WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

GRANT-MAKING THE FOUNDATION OPERATES A DIVERSE GRANTS PROGRAM ORGANIZED INTO EIGHT FUNDING AREAS: ANIMAL WELFARE, ARTS & HUMANITIES, COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT, EDUCATION, HEALTH & FITNESS, HUMAN NEEDS, AND RELIGION & FAITH. IN TOTAL, 306 NONPROFITS PROVIDING CHARITABLE SERVICES IN OUR COMMUNITY WERE SUPPORTED IN 2025.A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF GRANTS ARE AWARDED FOR CAPACITY BUILDING, WHICH IS DEFINED AS ANY ACTIVITY THAT INCREASES THE NONPROFIT'S OPERATIONAL, PROGRAMMATIC, FINANCIAL, OR ORGANIZATIONAL MATURITY. FOUNDATION DONORS WITH DONOR ADVISED FUNDS HAVE ALSO EMBRACED THE CONCEPT OF CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT-MAKING. IN 2025, 34 CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS RANGING FROM $400 TO $100,000 AND TOTALING $481,650 WERE ISSUED. FINANCIAL PROCESS IMPROVEMENT, COMMUNICATIONS, AND DATA MANAGEMENT ARE FUNDING PRIORITIES, BUT GRANTS ARE ALSO ISSUED FOR FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS, PROGRAM EXPANSION AND TECHNOLOGY. GRANTS TOTALING $250,500 WERE AWARDED TO LOCAL FIRST RESPONDER ORGANIZATIONS THAT INCLUDED POLICE & FIRE DEPARTMENTS, EMS AND SWAT TEAMS. POST-SECONDARY SCHOLARSHIPS OF $253,852 WERE AWARDED TO LOCAL STUDENTS FURTHERING THEIR EDUCATION. ADDITIONALLY, JUST OVER $276,000 WAS AWARDED TO LOCAL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN PRIVATE K-12 SCHOOLS WHO DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL NEED.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP THE FOUNDATION WORKS TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS COMMUNITY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES AND ALSO SERVES AS A LEADER AND CONVENER. FOR YEARS WE HAVE HOSTED FREE EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS FOR LOCAL NONPROFITS ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS IMPACTING THE SECTOR. WHILE WE HAD BEEN PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS OF THOSE SESSIONS, WE KNEW THAT A MORE COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WAS NEEDED. IN RESPONSE, WE DEVELOPED THE COMMUNITY PILLARS PROGRAM WHICH PROVIDES IN-DEPTH EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS ON SIX BROAD TOPICS: MISSION, STRATEGY & EVALUATION; GOVERNANCE & LEADERSHIP; LEGAL COMPLIANCE & ETHICS; FINANCE & OPERATIONS; FUNDRAISING & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT; AND PUBLIC AWARENESS & ADVOCACY. THE PILLARS PROGRAM WAS MODELED AFTER AN ACCREDITATION TOOL OF THE PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, A LEADING AUTHORITY ON NONPROFIT GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT. THE PILLARS PROGRAM CONVENED ITS THIRD ANNUAL CLASS IN THE FALL OF 2025 WITH 14 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING THE PROGRAM. LAUNCHED IN 2023, WCCF'S COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT IS AN INNOVATIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT TOOL CONNECTING CHARITIES AND DONORS WITH TIMELY, ACTIONABLE COMMUNITY DATA. INFORMED BY ONGOING RESEARCH, FOCUS GROUPS, AND AN ANNUAL SURVEY, THE PLATFORM IS REFRESHED EACH YEAR ACROSS EIGHT FOCUS AREAS AND WASHINGTON COUNTY'S BROADER NONPROFIT LANDSCAPE, ENSURING EVERY COMMUNITY MEMBER HAS ACCESS TO THE MOST CURRENT INSIGHTS AVAILABLE. IN 2025, SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENTS MADE THE PLATFORM MORE DATA-DRIVEN, DELIVERING DEEPER ANALYSIS AND MORE ROBUST REPORTING THAN EVER BEFORE. WHAT TRULY DISTINGUISHES COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT FROM OTHER NEEDS ASSESSMENTS IS ITS ABILITY TO GO BEYOND BROAD TRENDS. NONPROFITS CAN DIRECTLY LIST THEIR SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS ON THE SITE, CREATING A ONE-OF-A-KIND RESOURCE THAT BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN COMMUNITY-WIDE CHALLENGES AND THE FRONTLINE ORGANIZATIONS ADDRESSING THEM. THE RESULT IS A SINGLE, CENTRALIZED DESTINATION WHERE DONORS, FUNDERS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN GRASP BOTH THE BIG PICTURE AND THE GROUND-LEVEL REALITIES SHAPING OUR REGION. THE IMPACT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. DONORS HAVE EMBRACED THE PLATFORM ENTHUSIASTICALLY, DIRECTING MORE THAN $100,000 IN GRANTS TO NEEDS IDENTIFIED DIRECTLY THROUGH COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT.ANNUALLY, THE FOUNDATION HOSTS A GIVING EVENT, WCCF GIVES, WHICH IS CONDUCTED OVER SEVERAL MONTHS. COMMUNITY GIVING BEGINS ON AUGUST 1 WITH CHECK CONTRIBUTIONS AND CONCLUDES ON A DESIGNATED DAY IN SEPTEMBER WHEN CREDIT CARD CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ALSO ACCEPTED FROM 8 A.M. TO 8 P.M. VIA A DEDICATED WEBSITE. THE WCCF DOES NOT CHARGE ANY FEES TO CHARITIES OR DONORS TO PARTICIPATE IN WCCF GIVES AND ANNUALLY SECURES A PRIZE POOL TO ENCOURAGE GIVING. CUMULATIVELY, MORE THAN $15,680,000 IN GRANTS HAS BEEN ISSUED THROUGH WCCF GIVES.