Search Through Washington County Grants for Nonprofits in Pennsylvania

About BHT

Better Health Together is eastern Washington’s ACH (Accountable Community of Health). We believe everyone deserves a fair shot at being healthy. To make this happen, we work with more than 100 organizations across seven counties to promote practical solutions that meet the needs of the people and communities we serve. BHT was founded on the principle that when we step back and let local community lead, we find the best and most sustainable solutions to some of our most complex problems.

What is an Accountable Community of Health (ACH)?

Accountable Communities of Health (ACHs) bring together partners from multiple sectors to address our most challenging social and health issues. There are nine total ACHs, each serving a specific region.​

What are the goals of the ACHs?​

ACHs promote health equity and address and coordinate around social drivers of health. Their work includes:​

• Connect community and available resources by creating relationships with community partners and providers​
• Support workforce development including training and planning​
• Coordinate care between providers and organizations working with impacted communities​
• Address the opioid use public health crisis.

​We work to share our commitment to our community partners every day through finding and creating funding opportunities, but what about community needs that are more out-of-the-box?

In 2023, the BHT board allocated funds for community events to elevate our community support and live out our mission and values. Better Health Together is committed to sponsoring events and community engagement activities that promote community wellness and elevate community voices. 

Our Values:

• Invest in organizations that align with our Mission & Vision. 
• Limit to one sponsorship receipt per organization each year. A single request may include the costs of sponsoring multiple events and activities. 
• Award Sponsorship Grant amounts up to $5k.
• Require that organizations must be a nonprofit with 501 (c)(3) designation (in rare instances, BHT may approve sponsorship with proof of IRS application for a 501c3 to ensure equitable access).

Vision

While talent may be spread evenly throughout humanity, opportunity is not. Comis Foundation envisions that every child has access to opportunities to not only succeed in life, but to thrive.

Mission

Comis Foundation invests in organizations that provide opportunity and access to equip children with skills to explore, learn, and thrive in their chosen communities.

Guiding Principles

Comis Foundation has 5 principles which guide our focus: We work to build relationships of mutual trust with our grantees; We value sustainable systems and solutions; We are not experts, we want to learn and enable learning; We are willing to accept risk when warranted to achieve greater impact; We value both new and established ways of serving communities.

Area of Interest

Comis Foundation supports programs and policy work that drive improvements in educational outcomes for children and youth. We are interested in programs that support the community as well as children and youth directly. We embrace the whole child concept of full community engagement to drive better outcomes for the child and our society at large.

Comis Foundation Grant

Pilot and Proof of Concept: $5,000 – $25,000

• New programs within existing organizations, standalone new organizations just getting off the ground, or testing new approaches within a current scope
• Smaller-scale research or data collecting project or other similar short-duration investigations
• Timeframe is single-year; multi-year research or evaluation projects will not be considered under this program

Capacity Building and Innovation: $25,000 up to $75,000 per year

• Capacity building for organizations, including but not limited to staff professional development, strategic planning, leadership development, and supplemental expertise (e.g., communications)
• General operating support for innovative organizations. We consider the concept of innovation broadly: organizations that create opportunity for children to explore, learn and thrive are by definition innovative until all children can engage with the world through the same set of opportunities.
• Multi-year research or evaluation projects will be considered under this program, particularly as a pre-cursor to scaling innovative programs
• Multi-year grants will be considered under this program at $25,000 – $75,000 per year

Charitable Investments

CSX is proud to support people and organizations that in turn honor those who serve our communities. We offer monetary and in-kind resources to nonprofit organizations advocating for the betterment of our nation’s military members or community first responders, and have additional resources available to support other community efforts.

In Kind Donations

Intermodal Transportation Services

Intermodal transportation services provide applicable organizations with intermodal equipment and rail service throughout the CSX rail network, and afford these organizations an opportunity to reduce or eliminate their transportation spending.

Ideally, intermodal moves work best when freight is moving 500 miles or more. However, the in-kind moves program requires only that freight have an origin and destination within a combined 250 miles’ distance to a CSX intermodal facility.

CSX’s door-to-door product is an ideal solution for the in-kind moves program, as our trained team will pick up your freight at its origin and transport it to a terminal to be placed on an intermodal train. Then, we will pick up your freight at the destination terminal and deliver it directly to its endpoint. The door-to-door network provides service across the Eastern United States with its large nationwide network and trucking capability.

CSX will also work with you to determine the type of equipment that is an ideal fit to transport your freight. CSX has a large fleet of rail-owned containers, as well as an expansive network of channel partners that can provide equipment to fit your needs.

Railroad Equipment and Materials

CSX occasionally donates materials, supplies and used railroad equipment based on availability. The online in-kind application can be used to request the donation of railroad-related items, including retired rail cars when available. Please note that rail, rail ties and spikes are not available for donation or purchase. Applicants will be contacted if the requested item becomes available within 90 days of their online submittal. At that time, arrangements will be made to transfer possession of the requested item. All applicants will be asked to re-submit their application at a later date if the requested item does not become available within the 90-day period.

Mission

To encourage human development in West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania through strategically placed charitable resources.

Guiding Principles

The following principles guide the Foundation’s grants programs in those regions: 

• We honor Michael and Sarah Benedum’s belief in “helping people help themselves,” and we seek opportunities to cultivate the creativity of people and communities. 
• We nurture leadership within the communities we serve, and we participate in leadership when it adds value.
• We encourage planning, projects and programs that cross geographical and political boundaries so that access to services and economic growth is maximized.
• We expect collaboration among the public, private and nonprofit sectors in order to leverage the resources that each can bring to common concerns.
• We strive to advance innovative practices that demonstrate measurable and sustainable benefit.
• We seek projects that contribute to advancement in public policy.

What We Fund

In keeping with the wishes of Michael and Sarah Benedum, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation is a regional philanthropy focusing on West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Foundation generally invests two-thirds of its grant dollars in West Virginia and one-third in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Foundation serves the entire state of West Virginia. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, the service area includes Allegheny, Washington, Greene, and Fayette Counties. This four-county area is a natural connector between Pittsburgh and West Virginia and contains rural communities that may benefit from the Benedum Foundation’s experiences in West Virginia. However, the Foundation recognizes that economic regions do not follow political boundaries, and therefore, the Foundation both encourages projects that cross state lines, and supports economic initiatives that benefit the multi-state economy centered on Pittsburgh.

Program Areas

The Foundation makes grants in two program areas that span both states:

Education

The Benedum Foundation seeks to foster learning environments, across formal and informal educational systems, that position young learners to thrive in career and life. Academic achievement, social and emotional wellbeing, and real-world workforce preparation are the ultimate objectives of this program.

The Foundation places a high priority on teacher quality and the most advanced instructional tools. Because schools do not function in isolation, the Foundation also looks to the resources of community organizations, business, and higher education to reinforce the learning objectives of the classroom. In preparation for the rising demands of the workplace, the Foundation recognizes the need for all students to enter some form of post-secondary education.

Although the Foundation is interested in any significant opportunity to improve the education system, current specific areas of interest include:

• Programs that improve teacher quality through professional development and innovative instructional strategies.
• Early childhood educational practices that bolster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development, including early intervention services that support school-success.
• Expanded and extended learning opportunities that complement and enhance the learning that occurs during the traditional school day.
• Career education and future readiness skill development, aligning secondary and post-secondary programs to high-demand, high-wage occupations.

Economic Development

Innovation will be the cornerstone of the future success of the economy in West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Foundation supports economic development activities based upon the region’s strengths in research, technology, and advanced manufacturing.

The Foundation’s agenda seeks to promote regional planning and cooperation, recognizing that with respect to any endeavor, “region” should mean whatever area is most appropriate to optimize the available opportunity, without reference to historic, geographic, or political boundaries. The expected outcomes of the Foundation’s Economic Development grants are the creation and growth of innovative, wealth-producing businesses and high-quality jobs.

In addition, many of the communities in the region served by the Foundation are rural, and enjoy abundant natural assets that provide economic opportunities that complement centers of technology-based growth. The Foundation currently supports efforts to advance agriculture, outdoor recreation, artisanship, and cultural tourism. Current specific areas of Foundation interest include:

• Promotion of entrepreneurship.
• Projects that promote technology-based economic development.
• Programs to promote the growth and accessibility of new capital for businesses in distressed communities and areas of high unemployment.

Strategic Priorities 

Improve the health and well-being of people with disabilities, women and girls 

Priority will be given to proposals that address:

• Improve access to health care and dental care for people with significant disabilities or complex health conditions;
• Address bias among healthcare professionals;
• Address the specific needs of women, girls, and people with disabilities who are Black or other people of color;
• Influence policy and practice to change systems.

Prevent domestic and sexual violence, and support the most vulnerable victims in pursuit of safety, healing, and justice.

Priority will be given to proposals that:

• specifically address the needs of people with disabilities; Black people and other people of color; immigrants and refugees; members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Remove societal barriers and promote equitable opportunities for women, girls, and people with disabilities.

Priority will be given to proposals designed to:

• Promote equal rights, access, and full inclusion for people with disabilities, particularly Black people and other people of color with disabilities, in all aspects of life;
• Include programs, services and advocacy efforts focused on girls who have been marginalized, particularly Black girls and other girls of color, girls with disabilities, and girls in under-resourced areas;
• Address the needs of women that society marginalizes and fails to serve, particularly those who struggle with addiction, homelessness, trauma, and poverty.

What types of funding will be considered?

FISA Foundation believes in and invests in innovation; however we also recognize the economic challenges facing nonprofits. In light of the fact that funds are limited, FISA carefully considers where it can have the greatest impact, as well as the availability of other funding sources (including focus areas of other local foundations). The Foundation will consider grants for:

• General operating support for programs that advance our strategic priorities
• Ongoing programs and projects
• New and innovative projects or programs
• Capacity building initiatives
• Advocacy

BackgroundSolving big problems through civic leadership, collaboration, and innovation Henry L. Hillman Foundation inspires, invests in, and leverages great ideas to make Pittsburgh one of the world’s most forward-looking cities.Henry L. Hillman Foundation’s mission is to inspire, invest in, and leverage great ideas and initiatives for outcomes that improve the quality of life in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania.Henry L. Hillman Foundation seeds and scales innovative solutions to address significant community needs. Projects supported by the Henry L. Hillman Foundation are forward-looking, collaborative, and seek to leverage the Pittsburgh region’s competitive advantages.Strategic PortfoliosHenry L. Hillman Foundation has a broad interest in initiatives that are timely and designed to take advantage of an emerging opportunity. The Foundation will prioritize investments that align with the following “portfolio” focus areas:

Aging Well

Preparing for a smaller and older regional population

• Support healthy aging, with a focus on caregivers and aging in place
• Leverage the assets and value of the aging population

Big Ideas and New Models

Solving big problems through collaboration, leadership, and new ways of thinking

• Support and incentivize nonprofit partners to take risks and to try new ways of approaching their work

Capturing the Next Economy

Shaping the future of work and new models of economic development

• Grow and strengthen the region’s innovation economy
• Support Pittsburgh’s growth as a leader in the future of work and learning
• Promote economic mobility and diverse pathways to living wage careers, particularly within the innovation economy

Healthy Neighborhoods

Safe, healthy, and thriving communities that positively influence social determinants of health

• Prevent displacement and concentration of poverty through enhancing the availability of high-quality, affordable housing
• Improve the environment for healthy living, including through safe housing, clean air, healthy food, and accessible outdoor spaces
• Support the vibrancy of Main Street business districts and strive to make Pittsburgh a leading city for individuals who want to start or grow a business

Strengthening Democracy

Good governance and ethical society for collective long-term prosperity

• Support high-quality public media for an informed population
• Increase civic engagement and ensure equitable and accurate representation
• Develop skills and tools for more effective civic participation
• Encourage policy progress and innovation across portfolio focus areas

Sustainable Regional Infrastructure

Innovation and investment in twenty-first century communications, energy, and other systems that support success within the other portfolio focus areas

• Modernize infrastructure and systems through innovation, with a focus on quality, affordability, and security
• Enhance broadband connectivity and the development and deployment of digital tools
• Transition to a low-carbon economy

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Background

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

Providing opportunity for people in southwestern Pennsylvania facing barriers

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

Priorities

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

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

Strategic Priorities

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

At-Risk Children and Youth

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

Homeless Individuals

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

Immigrants and Refugees

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

Low-Income Workers

• Neighborhood-based workforce development and financial empowerment initiatives

Mothers and Children

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

People Struggling with Addiction and Recovery

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

People Formerly Incarcerated who are Re-Entering the Community

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

Victims of Violence

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

About the Polk Foundation The Polk Foundation believes that every person with a disability deserves to live with dignity and have maximum opportunity to grow, achieve, and succeed.Honoring Patricia Hillman Miller's lifelong commitment to this principle, the Foundation will continue to focus primarily on improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.Polk Foundation GrantPatricia Hillman Miller created the Polk Foundation to ensure that high-quality care and programs were available to children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in southwestern Pennsylvania, at a time when many children with developmental and intellectual disabilities lived in poverty with limited services. She was instrumental in the successful opening of the Allegheny Valley School for Exceptional Children in 1961. The Polk Foundation’s close relationship with AVS, now Merakey AVS, continues. Although Merakey AVS is the principal beneficiary of the Polk Foundation, the Foundation accepts inquiries from other nonprofit organizations that provide services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, and makes grants on a limited basis as funding is available.Priorities

• Health & Medicine
• Human Services

Strategic Priorities The Polk Foundation prioritizes investments that promote the economic, social, and emotional welfare of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and increase the opportunities available to them. In particular, the Foundation focuses on:

• Programs designed in partnership with people with disabilities and their families
• Technology initiatives that enable maximum independence
• Relevant research with high potential for quick translation to clinical care and quality of life improvements
• Community initiatives that aim to make neighborhoods more welcoming and inclusive of those with developmental and intellectual disabilities
• Capital improvements (on a limited basis)

Mission

Staunton Farm Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of people who live with mental illness and/or substance use disorders. The Foundation works to enhance behavioral health treatment and support by advancing best practices through grant making to non-profit organizations in ten southwestern Pennsylvania counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, Westmoreland.

Our Vision

Investing in a future where behavioral health is understood, supported, and accepted.

Grantmaking

Grantmaking is a key step in realizing the Foundation’s vision of a future where behavioral health is understood, supported, and accepted. Staunton Farm Foundation seeks proposals that use evidence-based models, emphasize best practices, provide measurable outcomes, and eliminate negative stereotypes associated with behavioral illnesses. Current priority areas include:

Collaboration

Grants for collaboration with multiple stakeholders to learn/train as a region. The Foundation will act as a convener and a neutral facilitator.

Examples: Provide funding to new projects which identify unusual partners’ support; integration of behavioral health; develop trainings that support multiple organizations rather than one; work with local colleges/ universities to develop workforce

Innovation

Grants that advance the field and use evidence-based practices and approaches to improve outcomes.

Examples: Use of technology to advance the behavioral health field/improve outcome measures; bringing practices to scale across region

Advocacy

Grants promoting policies to improve treatment, especially for underserved populations, and extend the efforts of those supporting and advancing policy change.

Examples: Policy (not lobbying); giving voice to providers and consumers; developing white papers; gathering data to support policy change; educating legislators; convene legislators and nonprofits to discuss behavioral health support

Communication

Grants to educate the general public about current issues, as well as offer resources to change the conversation about behavioral health.

Examples: Create/share anti-stigma messages to change public perception/policy; provide opportunities for dialogue; build understanding and acceptance; improve practice by disseminating knowledge and promoting a culture of learning

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Equipment & Technology Grants

Best practices suggest that a healthy equipment and supporting technology infrastructure is essential. Please note that with these grants, recipient organizations are responsible for 50% or greater of the purchase cost.

About Us

CICF is the community foundation for the region of Central Indiana. We help people give to the causes they care about, and we support nonprofits so they can do their work more effectively.

Our Mission

To build a community of opportunity no matter place, race, or identity.

Our Vision

Central Indiana is the most connected, philanthropic, and impactful region in the nation.

Church, Church, Hittle & Antrim Scholarship

With the legal field’s focus on expanding the reach of the profession, CCH+A’s scholarship will support a student with tuition and real-world experience.

Recent reviews of the legal system have focused on the lack of access to attorneys as a result of “legal deserts,” largely in rural areas, and on creating pathways to the legal profession for traditionally underrepresented groups spanning ability, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, military service, and the like.

With the legal field’s focus on expanding the reach of the profession, Church, Church, Hittle & Antrim’s Scholarship will support a student with tuition and real-world experience. Applicants must complete the application and a personal statement identifying their interest in the legal field and the ways their background and experience advance the legal profession.

This scholarship also includes a 75-hour paid summer internship at CCH+A.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Board Development Grants

Eligible Requests

To contract with Nonprofit SideKick to facilitate a two-hour board development session to cover the duties, roles, responsibilities and rights of board members, including fundraising.

Funding

$500 per grantee

African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Grants

Grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund advance ongoing preservation activities for historic sites, museums, and landscape projects representing African American cultural heritage. The fund supports work in four primary areas: Capital Projects, Organizational Capacity Building, Project Planning, and Programming and Interpretation. Grants made from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund will range from $50,000 to $150,000. In 2022, the National Trust awarded $3 million to 33 projects. Since establishing the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s National Grant Program in 2017, the National Trust has supported more than 200 preservation projects nationally.

Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative Grant

Across the country, descendant communities and families are engaged in exciting and groundbreaking efforts to reclaim, rescue, and share overlooked stories and places of resilience, achievement, and perseverance. The impact of these efforts deserves admiration, resources, and partnership. Grants from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund's Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative will empower and equip descendant-led and family-led organizations and projects to preserve, activate, and manage historic places. This initiative is a testament to our belief in the capacity of descendant communities and families to be full partners and leaders in the physical preservation, interpretative programming, management, and governance of historic places.

The Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative is not just another grant funding opportunity. It's a unique, multi-year partnership and investment opportunity with one grant funding category – Stewardship Project. Powered by the Mellon Foundation's Humanities in Place, the Action Fund will award five grants and invest $200,000 per grantee, providing specialized consultation and best practices support for a period of two years.

Descendant and Family Stewardship Grants support project management, capacity-building, grantmaking, and convenings for place-based organizations. In collaboration and consultation with the Action Fund, the selected grantees will engage in the following activities during the two-year grant period as we work together to preserve American history and model new approaches in historic preservation:

• Completing a Stewardship Project needs assessment to inform the scope of work, the use of the grant funds, and define project milestones and deliverables.
• Receiving $200,000 in grant funds to develop a Stewardship Plan and launch the implementation of its recommendations.
• Promoting the partnership, process, and lessons learned for other stewarding organizations to replicate.
• Participating in convenings with initiative stakeholders to share best practices, build community, and advance the field.

The Stewardship Project's scope of work, for example, can include architectural and design services, strategic and fundraising planning, interpretation and program development, community engagement and audience development, staff support, limited capital and restoration, and other priorities established through the assessment process.

The Action Fund provides consultation to meet our grantees’ organizational needs and priorities. Our role as the grantor is to work hand in hand with our grantee partners through a collaborative process focused on asset management of heritage resources and holistic stewardship visioning and planning. Project partners will work as a team to achieve the grantee's short-term and long-term stewardship goals.

Help Define Descendant in Historic Preservation

Today, the preservation field has varying views on defining "descendant," though it is often used in connection to heritage sites associated with slavery, such as a plantation, burial ground, or jail. The Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative is a collaborative effort that values the input of all stakeholders. Our work with grantees includes strategic collaboration across the historic preservation field to define “descendant” and establish more broadly-adopted language. For example, descendant communities can include a direct blood lineage or historical affiliation to a site of enslavement, like Virginia's Sharswood Plantation, or social movements in education and civil rights, such as Washington-Rosenwald Schools, Birmingham Foot Soldiers, and the Tulsa Race Massacre.

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is committed to understanding the different perspectives of descendant-led organizations and projects and seeks your help. Therefore, applicants for this grant can define “descendant” for themselves and make the case that their organization and project are descendant-led and family-led on the Letter of Intent (LOI) form. We deeply respect and value the unique perspectives and experiences that each organization brings to the table.

In addition to descendant-led, family-led describes organizations where family members with direct ties to a historic place help steward the site, such as a granddaughter advocating for Virginia's Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum, siblings volunteering at Philadelphia's John Coltrane Home, or a family saving a legacy farm. It may also include property owners of a historic residence or venue associated with Black history, actively supporting its preservation, public access, and interpretation.

About

Since 1987, we have strengthened communities through philanthropy and leadership. We channel generosity where it is needed, bringing together resources and passion to tackle our region’s most pressing issues and create lasting change.

What is a Community Foundation?

• We are a public charity improving our region by encouraging philanthropy, pooling and investing resources, addressing urgent needs, and supporting individuals and nonprofits through grants and scholarships.
• We provide a variety of giving options, investment management and back-office strength to help make giving easy and grantmaking transformative.
• We are a trusted partner to donors, organizations and community leaders, doing all that we can to strengthen our communities.

Simple Gifts Fund Grant

Bill Crofut was a folk singer who brought his talent into the world of international exchange with music. He had an unusual career and an unusual life, traveling and sharing his passion for music with others.

In the last months of his life he made an extraordinary CD, “Dancing on a Moonbeam.” It is his gift of music to raise money for the Simple Gifts Fund at the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. This final work fulfills a vision of Bill’s life – to make a recording with some of the many artists he worked with during a long and illustrious career and give the proceeds to aspiring young people.

Bill had deep understanding and empathy for the dreams and aspirations of young people. He wanted to do something that could help them achieve their goals. He knew that even small amounts of money could help someone to purchase an instrument, study dance and participate in a summer program. He loved to foster those small steps to further great passions.

The Simple Gifts Fund was established at Berkshire Taconic in 1998.

AWARDS

Generally the awards will be from $200 to $800. Payments will be made directly to the organization or vendor.

ELIGIBILITY

It is up to you, the applicant, to make the case that the program you want to participate in will offer you an opportunity to explore new ventures. For example, you might request funds to do an artistic apprenticeship, internship with a dance or theater company, learn a musical instrument, or experiment in a new art form.

Your request might be for the cost of tuition, art supplies, or travel/living expenses: these grants are intended to make it possible for you to participate in a program that will have significance to you in some way. 

Charitable Foundation

The Paul Lauzier Charitable Foundation was created pursuant to the Last Will and Testament of Paul Lauzier. During his lifetime, Mr. Lauzier made numerous contributions to religious, educational, and community organizations. His legacy of charitable giving continues through annual grants awarded by the Paul Lauzier Charitable

Foundation in support of community development, youth programs, public health and safety, education, and agriculture.

There is no geographical limitation for funding requests. With that said, the Paul Lauzier Charitable Foundation prefers to fund programs and projects geographically located in rural communities in central and eastern Washington, with an emphasis within Grant County.

The Foundation also provides support in the form of long-term grants disbursed over several years. The Foundation will consider funding requests for program support, equipment and capital projects. 

Washington County Community Foundation

Mission, Governance, Management, and Credentials

The Washington County Community Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life in Washington County by promoting and facilitating philanthropy. We accomplish this by assuming four philanthropic roles of Grantmaker, Donor Service Organization, Fundraiser, and Community Leader.

Fostering philanthropy by offering charitable gifting opportunities to donors on an individualized basis and at reasonable fees, we make charitable giving easier, more satisfying, and more effective.

The Foundation is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of Pennsylvania, which is registered with the Pennsylvania Charities Bureau and annually files the Federal Form 990. We are governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of local volunteers, each of whom has a long history of involvement in community and civic affairs. The day-to-day operations of the Foundation are performed by trained personnel with decades of deep experience in the many facets of managing a charitable nonprofit.

The Foundation is accredited through the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations™ - the highest standards for philanthropic excellence. We are also approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to receive contributions through all components of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program.

The Foundation is bound by Pennsylvania Trust Law and adheres to 15 P.C.S. Section 5548 (c) with respect to a total return investment policy and spending policy with respect to all of its restricted endowment funds.

We broadly support the Washington County community by awarding grants in eight focus areas as follows:

• Animal Welfare
• Arts & Humanities
• Community Improvement & Economic Development
• Conservation & Environment
• Education
• Health & Fitness
• Human Needs
• Religion & Faith

The Foundation is uniquely positioned to promote and facilitate philanthropy in our county as no other grant-making organization exists in Washington County whose service territory, philanthropic services, and grant parameters are as broad as the Washington County Community Foundation.  

The Wish Book is a soft-cover, printed book that is mailed to our donor community every November. Donors may use their donor-advised fund to make grant requests to fulfill the "wishes" on a rolling basis between November and March. In 2023, donors contributions totaled $670,000 to 100 Wish Book organizations.

The 2025 Wish Book should arrive before Thanksgiving. To fulfill a wish, contact your donor services representative by phone or email. You can find your representative's contact information on our staff page or by contacting the Development and Donor Services department

The Ruth Danley and William Enoch Moore Charitable Fund is a private grantmaking foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 1992. It focuses primarily on philanthropy and voluntarism, with an emphasis on charitable and educational purposes.

The fund specifically supports K-12 education for Native American children living on reservations, aiming to improve educational opportunities in these communities.

The foundation administers grants primarily to select regions based on donor preferences, including Pittsburgh and various counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Washington DC, and West Virginia.

GIVE Washington County Fund Grants

Grants from the Fund, which shall commence in 2024 and be no less than $2,500 per grantee, will be considered by a grants committee comprised of contributors to the Fund. The amount of the annual grants will increase as the value of the Fund grows.

This is a flexible grant opportunity, with no prescribed purpose for the grant requests. However, requests for general operating support or routine program support will not be considered. A total of $10,000 will be awarded this year.

Capacity-Building Grant Cycle I (August) and Capacity-Building Grant Cycle II (October)

The continued growth of the WCCF, as well as the success of the Foundation’s special capacity-building grant cycle in 2018, has resulted in some exciting changes to the Foundation’s two annual competitive grant cycles (formerly the Field of Interest Grant Cycle and the Discretionary Grant Cycle). As the name implies, grants in these cycles will be targeted to capacity-building projects.

Grants in these two cycles shall range from $5,000 to $50,000 and 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 Imprecoovement 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.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 engineers, construction and craft professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists to design and build our critical infrastructure. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities. Founded in 1898 and working from more than 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Engineering - New Program

Getting students excited about STEM is essential to building a brighter future for all of us. Showing students how STEM topics fit into the real world and real careers can give them the tools to embrace this vital message. Burns & McDonnell and its Foundation have partnered with PLTW to increase access and participation to PLTW programs for students located in Burns & McDonnell communities. PLTW programs empower students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges.

Through this partnership, Burns and McDonnell is supporting PLTW grants to schools interested in starting and expanding PLTW programs beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantee must offer at least one PLTW Engineering course in the 2026-2027 academic year and must offer one additional course in the 2027-2028 academic year (two different courses in two years). Grantee may implement any PLTW Engineering courses of their choosing. Grantee must complete two years of grant reporting.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 engineers, construction and craft professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists to design and build our critical infrastructure. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities. Founded in 1898 and working from more than 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Gateway - New Program

Getting students excited about STEM is essential to building a brighter future for all of us. Showing students how STEM topics fit into the real world and real careers can give them the tools to embrace this vital message. Burns & McDonnell and its Foundation have partnered with PLTW to increase access and participation to PLTW programs for students located in Burns & McDonnell communities. PLTW programs empower students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges.

Through this partnership, Burns and McDonnell is supporting PLTW grants to schools interested in starting and expanding PLTW programs beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantee must offer at least one PLTW Gateway unit in the 2026-2027 academic year and must offer one additional unit in the 2027-2028 academic year (two different units in two years). Grantee may implement any PLTW Gateway units of their choosing. Grantee must complete two years of grant reporting.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 engineers, construction and craft professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists to design and build our critical infrastructure. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities. Founded in 1898 and working from more than 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Gateway - Program Expansion

Getting students excited about STEM is essential to building a brighter future for all of us. Showing students how STEM topics fit into the real world and real careers can give them the tools to embrace this vital message. Burns & McDonnell and its Foundation have partnered with PLTW to increase access and participation to PLTW programs for students located in Burns & McDonnell communities. PLTW programs empower students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges.

Through this partnership, Burns and McDonnell is supporting PLTW grants to schools interested in starting and expanding PLTW programs beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantee must use their grant funds to expand their existing PLTW Gateway program. Example expansion activities include but are not limited to adding an additional PLTW Gateway unit not previously offered, and/or adding additional class periods of an existing PLTW Gateway unit previously offered, and/or training additional teachers in a PLTW Gateway unit for the 2026-2027 academic year. Grantee must complete one year of grant reporting.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 engineers, construction and craft professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists to design and build our critical infrastructure. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities. Founded in 1898 and working from more than 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Launch - Program Expansion

Getting students excited about STEM is essential to building a brighter future for all of us. Showing students how STEM topics fit into the real world and real careers can give them the tools to embrace this vital message. Burns & McDonnell and its Foundation have partnered with PLTW to increase access and participation to PLTW programs for students located in Burns & McDonnell communities. PLTW programs empower students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges.

Through this partnership, Burns and McDonnell is supporting PLTW grants to schools interested in starting and expanding PLTW programs beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantees must use these grant funds to expand their program. Example expansion activities include but are not limited to adding an additional PLTW Launch module not previously offered, and/or offering existing PLTW Launch modules to more students, and/or training additional teachers in PLTW Launch Classroom Teacher Training or PLTW Launch Lead Teacher Training for the 2026-2027 academic year. Grantee must complete one year of grant reporting.