Current granting cycle for ECCF Grants is now open. Apply by January 15, 2025

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PHOTO: The Elk County Development Fund awarded a $3,000 grant to St. Leo School art department. Students are shown standing in front of the new moveable art supply cabinet stocked with much need art supplies. The current granting cycle is again offering grants to qualified organizations to support projects that benefit our communities.

ECCF grants now available: apply by January 15

The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCGF) is accepting applications through January 15 for thousands of dollars in grants currently available to 501c3 organizations during their open grant cycle.

Organizations may submit applications for grant 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 814-834-2125 with any questions. ECCF, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies, 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.

Grants for Pre-K programs available at the Elk County Community Foundation

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PHOTO: The Elk County Society for Special Services Fund, held at the Elk County Community Foundation, awarded a $2,858 grant in 2024 to ELCAM’s A Step Ahead Child Center for an updated curriculum program. Grants for our next granting cycle are now available for Pre-K programs benefiting the children of Elk County.

Grants for Pre-K programs available at ECCF

The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) is accepting grant applications through January 15 from non-profit organizations and schools that provide educational services for the Pre-K community. The grants are available from the Elk County Society for Special Services Fund (ECSSS).

The ECCSS fund was established to assist any nonprofit agency that provides services for the purposes of providing Pre-K education. The purpose of the grant should be to improve programs that are already established or to develop new programs. This fund will not cover direct operating expenses of an agency, rather it hopes to enhance an organization’s programs.

For instructions on how to apply for a grant, go to the Foundation website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org. Contact our office at 814-834-2125 to determine if your organization qualifies and for further instructions on how to proceed with the grant application.

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.

Community Foundation’s Ridgway Borough Charitable Fund awards $13,649 in grants

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PHOTO: Emma Coppolo and Michael Handley, Ridgway Borough; Jim Prosper and John Schlimm, Dickinson Center; Hope Weichman, Salvation Army; Mel Correll, House to Home; Joe Bullers and Derrick Goode, Ridgway Borough Charitable Fund Advisory Committee.

Community Foundation’s Ridgway Borough Charitable Fund awards $13,649 in grants

The Ridgway Borough Charitable Fund, under the management of the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF), recently awarded $13,649 in grants to four non-profit organizations. The Ridgway Borough Charitable Fund, an endowed fund, was established from a gift received from the estate of Sara-Jane Stackpole. The purpose of the fund is to provide support to organizations that contribute to the quality of life of the residents of the Borough of Ridgway.

An advisory committee made up of Ridgway community leaders and residents is appointed by the Board of Directors of ECCF to review grant applications and distribute grants each year.

The following organizations received grants during the 2024 granting cycle: Dickinson Center to supplement the Elk County Prison Library’s non-fiction/reference/resource book selection; Ridgway Borough for an ADA compliant swing at O.B. Grant park; Square One for a safety railing at Ridgway House to Home store; and the Salvation Army for quarterly distribution of essential household items and personal care kits.

The Elk County Community Foundation encourages residents and businesses to consider making a tax-deductible donation to help grow this community-oriented fund and increase the granting dollars available each year. Donations to the Ridgway Charitable Fund can be sent in care of the Elk County Community Foundation at PO Box 934, St. Marys, PA, 15857.

For more information, visit the Foundation’s website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org or contact ECCF at 814-834-2125. The Elk County Community Foundation, a non-profit organization that strives to strengthen our region through development, stewardship and grant making as it collaborates with donors to achieve their philanthropic goals, is an affiliate of our parent company, the Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies.

ECCF grant helps Bennett’s Valley Community Center with industrial kitchen

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Photo: The Elk County Community Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to the Bennett’s Valley Community Center for kitchen revitalization. Front row: Tom Wagner (ECCF Board President), Jeff Marzella (ECCF Vice-President), Rita Bonfardine, Denise Cuneo (ECCF Board Member and local to Bennett’s Valley), Jessica Barbazzeni, Heather Collins. Back row: Debi Mitchell, Danielle Assalone, Jimmy Allegretto, John Bricen, Chairman, Rick Krulia Sr., Tiffany Boschert (ECCF Executive Director). Missing from photo: Vice Chairman Jeremy Rippey

ECCF grant helps BV Community Center with industrial kitchen

St. Marys: The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) is pleased to announce the awarding of a $10,000 grant to the Bennett’s Valley Community Center (BVCC) to provide new industrial kitchen supplies at the center. BVCC received the grant from the Elk County Development Fund, an unrestricted fund which is administered by the Community Foundation.

When Bennett’s Valley School closed, Jay Township collaborated to have the school returned to the community with plans to utilize the school building to uplift their community. The decision to open the Bennett’s Valley Community Center in their old school was born. Unfortunately, a few months after the opening of the Community Center devastation hit with flooding of the basement, causing major damage to the entire electrical and heating system. Funding for repairs was now very much needed, in addition to supplying the vacant kitchen, gym, and janitorial supplies to allow for the BVCC to continue to operate.

ECCF was pleased to assist with the addition of the industrial kitchen, to aide the Bennett’s Valley Community Center with this important source of revenue to help establish financial stability. This will allow numerous entities to utilize the kitchen and cafeteria area for events, bringing in rental income.

The Elk County Development Fund is an unrestricted fund that allows the Foundation the flexibility to address the community’s changing needs through strategic grant making each year. Rather than designating how the money must be spent, the Foundation determines the most effective ways to meet the most compelling opportunities and most pressing needs in our communities as they arise, such as support for the Bennett’s Vally Community Center.

The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is the parent company of the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation. 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.

Grant opportunity until October 15 at ECCF

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Grant opportunities are open until October 15 at the Elk County Community Foundation

Photo: In 2023, the Elk County Courthouse was awarded a grant from the Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Fund held at the Elk County Community Foundation for an “Elk County Facility Dog”. The project’s primary purpose is to provide vulnerable children and their families with canine support during the interview and testimonial phases of the judicial process. The facility dog will also reduce anxiety and stress for children, their families, and other participants in court-related proceedings.

St. Marys, PA: The final grant cycle for 2024 for funding from the Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Fund held at the Elk County Community Foundation is currently underway. The deadline to apply for this round of grant funding is October 15. The goal of the Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Fund is to support worthy causes and projects that improve the quality of life in our local area.

Grants are available to 501c3 organizations, municipalities, and faith-based organizations. Applicants can access information on the funds, instructions on how to apply, and the grant application on the Elk County Community Foundation website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org. If you have questions about the application process, whether your organization qualifies, or would like to speak to someone about your project, please call the Foundation office at 814-834-2125.

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. The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is the parent company of the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation.