Which Somerset County organizations were awarded grant funding this fall from the Community Foundation?

JOHNSTOWN ― Twenty Somerset County organizations will benefit from over $70,000 in grants that were awarded on Tuesday, Nov. 21 by the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies as part of its fall 2023 grant distribution.

In total, the foundation awarded $336,974 to 87 projects in Somerset, Cambria, Bedford and Indiana counties in its latest round of grant awards, which are awarded in the spring and fall each year. This time, the event was held at Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy, a historic green space in Johnstown’s Hornerstown neighborhood which is being repurposed as a community park and environmental education and events space.

Mike Kane, president and executive director of the foundation, said the grant dollars that are awarded each year are the start of a circle of giving, in which donors get to see first-hand how grant dollars directly benefit their community.

“The grants are only part of the story,” he said. “The Community Foundation is based on a model that says people care about their community. Nonprofits can serve the people in their community (with these grant dollars), and in turn, people see the things that are going on and that encourages more support (to the foundation).

“Our goal is to make that (circle) happen. With these projects, I know I will have stories to tell our donors – so these dollars represent more than just dollars.”

The foundation also reported in its fall grant announcement that a total of 105 applications were received for this latest round, requesting over $600,000 in grant funding.

“From this past grant round, I can tell you the need is extensive,” Kane said in a statement from the foundation. “We, unfortunately, could not support them all. We encourage anyone who wants to be able to make a contribution that can be used toward a wide variety of needs to visit our website and make a gift to our Fund for the Future, or reach out to us to learn more.”

The foundation’s website is cfalleghenies.org.

Who are the Somerset County grant recipients?

In Somerset County, the foundation awarded $71,145 in grants to these 20 organizations:

The Salvation Army, $7,500 for its “Operation Warm Hearts” heating assistance program;  Windber Municipal Authority, $7,500 for a disability-accessible project at the Windber Recreation Pool;  Boswell Volunteer Fire Department, $7,000 to replace some of the department’s fire hoses; The Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County, Inc., $7,000 for its Pennsylvania Maple Museum paving project;  Somerset County Foundation for Higher Education, $5,000 for equipment for the Penn West Clarion Nursing program at the Somerset County Education Center; Stoystown Volunteer Fire Department, $5,000 to purchase fire equipment; Somerset Volunteer Fire Department, $4,800 for the purchase of mobile tablets and stream straighteners; Guild of American Papercutters, $4,000 for its “Crafting Stories with Paper” project; Rockwood Area Historical and Genealogical Society, $3,700 for an energy upgrade project; Somerset County Library, $3,500 for its “Organize and Grow: Children’s Collections” project; Windber Food Pantry, $2,800 for its Windber Area School District backpack feeding program;  Humane Society of Somerset County, $2,500 for its ‘Raise the Roof” project; Meyersdale Public Library, $2,000 for an “Accessibility for All” project; YWCA of Greater Johnstown, $1,645 for an expansion of the Kuddle Korner child care center in Windber; Friedens Volunteer Fire Company, $1,500 for a kitchen upgrade project at the fire station; Meyersdale Area School District, $1,500 for various projects; Meyersdale Drama/Musical Boosters, Inc., $1,500 for the high school’s annual musical production; Mary S. Biesecker Public Library, Somerset, $1,200 for a variety of projects at the library; Children’s Aid Home of Somerset County, $1,000 for health upgrades; Windber Area Public Library, $500 for a literacy project.

Multi-county grant recipients

Another $59,750 was awarded to organizations that offer services in a multi-county area, 11 of which involve Somerset County:

Keystone Family Alliance, $7,500 for an Awareness and Engagement program for Somerset and Indiana counties; Scalp Level-Paint Volunteer Fire Company, $7,500 for wildland firefighting equipment; The Stonycreek-Quemahoning Initiative, $7,500 for phase III of the Quemahoning Trail; The Learning Lamp, $7,500 for its “Best Day Ever!” lesson plan program; Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, $4,800 to expand its music education engagement program into Somerset and Bedford counties; Easterseals Western and Central Pennsylvania, $3,550 for its Equitable Hearing Health program; Circle of Support Child Advocacy Center, $3,400 for computer and phone equipment; Conemaugh Township Rotary, $3,000 for its 2023 “Wishes of Christmas” project that supports families in need; Laurel Highlands Education and Robotics, Inc., $3,000 for its drone “Code for the Skies” and STEM training project; Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research, $2,500 for its mobile STEM education program for students in Somerset, Bedford and Cambria counties; and Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia, $1,300 for a “Wishmaker” project.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Community Foundation for the Alleghenies awards $336K to 87 community projects