Centre Foundation: Bringing the community to the front and ‘Centre’

Centre County | I-80 Frontier Landscape of the PA Wilds

For over 40 years the Centre Foundation has been making a huge difference in the communities of Centre County, located in the I-80 Frontier landscape of the PA Wilds region. Roughly $49 million has been invested in their communities through grants, programs, and scholarship funds, and that number is still climbing.

Their mission is simple: “Centre Foundation fosters a culture of giving, supports and empowers nonprofits, and sparks positive community change.” 

Every year, donors who believe in the growth and development of Centre County make donations to the Foundation to help with the needs that the Foundation sees within the county. Some donors have an idea of where they would like to see their donation go, while others trust the Foundation to find the best fit for their donation. Donors believe in seeing improvements in Centre County and seeing it thrive. 

The Foundation hosts a philanthropic membership called the Giving Circle, which allows donors, and recipients of the donations, to come together, meet, engage, and talk one-on-one about the efforts that the donation is impacting. Each fall the Foundation hosts the Giving Circle Fall Event, a cocktail reception and live voting event for the Giving Circle. During the fall event members gather to hear finalists pitches and project proposals from potential grantees then cast their final votes to determine the winners. 

They work to strengthen non-profits, assist students and artists by hosting several grant information sessions. Helping them navigate and find resources is vital to Centre County for it to continue to grow. Their vision goes beyond this though, recently, a Field-of-Interest grant allowed local case workers to assist 12 families in the Centre County region by giving them resources and counseling to save their families from crisis. This crisis included possible eviction, loss of employment, car repairs, and utilities being shut off. Staff members were able to bring together financial resources from various areas in the community to meet these needs and to help multiple families.

Their list of contributions to the region is endless and so are the efforts the Centre Foundation has made in the community and they continue to make a lasting impact to keep Centre County great for generations to come. 

If you’re looking to assist in these efforts, check out the Centre Foundation, and they can help point you in the right direction on how your donation can make a difference. If you’re a non-profit, student, or artist, the Centre Foundation has resources for you to help you succeed and thrive.

The Centre Foundation is a Resource Partner within the PA Wilds Cooperative. Learn more about the Centre Foundation by visiting their PA Wilds Cooperative profile or by searching the directory at members.pawildscenter.org.