Note: If you have thoroughly reviewed the Foundation’s priorities and grantmaking activity on the website and you believe your organization is a good match for our mission, you can fill out an information form here. Please be aware that the Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or formal letters of inquiry and rarely makes grants to organizations that we first learn about through the information form—so we urge you to carefully review your fit with our organization’s priorities before investing time in filling out our information form. Full applications may be submitted by invitation only.

Laird Norton Family Foundation

The Laird Norton Family Foundation (LNFF) is a private family foundation in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to 1) honor and reflect the family’s shared values through giving and 2) engage the family in philanthropy as a platform for strengthening family connections. 

The Laird Norton Family

The Laird and Norton families, related to each other from their pioneer origins in Pennsylvania, settled in Winona, Minnesota, in the mid-1850s. There, William Harris Laird and his cousins, Matthew G. Norton and James Laird Norton, formed the Laird Norton Company.

The pioneer logging and lumberyard operation was the first of several family-owned companies, first in the Midwest, later in the Pacific Northwest, and finally all over the West, including Alaska. Today, Laird Norton Company, LLC is still a privately owned and operated family business, committed to contributing value to its family and community.

A seventh-generation family, the Laird Norton family now includes approximately 500 living family members. Family members live throughout the world and occupy a wide array of professions. We come together every year to share skills and interests, and strengthen our connection to each other and our shared history.

Programs

Arts in Education

Goals and Strategies

The goal of the Arts in Education program is to increase arts education and to improve pre-K through grade 12 student learning through the arts. Funding will be directed toward programs that seek to enhance students’ educational outcomes rather than to simply increase participation in, or appreciation for, the arts.

Approach

The Arts in Education program will consider funding programs that:

Why Take This Approach?

There is clear evidence to suggest that arts-integrated curricula and/or arts-rich environments are beneficial to student learning. Although we value the arts as a stand-alone experience, programs are most successful when:

• They have the support of an entire district and in-school leadership
• Teacher professional development is included in the program
• Partnerships with high-quality arts organizations are created and nourished
• Arts lessons are aligned with other student learning goals, and
• Student progress is effectively monitored

Guidelines

With the above lessons in mind, we have established the following guiding principles. ​

• K-12 public schools (or pre-K programs that receive public funding) must already have traction in arts programs (i.e. some arts education has already been established in the school, policies are in place to support arts in education, principals want a more robust arts program, and schools have support from parent groups (PTAs) to strengthen their arts programs). 
• Programs must focus on positively impacting students’ learning.  
• Programs must focus on students “doing” art, as opposed to observing art. Programs should enhance comprehensive, sequential delivery of arts instruction and can include all arts: performing, music, visual, theater, literary (poetry & writing), folk, media, and emerging art fields. 
• Applicants should be able to demonstrate their program has been designed and is managed with an understanding of cultural competencies appropriate to their student demographic. 

Climate Change

Goals and Strategies

Climate change poses a significant global threat, one which we are addressing by striving to ensure an equitable, resilient, habitable, and enjoyable world for current and future generations. While our work is focused on climate change, we believe in the value of ecosystems services and in the stability and resiliency of healthy natural systems. We also believe it is essential that the cost of externalities be incorporated into lifestyle, policy, and business considerations.

Approach

As a small funder addressing an enormous issue, we aim to make grants that offer potential for leverage and scalability — as well as “opportunistic” grants where our ability to move quickly may positively impact a project’s outcome. We are particularly interested in policy and research work, demonstration projects, and finding ways to address critical gaps. We are also interested in expanding our own learning (we are not experts, nor do we aspire to be).

Why Take This Approach?

We believe in persistence and prefer to invest in ongoing work with a long-term focus. Although our grants operate on a one-year cycle, we take a partnership approach to our grantmaking and prefer to support organizations and projects that take a long-term view and can demonstrate progress toward goals each year. We are also interested in projects that have the potential to be self-sustaining in the long run.

Guidelines

Currently, our grantmaking is focused on efforts to hasten the demise of coal, and on work that increases the abilities of the forests, agricultural lands, and estuaries of the Pacific Northwest to sequester carbon. We are looking to support leverageable, measurable work focused on:

• Regenerative biological systems that influence the carbon cycle (“biocarbon”)
• ​Reducing dependency on fossil fuels, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.  

Human Services

Goals and Strategies

The goal of the Human Services program is to support, empower, uplift, and create opportunities for long-term success and a brighter future for unaccompanied youth and young adults (age 12-24) who are in crisis, have experienced trauma, or are aging out of the foster care system. We want to support these youth and young adults in their journey from surviving to thriving.

Approach

We will consider funding organizations or programs that provide support for youth/young adults suffering from trauma, mental illness, or addiction, with priority given to homeless youth and those impacted by the foster care system. While the full spectrum of services for youth in crisis is essential, we expect to do the bulk of our grantmaking in two areas:

Why Take This Approach?

We believe treatment and support for mental health issues and trauma can help prevent homelessness and addiction later in life. We also believe supporting youth/young adults as they transition out of foster care and into independent living increases their odds for a positive future.

Guidelines

Organizations must meet at least one of the following criteria in order to be considered:

• Have leaders and/or staff that are representative of the community they serve. We believe that the best programs will have mentors and leaders that truly understand and can identify with those they serve (e.g., staff that have been homeless or in foster care or are open about their own mental health, trauma, or addiction struggles). We value organizations or programs that emphasize connection to and even emanate from the communities they seek to serve; those that embrace the mantra "nothing about us without us” in all aspects of their work.
• Organizations or programs that include or connect to wrap-around services for youth/young adults. For example: organizations that identify and connect youth to community resources, offer job/skills training and/or provide case management. We value organizations that partner with others in the community to ensure all of a young person’s needs are met.

Sapling Fund

Goals and Strategies

The Laird Norton family continually promotes the advancement of intellectual growth, business experience, and philanthropic focus in order to ensure the excellence of its youngest generations. Through the Sapling Fund, young Laird Norton family members (ages 14–21) come together to learn about grantmaking, the nonprofit sector, and family philanthropy. The Sapling Fund provides young family members a chance to identify and support causes that resonate with them, and endows future family leaders with a sense of fiscal and social responsibility.

Approach

Sapling Fund grants are guided by a “for kids, from kids” philosophy. Grants support programs and organizations that cater specifically to youth and specific priorities change each year as new cohorts of Sapling members collectively identify shared priorities for the year’s grantmaking.

Why Take This Approach?

Sapling Fund committee members gain valuable experience by organizing an annual campaign to raise money for their grantmaking activities through contributions from Laird Norton family members. The annual budget supports three to five grant awards each year and an all-family service project organized by members of the committee.

Watershed Stewardship

Goals and Strategies

Watersheds have social, ecological, and economic significance. The goal of the Watershed Stewardship program is to create enabling conditions for long-term social and ecological health and resilience in places of importance to the Laird Norton Family.

Approach

We take a long-term view on healthy watersheds and invest in organizational capacity with an eye to future resilience. We encourage our partners to focus not on single-species recovery or restoration to historical conditions as a primary end-goal, but to also consider the potential value of significantly altered — but functioning — ecosystems as we continue to face the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused changes into the future.

​We seek to add value not just by making financial investments in organizations advancing place-based ecological and social outcomes, but also by building relationships in watershed communities, spending time listening and gaining experience in the watersheds in which we invest, and fostering partnerships, convenings, and additional investment from other funders.

Why Take This Approach?

We believe the wellbeing of the people who live in a place must be considered alongside ecological goals; understanding the diverse interests and values of a watershed’s human inhabitants is an important component of long-term success. ​

Guidelines

Organizations or programs we partner with should:

• Possess the organizational capacity and skills to be well-positioned to secure much more significant funding for projects than we would ever be able to provide.
• Be open to the Foundation removing barriers to entry for public funding and get projects to a shovel ready position.
• Provide us with opportunities to invest in their abilities to develop strong governance structures, collaborate, mediate, facilitate, tackle sticky challenges, get paperwork in order, maintain momentum on big projects, and otherwise lay the groundwork for success.

While we don’t specifically commit to a set term of investment in any watershed, we believe that investing in a place long enough to really understand the work is important, and we believe that sustained and flexible funding enables greater long-term success for our partners. Although we make grants on a one-year cycle, we take a partnership approach to our grantmaking and hold a long-term view on the work being done in the watersheds we prioritize, but we do move on when we no longer have a necessary role to play.

About Us

Manufacturing PA is part of Governor Wolf’s Jobs that Pay Initiative, which supports Pennsylvania’s manufacturing community by offering targeted programs and services through the PA Department of Community and Economic Development and its strategic partners. Training-to-Career Grants support projects that result in short-term work-readiness training, entry-level job placement, or the advancement of the manufacturing industry.

The Department of Community and Economic Development’s mission is to encourage the shared prosperity of all Pennsylvanians by supporting good stewardship and sustainable development initiatives across our commonwealth. With a keen eye toward diversity and inclusiveness, we act as advisors and advocates, providing strategic technical assistance, training, and financial resources to help our communities and industries flourish.

Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program

The mission of this program is to work collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry level applicants for existing or near future open positions, engage youth or those with barriers in awareness building activities of career opportunities in manufacturing, and or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers. The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program will not duplicate existing programs such as WEDNet and Next Generation Industry Partnerships but is designed to help companies identify and train a skilled workforce while creating a workplace culture that allows the workforce to advance and the company to grow and compete in a competitive, global economy as a complement to existing programs.

Background

Mid Atlantic Tours brings the best of the performing arts to communities across the mid-Atlantic region. Presenters select from a curated roster of artists that changes annually but maintains a programmatic commitment to a diversity of performance genres, regional artist representation, and engaging with communities underserved by the arts. 

Grant Information

Presenters located in the mid-Atlantic region who engage a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist during the project period receive up to 50% subsidy for the Roster Artist’s compensation (including artistic compensation, housing, per diem and travel) as well as a presenter capacity support. Presenters work directly with the Roster Artist’s Tour Manager to negotiate terms, including engagement dates and compensation. 

Once terms are confirmed between Presenter and Tour Manager, the Presenter completes a short application to Mid Atlantic Arts. Applications are not competitive, but Presenters interested in engaging a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist during the project period are encouraged to confirm terms with the Artist’s Tour Manager as soon as possible as funding is limited. Final grant award distribution is determined by Mid Atlantic Arts staff in collaboration with Tour Managers.

Roster

Visit midatlanticarts.org to review the roster.

The Mid Atlantic Tours roster is curated by Mid Atlantic Arts staff with curatorial advisement from performing arts colleagues from the mid-Atlantic region. As a final step in the curatorial process, mid-Atlantic region Presenters indicate interest in prospective Roster Artists through a presenter interest survey conducted via email.

The selection process for the Mid Atlantic Tours roster prioritizes:

• Projected touring success for Roster Artists: tour feasibility & presenter interest
• Broad representation of multiple performance genres
• Broad geographic representation from artists based in different states/jurisdictions in the mid-Atlantic region
• Artists and creators who are actively engaged with diverse communities to energize the transformative power of the arts

Mid Atlantic Arts is committed to countering structural inequities based on race, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, class, age and geography through our programs.

Touring Preparation Residency

Each Mid Atlantic Tours roster artist may work with one presenter for a Touring Preparation Residency that does not include a public performance. All other guidelines and procedures for Mid Atlantic Tours engagements must be met, including the artist fee match from the presenter to the Roster Artist. The presenter is eligible for artist fee and presenter capacity support subsidies.

Suggestions for engagement activities for the preparation residency include, but are not limited to:

• extended technical residency
• work-in-process showing
• a rehearsal or demo of a prospective community engagement activity
• working with a dramaturg
• developing marketing materials
• refining a technical rider

If you are interested in partnering with a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist to host the Roster Artist’s Touring Preparation Residency, reach out to the Artist’s Tour Manager.

Grant Award Details

Presenters meeting the eligibility criteria who engage a current Mid Atlantic Tours roster Artist for at least two engagement activities during the project period are eligible to receive a grant award from Mid Atlantic Arts to support the following:

• Artist compensation subsidy up to 50% of the artist compensation agreed upon between the Presenter and the Roster Artist (including artistic salary/fees, housing, per diem and travel). Minimum request: $750.00 USD;
• Other eligible expenses up to 2,000.00 USD to support direct project expenses including program staff salary, direct technical personnel fees, audience development, marketing and promotional expenses, project-specific purchases or consulting related to increasing access for disabled artists, staff, audiences or community members, technical and equipment rental expenses for virtual or in-person engagements, artist travel/lodging expenses, and/or expenses related to public health measures for in-person engagements.

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.

The Wawa Foundation provides financial grants on a local, regional and national level ensuring that our commitment extends from the local communities Wawa serves to the regional footprint Wawa occupies in the mid-Atlantic and Florida. Only registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations operating in Wawa’s six-state area are eligible to apply. Organizations must fall into The Wawa Foundation’s three key areas of focus: Health, Hunger and Everyday Heroes. To learn more, review our Criteria for Success.

Wawa Foundation Financial Grants

Our submission windows for grants over $2,500 will be the months of January, April, July and October. Qualified organizations can submit grant requests and Letters of Inquiry during those timeframes. Requests will be reviewed and organizations will receive a response before the next grant submission window opens.

Areas of Focus

Health

The Wawa Foundation will provide funding to organizations committed to saving and improving lives in the communities Wawa serves. Specifically, The Wawa Foundation will support organizations dedicated to Championing Life-saving Research & Care for People in Need by:

• Providing grants to hospitals with a focus on pediatric institutions
• Funding research
• Supporting care and comfort Initiatives

Hunger

The Wawa Foundation will play a leading role in hunger relief in the communities Wawa serves. To achieve this, we will support programs that enable us to Lead Hunger Relief Efforts by:

• Providing food donations to local pantries daily through Wawa Share
• Improving access to food through financial grants
• Enabling Feeding America Food Banks to reach more communities through annual in-store campaigns

Heroes

The Wawa Foundation is committed to Supporting the Heroes Making a Difference Every Day by:

• Showing appreciation and care to our military, veterans, first responders and other heroes in our local communities
• Enhancing the education and mentoring of at-risk youth in grades K-12.
• Supporting heroes through crisis response, blood drives, and volunteering

EQT Foundation

EQT is proud to be a part of the many communities where we operate, live and work. We believe strongly that giving back is a responsibility, and we’ve stayed true to that belief since the EQT Foundation was established in 2003 as a dedicated resource for financial, in-kind and volunteer support to communities touched by our business.

Since its inception, the EQT Foundation has awarded more than $60 million to nonprofits throughout the operational footprint of EQT Corporation. We are committed to supporting the education and training of children and adults; the development of diverse, livable communities; and preserving our natural environments.

The EQT Foundation believes in meaningful engagement with the communities it calls home and takes great pride in being a responsible and responsive corporate citizen. The EQT Foundation focuses its resources on areas that have a direct effect on the stability of communities and, in turn, contribute to the success of its business operations in those areas.

Funding Priorities

The EQT Foundation’s funding strategy endorses programs that directly impact the community and its residents, rather than fundraising initiatives designed to support general operating expenses. The Foundation supports projects that demonstrate positive, significant, measurable and sustainable impacts, preferring proposals grounded in solid research and analysis that demonstrate creative approaches to addressing critical issues. The EQT Foundation also seeks evidence of:

• Geographic setting that aligns with EQT Corporation’s business locations;
• Ability to manage available resources effectively; and
• Outreach that gains solid public recognition and support for the nonprofit, its programs and sponsors.

The Foundation’s funding priorities are:

Community Enrichment

Encourage the development of diverse, safe, healthy, and sustainable communities, which can help to retain residential, commercial and economic growth.

Examples: artistic programs, food banks, libraries, farmers markets, volunteer fire departments, community festivals.

Education & Workforce

Promote proficiency in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) topics for youth, as well as training programs to create a future skilled workforce.

Examples: In-school STEM-based curricula, computer and science camps, project-based learning, career planning and preparation

Environment

Support the preservation of natural resources, and educate children, residents, and businesses to employ conservation techniques to minimize adverse impacts on the environment.

Examples: community gardens, watershed conservation, environmental education, preservation and restoration of green spaces

EarthShare

EarthShare amplifies impact by providing individuals, businesses, and nonprofits the inspiration and tools to create a more just and sustainable planet. For more than three decades EarthShare programs have welcomed new environmental advocates, streamlining and enhancing efforts to create positive change and building a growing movement of change makers, passionate businesses, and nonprofit innovators that will transform our future.

Comprised of the most well-respected and innovative nonprofits, EarthShare’s network tackles our planet’s greatest threats by offering solutions to combat climate change, environmental injustice, threatened food systems, at-risk ecosystems, and a multitude of other issues.

The Energy of One, The Power of Many An EarthShare Grant Program

There is increasing recognition that a shift to a just and sustainable economy is needed to achieve a healthy future that affords equity and opportunity for all. The use of energy in our lives is a critical part of this – but the topic of energy can be complex.

The Energy of One, The Power of Many Grant Program (second round) seeks to fundamentally change the public conversation on energy. The grant fosters innovative approaches to engaging communities on the pervasive impact of energy in our everyday lives and on our environment, while demonstrating the importance and value of renewable energy choice, energy equity, and current innovation around renewables- making them affordable and competitive.

Grantee projects will promote and support public conversations about the impact of energy on our lives and the environment, including climate, air, water, and land. These projects will reach people at the community level to demonstrate the importance and value of energy choice, energy equity, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

Using innovative approaches to education and outreach, grantee organizations will engage and empower communities in Arizona, Maryland, and Pennsylvania to advance understanding about renewable energy choice. Grantee organizations’ programs will be dedicated to educating community members about the impact their energy choices can have in supporting a cleaner energy future that improves lives and the health of our planet. The results of these projects will be shared as part of the Powering Choice Initiative, most notably via the Initiative website. The objective of the broader, public-facing Initiative is to promote energy choice through education, coalition building, public outreach, and as a connector to more comprehensive information about energy, universality of energy, equitable renewable energy, and energy choice.

Strategy

EarthShare is looking for grantees that can make the complex topic of energy accessible and easily approachable by synthesizing information around broad topic areas that tend to confuse the public such as energy policies, energy sources, energy impact, and energy options. We are encouraging projects that address equity, just transition, and job training in the sustainable energy field. Using funding level ranges and program criteria, the grant program will promote innovative approaches to education and outreach, new and existing collaborative relationships, and momentum across subsequent years.

Background

McAuley Ministries is the grant-making foundation of Pittsburgh Mercy. Established in 2008, McAuley Ministries serves as a catalyst for change, committing resources and working collaboratively to promote healthy, safe, and vibrant communities. Grant-making priorities include health and wellness; education; community and economic development; capacity-building support for nonprofit organizations; and program initiatives which focus on the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland, communities historically served by the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh. McAuley Ministries also provides support to organizations that are sponsored by and/or affiliated with the Sisters.

Geographic Priority

McAuley Ministries honors the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy by focusing its grantmaking on the sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Mercy in Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh neighborhoods traditionally served by the health care ministry of the Sisters of Mercy: the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland.

What We Fund

Proposals funded by McAuley Ministries:

• New programs and projects.
• Ongoing programs and projects.
• Capacity-building initiatives, including general operating support when organizations have a track record of producing outcomes for residents and the community.
• Capital projects that advance the strategic priorities of McAuley Ministries.

Health & Wellness

McAuley Ministries helps communities build gardens encouraging healthy eating and community socialization. 

McAuley Ministries supports initiatives that improve the overall health status of residents of the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland by meeting basic needs, encouraging healthy lifestyles, and providing community-based health care through innovative service delivery models. Priorities include:

• Affordable and safe housing for low- and moderate-income families and special populations, including seniors, veterans, persons who are homeless, and persons with disabilities.
• Support for organizations providing a safety net for basic needs (e.g., food, shelter, transportation, and access to health insurance).
• Initiatives that help seniors to thrive and age in place.
• Behavioral health initiatives that recognize and address the impact of community trauma.
• Evidence-based initiatives that prevent and interrupt gun violence.
• Support for Pittsburgh Mercy innovation that advances new models of health care for vulnerable populations.
• Community gardens and play spaces that encourage healthy eating, exercise, and community socialization.

Community & Economic Development

We fund initiatives that 1) assist individuals and families in the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland to transition from poverty to self-sufficiency, and 2) contribute to community vibrancy and quality-of-life. Priority will be given to:

• Workforce development that links training to family-sustaining jobs. Youth employment initiatives that introduce young people to careers and foster a strong work ethic.
• Business incubators that support emerging resident-owned businesses and link entrepreneurship to market opportunities, resulting in job growth and wealth-building.
• Evidence-based initiatives that help families address the key barriers to self-sufficiency.
• Neighborhood initiatives that enhance community aesthetics and cultural vibrancy.

Education

McAuley Ministries supports initiatives that assist children residing in the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland to succeed in school, graduate from high school, successfully transition to and graduate from college, and/or successfully transition to work. Priority initiatives include:

• High-quality early childhood development.
• After-school programs with high-quality tutoring and enrichment activities.
• Initiatives to improve college readiness and the number of residents who graduate from college or other post-secondary education.
• Initiatives that address the social obstacles to academic achievement and college completion.
• Parent and community engagement to support educational equity and achievement.

Capacity Building

McAuley Ministries assists nonprofit organizations serving the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland to enhance their ability to fulfill their missions by strengthening nonprofit governance and leadership; strategic and business planning; program development; technology and information systems; management systems and practices; and financial resources. McAuley Ministries will also serve as a convener to encourage collaboration and strategic alliances for greater collective impact. Priority will be given to:

• Leadership development and growing the next generation of leaders.
• Strategic planning and program-specific planning to accelerate innovation.
• General operating support for mission-critical organizations that demonstrate the capacity to produce outcomes for residents and the community.
• Convenings that encourage strategic alliances and enhance collective impact; support for planning and operationalizing alliances.
• Limited capital funding for facilities and technology linked to programming and operational improvements that are consistent with our grantmaking priorities

Major Grants

Major grants are awarded when consistent with our mission and strategic priorities. Major grants are awarded through a single, competitive grant cycle. Applicants must submit a letter of inquiry through our online application system. If you are invited to submit a full application, the funding decision will be made in July. Major grants typically range from $50,000-$200,000 and may be awarded for up to three years. While McAuley Ministries funds capital projects, those projects must demonstrate clear alignment with programming that is consistent with our grantmaking priorities.

In addition, McAuley Ministries may award major grants to projects that we have identified or initiated through a non-competitive process based upon our work and involvement in the community.

The goal of the Community Foundation’s capacity building grantmaking is to strengthen the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations serving the Chester County region in Pennsylvania.

Capacity building projects should strengthen a nonprofit, in areas including, but not limited to: 

• Mission, Vision & Strategy:
• Organizational Assessment
• Strategic & Business Planning
• Governance & Leadership:
•  Board Development
• Executive Transition/Succession Planning
• Leadership Development
• Staff Training & Professional Development
• Strategic Relationships:
• Coalition Building
• Collaboration
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Strategic Restructuring
• Fundraising & Development:
•  Donor Identification, Cultivation, Development & Stewardship
• Development Campaigns (Annual, Capital, Planned Giving, Major Gifts)
• Earned Income Development
• Social Enterprise Feasibility & Development
• Marketing, Branding & Communications
• Operations:
• Disaster Recovery Planning
• Financial Management
• Human Resources
• Volunteer Management
• Industry Certification
• Risk Management
• Technology Improvements