2020 Cycle 2 Grantees

CBO Capacity Building 

CBOs will engage in a 7-month workshop series facilitated by Tenacity Consulting and Reflective Wisdom. The series begins with a self-assessment to help view the CBO’s practices through the lens of equity and social change. The cohort experience is designed to gain a shared language and concepts to understand diversity, equity and inclusion in thought-provoking ways. The grant program also supports capacity buidling work designed to help CBOs fulfill their mission. Each organization received a grant amount of $12,000. An additional $3,000 will be awarded to each selected organization to do specific organizational work around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Volunteer scores are not included in this summary because final decisions were made by a review committee weighing both the strength of the application and the value that the organization brings to the cohort.

See Grantees below: 

CASA Lancaster

CASA will develop and implement with our Lancaster member committee and leadership council a series of bilingual “popular education” curricula on racial justice and gender equity; hold “Crossing Borders” roundtable discussions bringing together our Latinx members with African American and refugee populations to break down stereotypes and build relationships; and conduct an internal DEI audit to identify areas for growth and improvement.

CASA of Lancaster County 

Funds will support three core areas: 1) Trainings for the staff and board on DEI with an emphasis on crisis management and how it impacts marginalized communities so we can continue to recruit and support volunteers that better represent our youth. 2) Staff training on creative thinking, communication, and volunteer management to prepare our team for new challenges in service delivery, and 3) Addressing skills gaps in leadership, marketing and project management to expand sustainability.

HDC Mid Atlantic 

In 2019, HDC named advancing equity a core strategic priority and was selected to participate in a 15-month Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion training program sponsored by NeighborWorks America. HDC team members are building knowledge, creating tools for meaningful conversations, and taking action to advance racial equity, diversity, and inclusion policies and practices in our organizational culture and community engagement. Funds from LCCF will bolster critical REDI work throughout HDC.

Imani Edu-Tainers African Dance Company

“Odi Ka”, an African-centered rites of passage, counters the impacts of hegmonic racism on cultural identity development and learning. This project advances education aimed at positive cultural identity development, as counters to systemic social issues evidenced by practices of marginalization and oppression. This project aims to serve oppressed populations, females of color, and advances marginalized educational practices, the African-centered rites of passage.

Junior Achievement of South Central PA 

Schools’ reopening plans for the pandemic make it clear that Junior Achievement’s in-person, volunteer-led programs will not be possible. JA is seeking a grant to help develop digital assets to support the virtual implementation of its JA Classroom Programs for students in grades K-5. JA Classroom programs typically engage over 11,000 Lancaster County students annually. Helping students gain real world knowledge and skills, virtual programs have the capacity to increase that reach even further.

Lancaster County Workforce Development Board 

CONNECT will assist PA CareerLink/LCWDB County in building technology capacity internally and externally to ensure equitable access to services across the county. The funds will be used to invest in training and foundational platforms to increase security, file sharing, and outreach 1. Increase and improve remote working capabilities for staff 2. Improve and expand virtual services for clients 3. Implement or create access to clients who lack technology 4. Improve grant management capabilities

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the continuous federal roll back of protections for the LGBTQ+ communities, The Coalition, Work Wisdom and Animal House Productions will implement a strategic plan to establish a hub to strengthen solidarity in our marginalized communities. In addition, we will facilitate monthly forums with elected officials and CEOs that focus on growth opportunities around issues of injustice that continue to marginalize and divide our communities.

Landis Valley Associates 

Landis Valley Associates, wishes to further develop an existing exhibit on William Chester Ruth, a black inventor who created prototypes in agricultural technology, by implementing a first-person interpretation, providing lectures, forming an advisory committee of local black leaders, and featuring works by black artisans. We wish to engage our local community by prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, to better serve all of our visitors. 2019’s pilot program was very successful.

Milagro House 

Milagro House seeks funding to explore a deeper programmatic alliance with Clare House. Our specific focus will be on providing supportive services for women transitioning from our core programs into the community. Funding will help secure the services of a consultant to facilitate a process where both organizations work together to identify our collective strengths and create a formal partnership that streamlines our efforts and increases our impact on those we serve and in our community

SCORE Lancaster-Lebanon 

Since 1964, SCORE has helped small businesses. We aim to grow our Diversity and Inclusion Program, increasing our potential to tailor our outreach and services to meet the specific needs of all members of our community as they start and grow small businesses. Projects in this program include volunteer training and education programs, strategic recruiting for more diverse volunteers, and a marketing and communications initiative to better connect with clients from all areas of our community.

Tabor Community Services, INC.

Our project will strengthen Tabor’s commitment to its original purpose—addressing racial discrimination in housing. It will emphasize ways to enhance diversity in recruiting, hiring, training, and serving. Funds will be used to engage consultants to train Tabor managers on tactics to boost equity; software to help overcome recruiting/hiring bias; developing staff training on addressing housing discrimination; and engaging racial justice mentor Dr. Amanda Kemp to lead Tabor’s 2021 staff retreat.

The Common Wheel

The Common Wheel was a fortunate recipient of the Capacity Building grant last year. As we have an almost entirely new staff and board, we think that keeping DEI at the forefront of our conversations is paramount. However, we need help. We believe we can continue to grow as an organization that is committed to DEI through Board recruitment and hiring practices. We are in deep need of strategic planning and leadership training to keep us on a positive trajectory.

Clean Water Fund 

The Lancaster Clean Water Fund, funded through several partner organizations and charitable foundations, serves as a catalyst for increased collaboration to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of current and future clean water projects. In 2020, it will provide $128,000 for water quality improvement projects that help Lancaster achieve the specific pollutant reductions (nutrient and phosphorus) by 2025 in accordance with the Lancaster Countywide Action Plan.

Conservation Practice Implementation in Salisbury Township

Salisbury Township was awarded funding to install BMPs to address nutrient and sediment reductions on two plain sect farms at the Pequea Creek headwaters. Barnyard runoff and stream protection – the top two agricultural conservation needs in Salisbury Township – are the main focus of these two projects. These projects will also provide valuable learning and demonstration opportunities to address the barrier to conservation practices among plain sect farms.

“Cleaning Lancaster’s streams requires a commitment from landowners to make improvements that will improve water quality and a package of funding to make it possible,” says John Williamson, TeamAg, Inc. “We assisted Salisbury Township in obtaining a NFWF grant for two farms for fencing, stream crossings, and improved manure management structures. When this grant didn’t cover the entire project, we turned to the Lancaster Clean Water Fund. These projects will be built within a year, and will help these farms improve their economic and environmental performance.”

Peters Creek Restoration

Donegal Trout Unlimited (DTU) was awarded funding to restore a section of Peters Creek in southern Lancaster County. Restoration efforts, including stream and floodplain restoration and riparian buffer plantings, will reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollutants. Upon project completion, the stream will be used as a conservation laboratory. DTU will partner with Excelon to provide environmental and conservation education to the community through eco-tours for teachers, students, and volunteers, and provide information at the Muddy Run Visitor Center and Conowingo Visitor Center.

“DTU is especially pleased to work with Excelon for the third time on a stream restoration project on Peters Creek, a unique watershed containing native brown trout and the endangered logperch,” says Bob Kutz, conservation co-chair with DTU. “This final stretch of stream, which runs from Peach Bottom Road to the marina on the Susquehanna, will become a model used as a conservation laboratory by teachers, students and volunteers interested in coldwater stream restoration.”

Stormwater Management Education for Pre-Service Student Teachers 

Millersville University Watershed Education Training Institute (WETi) has been awarded funds to provide pre-service student teachers with a meaningful watershed education experience, focusing on issues that impact local watersheds. As part of the project, students will have formal classroom instruction, site visits to impaired streams, and discussions with organizations about failed and successful conservation projects.

This project will unite students from different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, and provide them with the knowledge and tools to share with their future K-12 students so they too can protect our waterways and diverse aquatic ecosystems for generations to come.

“We’re very excited to receive this grant from the Partners,” says John Wallace, professor at Millersville University and project coordinator. “The grant will fund a novel, multi-scaled approach to train our pre-service student teachers to participate in a national certification stormwater management program, visit stormwater BMPs in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and experience the construction of a stormwater rain garden at MU WETi – all with the objective of disseminating this information across geographic and socio-economic boundaries for future generations to strive for the improvement of clean waters through effective stormwater management strategies.” 

Willow Street Park Rain Garden Installation

West Lampeter Township has been awarded funding to install a bioretention rain garden in the Willow Street Township Park. Currently a 15.5 acre tributary drainage area of untreated, urbanized area within the Mill Creek watershed flows through the park carrying pollutants, sediment, asphalt oils, and debris into downstream infrastructure. The project will remedy this by installing a rain garden with 18″ of amended soil media and native plants.

The rain garden installation provides a valuable opportunity to educate the public while providing an aesthetically pleasing and naturalistic example of the benefits that rain gardens provide.

“West Lampeter Township is honored to have received this grant funding from the Clean Water Fund and excited to break ground on this project,” says Amanda Hickman, community development director at West Lampeter Township. “This rain garden project not only compliments our recreational facilities but serves as a catalyst for the long term integration of our public education and conservation strategies moving forward.”

CBO Business Partnership Grantees 

This program supports substantial and strategic private sector/CBO partnerships that will achieve positive social and environmental impact on Lancaster County’s residents and communities. Grants will support CBOs in various stages of building capacity for and implementation of partnerships with local businesses, in order to deliver a greater combined impact.

See 2020 Grantees below: 

Assets 

Grant amount: $25,000

This project will be a continuation of the unique blend of services linking local, diverse, and ethical entrepreneurs in our community with large organizations, like Lancaster General Health, to grow small businesses and create more social impact in large organizations. This next phase will consist of continued work in identifying LGH’s spending areas that can move to locally and diversely owned businesses AND to identify ASSETS clients to recommend to LGH for these contracts.

Bethany Christian Services of PA 

Grant amount: $25,000

Promoting entrepreneurship in Lancaster’s refugee community, Bethany in partnership with Child Care Consultants, Inc. will educate and support 7 resettled refugees through the provision of state-mandated childcare provider training and certification processes to create culturally- and linguistically-responsive childcare opportunities for 60 refugee children, reducing trauma and facilitating economic mobility for refugee parents and childcare providers

Music for Everyone

Grant amount: $25,000

The goal of MFE’s Instrument Repair and Art Program is to repair instruments in the School District of Lancaster and to create original art with un-repairable instruments. MFE will partner with Menchey Music Service to repair instruments and introduce good instrument care practices. LSJ Studios will lead the effort in creating art from broken instruments keeping them out of landfills.

UDS

Grant amount: $10,000

UDS Employment Services helps individuals with disabilities in Lancaster County find competitive & permanent employment in the community. Last year, our experienced staff worked with nearly 40 individuals (of a potential 13,000) through all phases of the employment process from vocational assessment, interview strategies, on-site training & job maintenance. UDS will utilize the grant funds to invest in our staff, program resources & other administrative costs to ensure successful job placement.