Grants now available from Johnsonburg Charitable Endowment Fund

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The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) was presented with a check from the sale of the Johnsonburg Community TV Company to add to the Johnsonburg Charitable Endowment Fund that will benefit the residents of the Johnsonburg Area School District in the coming years. The inaugural grant cycle for this fund is now open with a deadline to apply by July 15. 

The Johnsonburg Community Endowment Fund will begin granting through an open, competitive grant process open to any 501c3 organization, school, municipality or organized religion that serves the Johnsonburg area. ECCF will oversee the administrative duties of the fund with the objective to invest the monies, grow the fund, and help support the emerging opportunities and unforeseen needs of the community.

An Advisory Committee of interested Johnsonburg residents has been appointed to make grant recommendations to ECCF’s Board of Directors. The committee recently met with ECCF to be informed about the Foundation and its granting policies and procedures.

For instructions on how to apply for a grant go to the Foundation website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org. Feel free to contact the Foundation office at 834-2125 with any questions. The Elk County Community Foundation is a non-profit grant-making organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in our geographic area by partnering with philanthropic donors to help them meet their charitable goals.

PHOTO: Paula Fritz Eddy of the Elk County Community Foundation accepts a check from Advisory Committee members of the Johnsonburg Charitable Endowment Fund: Tom Fedorko, Barb Duffy, Charlie Constable, Janice Carnovale, and Al Maletto. Missing from photo: Jack Fowler and Vicki Condino.

ECCF grant awarded to SMASD for Mastercam software

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The Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Fund, administered by the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF), awarded a grant for $9,300 to the St. Marys Area School District (SMASD) for the purchase of Mastercam software.

There is a nation-wide shortage of skilled workers, and one of the SMASD goals is to create career-ready young adults to take advantage of and help fill that gap. This software is the same software that is used in industry. Exposure to and experience with this will be very advantageous for students when they enter the workforce. It will enhance their employability and will diminish the time required for them to become fully productive employees.

Mastercam is Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software, one of the most prevalent computer aided manufacturing software programs found in classrooms from high schools to vocational schools. Computer Aided Manufacturing software is used to translate Computer Aided Design (CAD) files to usable Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machining. CNC machines allow for the production of high complexity parts, in a fraction of the time, while also heavily ruling out the factor of human error.

In Elk County, industry varies from powdered metal, metal fabrication, 3D printing, and 3D injection molding. Mastercam will provide the Career Technical Education students with real-world knowledge that is applicable to every single aspect of industrial manufacturing. It will expose our students to a well-known system that is relied upon by multiple companies in different fields of manufacturing.

The Elk County Community Foundation provides the administrative and investment management services that make it easy for donors to accomplish their charitable wishes, while improving the quality of life in our communities. Funds established by charitable donors support our communities through the awarding of grants and scholarships.

The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is the parent company of the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation. For more information, please contact the Community Foundation at 814-834-2125.

Stager creates Right to Life Fund at ECCF

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New Judith Manno Stager
Right to Life Fund

A new fund was recently created at the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) by Judith Manno Stager. A founding member of ECCF, Judith recently established the Judith Manno Stager Right to Life Fund. This fund will award grants to support programs, events, education, and initiatives that promote the rights of the unborn.

The fund states: ‘Regardless of the circumstances surrounding conception, every human being is endowed with a dignity that must be unconditionally respected and safeguarded. With deep compassion for the vulnerable unborn who cannot fend for themselves, the Fund will award grants to nonprofits who advocate in defense of Life from Conception.’

Graduating from Villa Maria College, Judith worked in probation and parole before marrying and returning to Ridgway. After adopting two of their six children, she facilitated adoptions for more than 30 babies and arranged foster care, transportation and U.S. surgeries for dozens of international children. Judith has 20 grandchildren.

Judith established and managed her coal and trucking corporation for 40 years, chaired many state and area non-profit boards, headed a church addition, organized the building of a playground, and launched a successful court case to save another local play area.

The Elk County Community Foundation accepts contributions to support the Judith Manno Stager Right to Life Fund.

The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is the parent company of the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation. The Community Foundation provides the administrative and investment management services that make it easy for donors to accomplish their charitable wishes. Funds established by charitable donors support our communities through the awarding of grants and scholarships. For more information, please contact the Community Foundation at 814-834-2125.

New Online Scholarship Application Program available for students starting January 15

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There will be something new in ’22 for students who apply for scholarships at the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF). ECCF is excited to announce that a new Foundant Technologies online application process will be launched on January 15 for the 2022 scholarship award cycle. This online process will streamline the process for students, school counselors, and the Foundation staff. A new online portal will give students access to applying for scholarships this year at the Elk County Community Foundation. The 2022 scholarship applications will be available on January 15.

Students will create an account on the online portal where they will take an eligibility quiz that will automatically match them to all the scholarships that are available to them based on the criteria they enter.  Each student will then fill out their applications online. Students can easily upload letters of reference and transcripts to their applications. Applications can be saved and worked on at a later date, and students can track the status of each application. The new program will keep applicants on track with their scholarship reporting requirements with automated email reminders and online reporting forms.

Students are encouraged to explore the wide variety of scholarships available by going to the Foundation’s website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org. Under “Information for Students” they can view detailed information on scholarships for both graduating seniors and non-traditional students. When they are ready to apply, they can click on any of the “Click here to apply” buttons to be directed to the Foundant application portal.

In 2021 the Elk County Community Foundation awarded $249,000 in scholarships to 173 high school seniors and non-traditional students. This new online program will enable the Foundation to continue to offer a streamlined, well-organized and efficient scholarship process as the program continues to grow. For more information, contact the Foundation at 814-834-2125.

ECCF is a non-profit grant-making organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in our geographic area by partnering with philanthropic donors to help them meet their charitable goals.

Grant funding available for non-profits through January 15

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PHOTO: In 2021, the Elk County Community Recycling Center received a $5,000 grant from the Elk County Development Fund for the purchase of a vertical baler.  

Thousands of dollars in grants are available to 501c3 organizations during open grant cycles at the Elk County Community Foundation.

The Foundation is accepting applications through January 15 for the current grant cycle from organizations who wish to apply for funding from the Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Family Fund or the Elk County Development Fund. Each of these funds welcome applications that directly benefit the residents of Elk County.

The Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Family Fund is an open grant that supports worthy projects that provide services for the residents of our communities. Their goal is to support causes and projects that improve the quality of life in our local area.

The Elk County Development Fund supports community development initiatives that will enhance the economic and community wellbeing of Elk County. Projects should include activities that are innovative and have a plan to sustain themselves.

For instructions on how to apply for a grant go to the Foundation website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org. Please call our office at 834-2125 with any questions. ECCF is a non-profit organization that strives to strengthen our region through development, stewardship and grant making as it works with donors to achieve their philanthropic goals.