Announcing over $200,000 in grants to organizations throughout Lancaster County
We are honored to share that $214,950 in Passion Grants have been awarded to help fund a wide variety of projects.
With help from volunteer grant reviewers and through the power of our community’s endowment, these awards are working to provide immediate resources for food insecurity, nurture self-esteem, support maternal and infant health, preserve historic sites, address mental health and social issues, and promote music education in Lancaster County. They support initiatives that provide service dogs, deliver food and baby care items, offer financial assistance for girls’ programs, support volunteers for individuals living with a disability, preserve historic buildings, educate youth on mental health and social issues, and establish a strings orchestra program.
These grants are made possible thanks to people who chose to leave legacy gifts that support Lancaster County every year. They represent a collective commitment to building a more inclusive, informed, and sustainable community, where individuals of all backgrounds can thrive and contribute to positive change.
Ada F. Harr Fund
For home health or custodial care for people impacted by illness or disability.
Canine Partners for Life
$16,050
Since 1989, Canine Partners for Life has increased the independence and quality of life of individuals with disabilities by raising, training and placing service, medical alert, and companion dogs to assist these individuals. The mission is achieved through the CPL Breeding Program, Community and Prison Puppy Raising Program, Service Dog Training Program, Team Training, and Graduate Support Program. This project will provide training for 1 service or companion dog and support for the lifetime of the partnership, ensuring in home health support, improved quality of life, and independence.
Parish Resource Center
$16,050
Parish Resource Center is launching their Take-Home Totes initiative, a program that provides easily carried bags of nutritious, shelf-stable foods to social work offices at Barshinger Cancer Institute and Nurse Family Partnership at Penn Medicine/LGH and Union Community Care. Take-Home Totes developed out of conversations with these partners about how to immediately resource food insecure patients. The totes will serve as a stop gap until the patient can access long-term food solutions like Meals on Wheels and give social workers a convenient, no-barrier tool to immediately address need.
Anne C. and W. Franklin Ressler Fund
For community projects based in Eastern Lancaster County. Specifically Eastern Lancaster County (ELANCO), Pequea Valley, and Conestoga Valley School Districts.
Girls on the Run of Lancaster and Lebanon
$18,150
Girls on the Run (GOTR) is dedicated to nurturing self-esteem and healthy lifestyles in 3rd-8th grade girls. They are seeking support for our Fall 2024/Spring 2025 financial assistance program in CVSD, ELANCO, and PVSD; requests have surged, with over $40,000 allocated during Fall 2023/Spring 2024. In Spring 2024 alone, in Lancaster/Lebanon, 67% of participants requested some form of financial assistance, totaling over $109,000. They anticipate this trend to continue rising. Your ongoing support ensures that every girl who wishes to participate can do so, regardless of financial constraints.
Greystone Manor Therapeutic Riding Center
$10,650
When people with special needs volunteer in the community, they learn new vocational and social skills, experience an increased feeling of self-worth, and take pride in making a vital contribution to society. Greystone Manor will launch a pilot program in Eastern Lancaster for 20 disabled individuals to enjoy supported volunteering with specially trained staff for two hours per week for twelve weeks. The inclusive program empowers the participants to learn valuable life skills like problem-solving, working toward achieving goals, communicating, and working in a team setting.
Better Lancaster Fund
Supports early childhood development from birth to age five.
Parish Resource Center
$25,100
Parish Resource Center is working to improve health outcomes for low-income mothers and infants with Referral-Based Food Delivery and Baby Kits, in partnership with Union Community Care and Penn Medicine’s Nurse-Family Partnership. We deliver food to first-time pregnant and postpartum women who are struggling to get enough food and the correct nutrition. Our Baby Kit program provides diaper bags of doctor-requested baby care items to new mothers who would not otherwise be able to afford them. These simple interventions efficiently increase local support for maternal and infant health.
