Doylestown, PA (July 11, 2019) – Nearly a quarter of a million dollars in grant funding has been awarded by Foundations Community Partnership's (FCP) Board of Directors to benefit 28 Bucks County nonprofit organizations and the local families they support. The grant program is an integral part of Foundations’ mission to improve the lives of underserved youth and their families in Bucks County. The grants included 14 Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants (BIIG) and 14 Capital Improvement Grants.
BIIG grants support organizations that are developing innovative ideas to improve the quality of life for children, youth, and families in Bucks County. Capital Improvement Grants support non-profit organizations’ capital campaigns, including structural improvements to facilities, renovations, durable equipment, and technological upgrades.
Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants (BIIG) were awarded to the following 14 organizations and programs:
1. Bethany Christian Services of the Greater Delaware Valley will use the grant to support their Refugee Youth Empowerment Program, which helps immigrant youth at high risk for behavioral health problems move toward independence.
2. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County will use the grant for the S.T.E.M. School Based Mentoring Program at John Barclay Elementary School. The program targets children at risk for behavioral health problems and matches them with an adult for additional academic support in school.
3. The Bucks County Intermediate Unit will use the grant to provide fine motor skill development support for at risk children in school through “Fine Motor Confidence and Competency Toolkit and Training.”
4. The Bucks-Mont Collaborative will provide training on trauma-based support for Bucks County health and human services professionals who work in emergency and educational programs in Upper Bucks County.
5. Hammerheads Sled Hockey Association will use the grant to support sled hockey programs for youth with physical disabilities.
6. The National Alliance on Mental Illness of PA, Bucks County Chapter, will use the grant for their Ending the Silence program, which uses peers to provide mental health workshops to high school students.
7. Pearl S. Buck International will use the grant for their Building Capacity Program, which helps improve cultural literacy among educators in Bucks County who support youth and children at risk for behavioral health problems.
8. Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Academy will use the grant for their Leading the Way equine-assisted learning program, which provides summer learning for youth with special needs.
9. Rolling Harvest Food Rescue will use the grant to support their Farm to Families program, which provides low-income families access to fresh produce.
10. Special Equestrians will use the grant to extend their Adapting Equine Experiential Learning Program to diverse populations, including two new schools and an addiction recovery program for women.
11. The Baby Bureau will use the grant to support their Baby Bundle program, which provides needed baby supplies to low-income families.
12. The Peace Center will use the grant for their Girls Unlimited program, which is a group education program supporting youth at risk for bullying.
13. Valley Youth House will use the grant for the Youth Wellness Project, which provides lifestyle wellness training and support for youth aging out of care.
14. Voice and Vision, Inc., will use the grant for their Hope and Help: Substance Use and Addiction – The Growing Need to Know Program, which provides sources of support for substance abuse.
14 organizations received Capital Grants:
1. A Woman’s Place, which is a domestic violence shelter, will use the grant to replace the furnace in their residence for women and children.
2. BARC Developmental Services will use the grant to make structural renovations to its sheltered workshop for increasing capacity and improving services.
3. Bucks County Opportunity Council will use the grant to provide state-of-the-art computer software and a data system upgrade for their Clients To Success Program.
4. Cancer Support Community of Greater Philadelphia will use the grant to replace outdated hardware and software, which provides support and education for a population at high risk for behavioral health problems.
5. Council Rock Education Foundation’s Eyegaze Helping Students Thrive Program will provide sophisticated technology support for students with learning disabilities.
6. Family Service Association of Bucks County will use the grant to provide computer technology improvements to increase client capacity and security. The program provides social services to children, youth, and families in Bucks County.
7. Needlework Guild of America will use the grant to repair rain-damaged walls to the main building. The program provides clothing to special needs children and youth.
8. Potential Inc. will use the grant to purchase a Zono Sanitizer, a large scale sanitation device for use with equipment and supplies to keep children and youth with autism safer and healthier.
9. Snipes Farm and Education Center will use the grant to repair a fence and provide a storage shed to the children’s outdoor adventure area. The program provides services and support to children, youth and families with special needs.
10. The Council of Southeast PA will use the grant to replace the roof at the Women’s Recovery Community Center. The Center provides support for those recovering from substance abuse problems.
11. The Village Improvement Association of Doylestown will use the grant to upgrade the James Lorah Memorial Home Auditorium with air conditioning for summer use. The Auditorium provides space for meetings and workshops for use by many charitable organizations in Bucks County.
12. Warrington Township will use the grant to support a multi-year project that will complete Phase One of the Lion’s Pride community park and playground area.
13. Woods Services will use the grant to provide a state of the art educational software curriculum for use with emotionally disturbed and special needs children and youth.
14. The YMCA of Bucks County received a pledge from Foundations for a multi-phase project that will improve ADA accessibility for the YMCA, including a wheelchair basketball program.
“Providing grant funding allows us to support the needs of many worthwhile Bucks County nonprofits that are serving young people and their families and working to improve the quality of life in the community,” says Karen Lasorda, Chair of FCP’s Board of Directors.
“The Council is able to provide innovative and compassionate programs because of strong support such as this grant from Foundations Community Partnership,” said Jennifer King, Executive Director of The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. “We’re so grateful for this Capital grant, which will allow us to make critically needed repairs to the Women’s Recovery Community Center roof. A safe and stable home is a key component of how the residents can achieve their goal of sustaining long-term recovery from addiction.”
Foundations Community Partnership has awarded over $5 million in grants and scholarships in Bucks County since 2007. Foundations Community Partnership is a philanthropic grant-making foundation supporting the behavioral health and human service needs of children and young adults in Bucks County. Foundations Community Partnership provides grants and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, awards scholarships to Bucks County high school seniors, subsidizes service learning internships for college students, underwrites community education programs and supports behavioral health education and research. To learn more about Foundations and its mission please visit their website at www.fcpartnership.org or contact them at 267-247-5584.