects include: 

• Nominations for historic districts, including rural historic districts.
• Multiple property nominations.
• Nominations for archaeological sites.

Although nominations for individual properties will be accepted, evaluation for the proposal will be based on preservation goals rather than recognition that the Register may provide and will be weighted less than nominations for historic districts or multiple resources during the selection process. Competitive applicants in this category must demonstrate that listing will advance a preservation plan for the resource and is a stepping stone to a local historic district or similar goal.

Planning and Project Development Assistance 

Grant assistance is available for predevelopment studies and planning for buildings or resources that are listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, either individually or as a contributing property in a National Register Historic District. Community, municipal or regional preservation plans must be prepared in accordance with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office's Guidance for Historic Preservation Planning. Examples of projects include: 

• Preparation of historic preservation plans for a municipality or county or region.
• Historic structure reports.
• Design guidelines.
• Feasibility studies.
• Preparation of preservation plans for the treatment of archaeological sites.
• Preparation of plans for adaptive use of historic properties.
• Preparation of plans that assist communities in the preservation and revitalization of historic resources including developing a Historic Architectural Review Board and/or a Certified Local Government.

Archaeology

Grant assistance is available to support activities that promote or enhance the understanding of Pennsylvania's prehistoric or historic archaeological resources. Archaeological projects can take the form of surveys, excavations, artifact analyses and various types of syntheses. Activities may not be associated with state or federal compliance projects; projects should meet the philosophy of the Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations in Pennsylvania and the other PHMC policies on archaeological investigations and resources. Examples of projects in addition to surveys, national register nominations and preservation plans include:

• Development of regional site sensitivity models.
• Preparation of regional and/or temporal syntheses.
• Research and artifact analysis.
• Problem-oriented excavation projects.

BACKGROUND

The GSK IMPACT Awards program honors up to ten local nonprofit organizations in recognition of their exceptional achievements, overall excellence, and best practices in contributing to a healthier Greater Philadelphia Region. Individual Awards are $50,000 in urestricted funding. To be eligible, the minimum annual gross revenue for 501(c)(3) nonprofits is $100,000, the maximum is $5,000,000.

GSK is proud to continue its partnership with the Philadelphia Foundation to administer this awards program. The GSK IMPACT Awards is one of several charitable programs GSK offers in the United States as part of its commitment to building healthier communities and a healthy America.

CHALLENGE

Much of what influences our health happens outside the doctor's office – in our communities. Factors such as access to healthy foods and recreational spaces undeniably contribute to our health. Where we are born, raised, live and work matters to our health; yet too many individuals are living in communities that are hazardous to our health.

SOLUTION

The more we understand the connection between our health and our community, the more we can improve it. GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. GSK goes beyond discovering, developing and delivering new medicines and vaccines and addresses health challenges where they often start – in our communities.

PROCESS

GSK and the Philadelphia Foundation staff review nonprofit registrations and invite eligible organizations to complete the application process. We work together to select 15 finalists. Virtual site visits are managed and conducted by Philadelphia Foundation staff. A panel comprised of local community health experts and GSK representatives evaluate the finalist applications and site visit reports to select up to ten winners.

Our Vision

A community where women and girls reach their full potential.

Our Mission

To improve the lives of economically vulnerable women and girls in greater Mercer County through community investment, education and collaboration.

Background

The Fund for Women and Girls is a field-of-interest fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation. FWG’s Grants Committee, which is comprised of voting members, oversees the entire grantmaking process and is supported administratively by the Community Foundation staff. Grants Committee members review applications, conduct all site visits, and select the finalist organizations and programs, from which the voting members choose where FWG will invest each year. FWG’s grantmaking is financed by our members/donors, who pool their individual financial contributions, engaging in collective philanthropy to make a meaningful impact on the lives of economically vulnerable women and children in our community.

Diversity, Equity And Inclusion

The Fund for Women and Girls supports the Community Foundation’s commitment to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable in our regional footprint and collaborate with community organizations that embrace diversity as a value and practice. Achieving diversity requires an enduring commitment to inclusion, fully expressed in the organizational culture, values, norms and behaviors. We will support a commitment to diversity in all its forms, encompassing but not limited to age, race, gender identity, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, disability. 

What We Fund

Projects/programs and operating expenses that support women and children in the following categories:

• Early childhood education
• Childcare
• Women and children’s physical and mental health including prenatal care
• Leadership and mentoring
• Educational/enrichment programs for middle and high school girls (children)
• Workforce development for women
• Domestic violence and prevention
• Parenting and family support services

FWG will consider investing in capital projects that support these endeavors (e.g., new construction, expansion or renovation of a facility, equipment). At the discretion of the Grants Committee, an organization may be considered for a multi-year grant for up to three years.

Pennsylvania Grant Opportunities

The PPL Foundation empowers communities by supporting student success from cradle to career; advancing diversity, equity and inclusion; and promoting the development of vibrant and sustainable communities.

The PPL Foundation’s grant programs provide grants up to $50,000 to support education, workforce development and community revitalization initiatives.

Empowering Communities Grants

Enriching the overall vitality of the community through programs that protect the environment and improve people’s lives, these grants support programs focused on:

• Environmental stewardship and education
• Economic development
• Workplace development

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. 

Art and Change Grant

The Art and Change Grant (ACG) provides grants of up to $2,500 to fund art for social change projects by women, trans, and/or gender nonconforming artists and cultural producers living in Greater Philadelphia.

The grant is project-based and open to artists and cultural producers working in any medium, including traditional and nontraditional as well as multimedia and experimental forms.

Change Partner

Leeway believes art for social change work happens through relationships — working with others collaboratively, often in community. Because of this, we ask artists to submit an application together with a Change Partner that affirms your grounding in a community-based process. Change Partners cannot benefit financially from the grant.

A Change Partner is:

• someone the applicant has built a relationship with who is a member of the community that the project seeks to engage or in which it takes place; or
• a person, organization, or business that has a connection to the project in some form.

Eligible Change Partners can live within or beyond the Greater Philadelphia Area and may include mentors, editors, art spaces, theaters, nonprofit organizations, dance studios, radio stations, production companies, etc. – or anyone who can support the project.

Your Change Partner Form must be completed and signed by your Change Partner.

Art for Social Change: What We Mean

Leeway supports artists and cultural producers involved in art for social change that positively affects and engages communities and audiences. Creating social change must be integral to the ideas, beliefs, and goals that are woven throughout your art and your process of creating and sharing your art.

IMPACT OF ART WITH VISION

Art for social change is art with a vision and an intentional analysis. It is an artistic or creative cultural practice that may operate in traditional or nontraditional mediums, modes, or disciplines.

Art with a vision impacts people in many ways. It can:

• Raise consciousness
• Alter how we think about ourselves, our society, or our culture
• Create a vision of a more just world
• Be a tool or strategy for organizing and movement building
• Preserve or reclaim traditional cultural practices using your artistic practice as a form of resistance or empowerment
• Create space for expression and build a sense of community
• Challenge racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, ableism, or other oppressions
• Question mainstream culture and beliefs
• Shift or transform the perception of power and/or privilege and the dynamics associated with justice, equality, and/or accountability
• Value healing justice practices focused on strengthening communities, not just individuals
• Engage and utilize a reciprocal process — where there is teaching and learning simultaneously and the consent for engagement is mutual, as is the benefit for yourself as an artist and the community you are engaging

Social Change Intent/Vision

We ask you to identify at least one but no more than three social change categories that best describe the intent or vision behind your project. There is no correct or incorrect way to choose; you should pick one that resonates with you as the core intent or vision of your work. You will have an opportunity to define further what that vision is for you in question 3 of the application.

• Cultural preservation/restoration
• Decarceration
• Demilitarization
• Disability justice
• Economic justice
• Environmental justice
• Feminism
• Housing justice
• Immigration justice
• Indigenous sovereignty
• LGBQA social movements
• Racial justice
• Transgender justice/gender self-determination

Advocacy Unrestricted Grants 

Advocacy Unrestricted Grants are available on a competitive basis for nonprofits that dedicate majority/ significant portion of their work to systems advocacy and community organizing efforts that seek to reform laws, policies, regulations, and institutional practices impacting marginalized and low-income communities in Greater Philadelphia.

Funds may be used for all mission-related activities including education, coalition building, capital campaigns, service delivery, operational costs, and lobbying and political activities (in accordance with IRS allowances for nonprofits).

Successful applicants have clearly defined the community benefitting from their efforts and are operationalizing equity at all levels of the organization including Board and operations, as well as in their advocacy/organizing strategy and tactics. Additionally, organizations can demonstrate operational excellence, long-term impact, and short-term outcomes; utilize creative strategies and tactics to achieve campaign victories; and have a track record of policy and system reform success in Greater Philadelphia.

Types of Projects Funded

Funds may be used for all mission-related activities including education, organizing, coalition building, contributions to capital campaigns and endowments and operational costs.