Search Through Westmoreland County Grants for Nonprofits in Pennsylvania

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

Global Impact Cash Grants

Cisco welcomes applications for Global Impact Cash Grants from community partners around the world who share our vision and offer an innovative approach to a critical social challenge.

We identify, incubate, and develop innovative solutions with the most impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We’re looking for programs that fit within our investment areas, serve the underserved, and leverage technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services. We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. An initial information form is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application.

Social Investment Areas

At Cisco, we make social investments in three areas where we believe our technology and our people can make the biggest impact—education, economic empowerment, and crisis response, the last of which incorporates shelter, water, food, and disaster relief. Together, these investment areas help people overcome barriers of poverty and inequality, and make a lasting difference by fostering strong global communities.

Education Investments

Our strategy is to inclusively invest in technology-based solutions that increase equitable access to education while improving student performance, engagement, and career exploration. We support K-12 solutions that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as literacy. We also consider programs that teach environmental sustainability, eliminate barriers to accessing climate change education, and invite student engagement globally to positively affect the environment.

What we look for:

• Innovative early grade solutions using the internet and technology to bridge the barriers preventing access to education for underserved students globally.
• Solutions that positively affect student attendance, attitudes, and behavior while inspiring action by students to improve learning outcomes, whether they participate in person, online, or in blended learning environments. 
• Solutions with high potential to replicate and scale globally, thereby increasing the availability of evidence-based solutions that support student-centricity, teacher capacity in the classroom, and increased parental participation to help students learn and develop.

Economic Empowerment

Our strategy is to invest in early stage, tech-enabled solutions that provide equitable access to the knowledge, skills, and resources that people need to support themselves and their families toward resilience, independence, and economic security.

Our goal is to support solutions that benefit individuals and families, and that contribute to local community growth and economic development in a sustainable economy.

We target our support in three interconnected areas:

• Skills development to help job seekers secure dignified employment and long-term career pathways in technology or other sectors, including environmental sustainability/green jobs.
• Inclusive entrepreneurship with small businesses as engines of local growth as well as high growth potential start-ups as large-scale job creators nationally and internationally, in technology or other sectors, including environment sustainability/green businesses.
• Banking the unbanked through relevant and affordable financial products and capacity building services.

Cisco Crisis Response

We seek to help overcome the cycle of poverty and dependence and achieve a more sustainable future through strategic investments. We back organizations that successfully address critical needs of underserved communities, because those who have their basic needs met are better equipped to learn and thrive.

What we look for:

• Innovative solutions that increase the capacity of grantees to deliver their products and services more effectively and efficiently
• Design and implementation of web-based tools that increase the availability of, or improve access to, products and services that are necessary for people to survive and thrive
• Programs that increase access to clean water, food, shelter, or disaster relief and promote a more sustainable future for all
  • By policy, relief campaigns respond to significant natural disaster and humanitarian crises as opposed to those caused by human conflict. Also by policy, our investments in this area do not include healthcare solutions.

Climate Impact

Our strategy is to invest US$100 million in Cisco Foundation funds over the next decade to help reverse the impact of climate change, working toward a sustainable and regenerative future for all.

The commitment includes both grant and impact investment funding for early-stage climate innovation. Both categories of support will be focused on bold climate solutions, and the grants side will also concentrate on community education and activation. Grants will go to exceptionally aligned nonprofit organizations, while impact investments will go to highly promising for-profit solutions through the private sector and climate impact funds.

Funding comes from the Cisco Foundation and will focus on:

• Identifying bold and innovative solutions that:
  • Draw down the carbon already in the atmosphere
  • Regenerate depleted ecosystems and broadly support the transition to a regenerative future
• Developing curricular initiatives to spur community engagement that can lead to measurable behavioral change and collective action

We will prioritize organizations that can achieve, measure, and report outcomes such as:

• Reduction, capture, and/or sequestering of greenhouse gas and carbon emissions
• Increased energy efficiency and improved mapping and management of natural resources, such as ecosystem restoration, forest treatments, reforestation, and afforestation that also will help repair our water cycles
• Transition to inclusive, just, coliberatory, and regenerative operating models, ways of being, and ways of organizing economies
• Creation of, and increase in, access to green jobs and job training
• Changes in community and individual behavior that lead to carbon footprint reduction, community climate resilience, and localized roadmaps to a sustainable shared climate future for all

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

Our founder

Richard King Mellon was a visionary. The philanthropic foundation he created, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, has invested since 1947 in visionaries who seek to advance the competitive future and quality of life of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and to protect, preserve and restore America’s environmental heritage. More than 75 years after its founding, the Foundation has become the largest in our region and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation’s 2021 year-end net assets were $3.4 billion, and its Trustees in 2021 disbursed $152 million in grants and program-related investments.

Economic Mobility

While economic mobility specific RFPs are no longer open, applications for funding on the subject matter highlighted in those historic RFPs can be submitted at any time through our General Application. The historic Economic Mobility RFPs can be viewed here.We welcome bold proposals that align with our 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.

Our Strategic Plan is a roadmap to award more than $1.2 billion from 2021-2030. It is a plan to focus the Foundation’s resources on the most powerful pathways to greater opportunity and prosperity for the people of southwestern Pennsylvania. And to do even more to protect, steward, and activate environmentally sensitive land in southwestern Pennsylvania and across the United States.Your applications are the lifeblood of our Strategic Plan.

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)

We welcome bold proposals that align with our 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.

Our Strategic Plan is a roadmap to award more than $1.2 billion from 2021-2030. It is a plan to focus the Foundation’s resources on the most powerful pathways to greater opportunity and prosperity for the people of southwestern Pennsylvania. And to do even more to protect, steward, and activate environmentally sensitive land in southwestern Pennsylvania and across the United States.

Funding Programs

We strive to improve the competitive position of the region; strengthen the vitality of Southwestern Pennsylvania, particularly the City of Pittsburgh and its neighborhoods; and protect important habitats and natural amenities in Western Pennsylvania and across the United States.

• Conservation
  • Wildlife flourishes and people thrive in once-imperiled habitats, through strategic land protection, stewardship, and activation, and sustainable economic development that deploys renewable energy and new technologies that foster livable communities and healthy natural systems.
• Economic Development
  • To help make Southwestern Pennsylvania an engine for economic growth and vitality by investing in the ingenuity and creativity of its population, enhancing individuals’ economic prosperity, and strengthening our sense of community.
• Economic Mobility
  • All children and youth living in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will be able to access their most promising future.
  • We invest in pathways to opportunity for vulnerable children and youth to overcome the obstacles to achieving economic mobility.
• Health & Well-Being
  • Everyone in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, particularly the most vulnerable, has the opportunity to live a healthy life.
• Organizational Effectiveness
  • Our partners will have the organizational strength and agility to pursue big ideas and take risks in service of accelerating achievement of their strategic priorities.
• Social-Impact Investments
  • The Foundation's social-impact investing enables mission-driven for-profit companies to secure the risk capital, networks and resources they need to develop products, deploy services and address societal issues at the individual and community level.

We welcome proposals that span funding programs.

General Application

The General Application is for proposals that align with our 2021 – 2030 Strategy and one – or several – of our funding programs.

The General Application is our most flexible application option. The General Application does not have deadlines, so you can submit at any time throughout the year. Through the General Application, you can apply for general operating support or project-specific support. You can also seek funding for planning and innovation, implementation, or scaling activities.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

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 $74 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 organizations and programs that directly impact the community and its residents. The Foundation supports nonprofits that demonstrate positive, needed, and trusted impacts throughout their community with special attention given to proposals grounded in 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: Food banks, libraries, farmers markets, arts & music programs, community festivals & initiatives

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, teacher professional development, 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

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

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Who We Are

The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County was founded in 1995 by local leaders of Westmoreland County to encourage philanthropy, to build a sense of place, and to embrace the spirit of community. Our mission is to encourage local residents to become philanthropists, provide grants that support a wide variety of charitable organizations and serve as a community leader. Having merged with The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2010, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County continues to work with county residents to encourage that spirit of giving and investment in community organizations and residents.

In 2019, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County completed a planning process to more clearly articulate its funding priorities through its Comprehensive Community Investment Strategy. The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the needs of vulnerable populations in the county while helping to develop the places in which they live. Grants to help support vulnerable populations will be distributed through Healthy Communities Grants, as described in these program guidelines.

Comprehensive Community Investment Strategy

Vision: Westmoreland County will be a vibrant community where citizens are enthused and energized to live, work and share in its abundant resources.

Mission: The mission of the Comprehensive Community Investment Strategy is to provide unique opportunities for community benefit organizations and residents to create transformational change in vulnerable communities by collaboratively improving community assets, strengthening organizations, and supporting improved quality of life for all people.

Values: The following values help to frame the Comprehensive Community Investment Strategy. 

• Relationships: Facilitating collaboration by making connections and building alliances across sectors, organizations, and groups, including local leaders and community members.
• Innovation: Working creatively to rethink how to build and invest in the community and people.
• Impact: Ensuring the value of investments by strengthening the capacity of individuals,
• communities and organizations.

Statement of Need

At the heart of our mission, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County is called to serve the most vulnerable of our population in Westmoreland County. Often, vulnerable populations in our communities are also those individuals living in poverty. Poverty is a product and symptom of which people live. This adds to the creation of barriers to achieve physical health, mental health, well-being, educational attainment, economic prosperity, and quality of life, amongst others.

The Working Poor Families Project, supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation,  describes the working poor as those living at 200% of the federal poverty level. In 2012, the poverty threshold was $23,283 for a family of four. This means that the threshold for a family of four living at 200% of the poverty level is $46,566. For families living below 200% of the poverty level, meeting basic needs can be a daily struggle. These families are amongst those we might consider as our most vulnerable in Westmoreland County.

According to the US Census Bureau’s most recent information for Westmoreland County, 64,991 individuals or 18% of the population fall under 150% of the federal poverty level. This is an increase of 7% over 2000. Additionally, 27% of the population live at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. With nearly a third of our population in this category, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County is committed to working with our nonprofit community to find ways to support these populations, ultimately promoting healthier communities for our most vulnerable populations.

Locally, it has been reported by county officials and nonprofit leaders that issues facing vulnerable populations are much more complex than simply issues of financial hardship. The intersectionality of issues creates additional barriers that must be overcome. It is not unlikely to encounter a family that is not only living in poverty, but is also dealing with food insecurity, mental health concerns, and addiction. These complex issues call for greater collaboration from service providers, flexibility in delivery, and a multitiered service model.

Healthy Communities Grants

Healthy Communities Grants is a county-wide grant initiative to provide nonprofit organizations with funding to support the physical, social, environmental and emotional needs of our most vulnerable populations in Westmoreland County. The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County wishes to address the root causes of poverty by supporting long term solutions that assist individuals and families to move out of poverty, and to assist those with limited capacity, such as low income, underrepresented and vulnerable populations, to live with dignity. The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County encourages applicants to think creatively, to discover new approaches, and to take courageous steps towards new solutions.

Goals

• To support programs that promote the upward mobility of families living in poverty.
• To provide supports for single women raising children including childcare needs.
• To assist community-based programs that support men, women, and children struggling with mental health concerns including addiction.
• To address the complexities faced by men and women reentering society after a period of incarceration.
• To support men, women, and children dealing with housing and food insecurity.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania funds community partners focused on providing programs and services in our five-county region.

Kindergarten Transition

Getting a child enrolled and prepared for the first day of kindergarten is one of the most critical steps of building success in school and beyond. United Way coordinates community transition teams and provides funding for nonprofits to help bridge the gap between preschool and kindergarten.

Transition teams are made up of early childhood teachers, administrators, support staff, parents and community members. They work together to make sure students can transition smoothly from preschool life to kindergarten, and start school feeling calm, confident and ready to learn.

Transition teams coordinate activities and experiences that help students adapt to kindergarten: parent orientation nights, student summer camps, classroom visits and more.

Transition teams also give a voice to key issues surrounding early childhood education. They promote the importance of quality early childhood education, early literacy development and on-time kindergarten registration. They help early childhood educators and school districts communicate better, and do the same for families, schools and the greater community.

The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County (CFWC) is your community foundation. We work in partnership with nonprofit organizations to meet community needs. All CFWC grant applications are processed through the online portal of our parent organization, The Pittsburgh Foundation.

Funding

The mission of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County’s unrestricted grant making is to strengthen communities, promote change and address overlapping community issues. CFWC has worked with partner organizations to create special funding initiatives to respond to some of our region’s most pressing needs.

Our funding opportunities fall into these categories:

• Greensburg Foundation Fund
• Human Services ARPA Program
• Revitalizing Westmoreland/Healthy Communities

Please note that CFWC will accept and review requests for funding that fall outside of our funding priorities.

Social-Impact Investment Pitch Competition

We strive to improve the competitive position of the region; strengthen the vitality of Southwestern Pennsylvania, particularly the City of Pittsburgh and its neighborhoods; and protect important habitats and natural amenities in Western Pennsylvania and across the United States.

Conservation

Wildlife flourishes and people thrive in once-imperiled habitats, through strategic land protection, stewardship, and activation, and sustainable economic development that deploys renewable energy and new technologies that foster livable communities and healthy natural systems.

Economic Development

To help make Southwestern Pennsylvania an engine for economic growth and vitality by investing in the ingenuity and creativity of its population, enhancing individuals’ economic prosperity, and strengthening our sense of community.

Economic Mobility

All children and youth living in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will be able to access their most promising future. We invest in pathways to opportunity for vulnerable children and youth to overcome the obstacles to achieving economic mobility.

Health & Well-Being

Everyone in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, particularly the most vulnerable, has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

Organizational Effectiveness

Our partners will have the organizational strength and agility to pursue big ideas and take risks in service of accelerating the achievement of their strategic priorities.

Social-Impact Investments

The Foundation is currently accepting applications for its annual Social-Impact Investment Pitch Competition.

The Foundation's social-impact investing enables mission-driven for-profit companies to secure the risk capital, networks, and resources they need to develop products, deploy services, and address societal issues at the individual and community level.

Background

In 2022, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the needs of vulnerable populations in the county while helping to develop the places in which they live. Historically, we have done this through two programs: Revitalizing Westmoreland (Place) and Healthy Communities (People). By investing in people and place, CFWC is committed to making Westmoreland County a vibrant community where citizens are enthused and energized to live, work and share in its resources.

Revitalizing Westmoreland (Place): approved projects fostered and encouraged revitalization in communities with a large number of households living at or below 200% of poverty. Maximum request was $20,000.

United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania funds community partners focused on providing programs and services in our five-county region.

Community Impact Grants

Through United Way’s Impact Fund, nonprofit agencies may apply for general funding opportunities that support our three investment priorities: Meeting Basic Needs, Moving Toward Financial Stability, and Building For Success in School and Life.

Grants will be awarded for 3 years and may be adjusted based on the completion of annual reporting and performance requirements, and the availability of funds. 

Investment Priority Framework

• Meeting Basic Needs
  • Individuals and families have a greater opportunity to thrive when they have access to nutritious food, a safe place to live, and supportive community resources.
  • UWSWPA invests in partners committed to:
    • Addressing food insecurity and providing access to nutritious food.
    • Providing individuals and families access to safe and secure housing through programs that provide shelter, address eviction prevention, home repair, and utility assistance.
    • Providing access to reliable transportation.
    • Providing safety and support to survivors of intimate partner violence.
    • Addressing the negative health effects of social isolation by providing interventions that promote connection and community.
• Moving Toward Financial Stability
  • To break the cycle of generational poverty, it is essential that people have resources and supports to earn a living wage and the tools they need to build wealth.
  • UWSWPA invests in partners committed to:
    • Connecting people to employment through skill-building and career development programs.
    • Offering equitable opportunities across race, gender, and ability for peopleto access services and benefits that increase their income and financial security.
    • Advocating for critical policy and systems change by engaging stakeholders across the community
• Building For Success in School and Life
  • Every young person deserves the chance to have a positive start toward adulthood, to learn and succeed to the level of their educational ability and reach their full potential in life
    • UWSWPA invests in partners committed to:
      • Providing affordable, high-quality early childhood educational opportunities and family supports.
      • Working collaboratively with school districts and other community partners that provide positive out-of-school time opportunities for young people.
      • Addressing learning loss, social and emotional well-being and kindergarten readiness.
      • Providing career and college readiness tools and resources to historically underrepresented groups of students.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

Overview

The Greensburg Foundation Fund (GFF) is an established endowment fund within The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. The endowment is a combination of trusts that were established by more than 25 individuals and families from Greensburg to support organizations that serve the needs of that community.

Grants Program

The Greensburg Foundation Fund Grants Program was created to provide Greensburg nonprofits with the opportunity to request funds for program materials, office technology, renovations, capital projects and/or program implementation.

The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County was founded in 1995 by local leaders of Westmoreland County to encourage philanthropy, build a sense of place and embrace the spirit of community. Merging with The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2010, The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County continues to work with county residents to encourage that spirit of giving and investment in community organizations and residents. Our mission is to encourage residents to become PHILANTHROPISTS, to provide GRANTS that support a wide variety of nonprofit organizations and serve as a COMMUNITY LEADER.

Visionaries is an initiative of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County... a fresh approach to philanthropy. It consists of young professional leaders throughout Westmoreland County who are committed to making our community a better place. Our mission is to nurture philanthropic leadership among young people through engagement, education, grant making and the development of a permanent endowment to support initiatives throughout the county.

The Visionaries participate in a series of workshops to learn about challenges, needs and opportunities in Westmoreland County. They also participate in exercises to demonstrate how they can develop their personal philanthropy and give back to the community. With this knowledge, the group selects a focus for grantmaking and issues guidelines to solicit proposals from the nonprofit community. Ultimately, three applicants are selected as finalists, receive a grant and attend a “Pitch-In Party” where they present their case for funding from attendees made up of organization partners, board members, former visionaries and members of the community.

Statement of  Need

The pandemic drew attention to many needs within our community. Among them are two key areas of concern among youth living in Westmoreland County – mental health and food insecurity. The Visionaries have identified both as their areas of focus for the 2025 RFP.

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

Our Mission

The Hansen Family Foundation provides opportunities to domestic, international, secular, and non-secular organizations that support the American way of life, which is defined by the principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Causes

Children

The Hansen Family Foundation supports causes dedicated to helping children both home as well as abroad. Learn More

Education

The Hansen Family Foundation believes that a decent education should be made available to everyone, young or old, the world over. Learn More

Animals

The Hansen Family Foundation believes in helping those who cannot speak on their own behalf. Learn More

Environmental

The Hansen Family Foundation is dedicated to preserving the world we all share. Learn More

Humanitarian

The Hansen Family Foundation views the plight of our fellow man as an opportunity to actively engage and effect change. Learn More

Arts & Culture

The Hansen Family Foundation supports all forms of artistic and cultural endeavors. Learn More