The CFFC scholarships will be posted on Januray 2, 2020! Students pursuing post-secondary education will have access to around 50 scholarships, with various criteria, to preview and complete applications for at that time. The applications will be listed under “List of Scholarships” on our website menu.
We’re happy to be part of a community that is generous, giving, and caring. The CFFC encourages philanthropy in the community and supports causes that help build a stronger Fayette County. In the CFFC’s 20th year, we are grateful to all of the donors and supporters who have made it possible to give back to Fayette County through our role as a community foundation.
The CFFC has a unique ability to personalize charitable giving, based on a donor’s passions and giving preferences, and to provide support to the county with flexibility throughout time. Please contact the CFFC office at 724-437-8600 if you are interested in partnering with us to make a positive impact on the community!
If you’re shopping Amazon, use Amazon Smile (smile.amazon.com) and select “Community Foundation of Fayette County” as your charitable organization to have Amazon donate a portion of each purchase to the CFFC!
The CFFC wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!
Our office will be closed on Thursday the 28th and Friday the 29th. The office will re-open on Monday, December 2nd.
The Herald-Standard’s Tuesday, November 19th “Community” section featured the CFFC Fall 2019 Grants Presentation and the “Be Local” section encouraged support for Fayette EMS, which was supported in the 2019 Fayette Philanthropy Project. Read the articles by clicking on the below links!
“Community Foundation, Chevron distribute nearly $87,000 in fall grant cycle”
“Be Local by supporting area ambulance services”
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) celebrates its 20th anniversary today! November 15th is also “National Philanthropy Day” and takes place during “Community Foundation Week,” which is annually held November 12th-18th.
The CFFC’s mission to “help define charitable needs, connect donors with causes that matter to them, support nonprofit organizations and invest charitable assets to make the community a better place to live” has been at the focus of the CFFC’s work since it was founded on November 15, 1999. The group of Fayette County leaders who founded the CFFC include John Buchanan, Charles Cluss, Lee Frankhouser, Albert Skomra, Lynda Waggoner, Robert Eberly Sr., and three of the region’s largest private foundations –the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the McCune Foundation.
The CFFC has grown since its founding and now holds over 180 funds and has nearly $18 million in assets. Thanks to our hundreds of generous donors, more than $8,343,000 has been distributed to non-profit organizations and awarded to local students for post-secondary education and for Pre-K and K-12 tuition assistance.
Along with awarding funding, the CFFC also takes pride in encouraging others to be philanthropic. The Fayette Philanthropy Project fundraising competition was launched to encourage community members to get involved with philanthropy and play an active role in supporting causes they care about in Fayette County. Additionally, the CFFC serves as a leader in the non-profit sector by connecting organizations with resources and providing workshops to help strengthen organizations’ sustainability.
Fayette Philanthropy participants who fundraised to support or create a charitable fund at the CFFC
The CFFC received National Accreditation from the Council on Foundations in 2009 and was re-accredited in 2014. Also in 2009, the CFFC received recognition as “Outstanding Foundation in Western Pennsylvania” by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
The CFFC is happy to serve Fayette County, PA and we thank everyone who has supported us and made it possible to fulfill our mission. Particularly at the culmination of our 20th anniversary, National Philanthropy Day and Community Foundation Week, the CFFC hopes to raise awareness of our role in the community and encourage others to work with us to build a stronger Fayette County. We look forward to many more years of making a difference in our community through philanthropy!
If you have any questions about the CFFC, please contact Renee M. Couser, Executive Director, at the CFFC office at 724-437-8600.
2019 CFFC Board of Directors: (standing) James Foutz, CPA, Treasurer; James D. Ewing, Jr., Vice Chairman; John A. Sunyecz, M.D., Past Chairman; Ronald Sheba, Ed.D.; Clifford Callahan, CPA; Edward Capuzzi, Jr.; (seated) Beth Casteel, Secretary; Daniel Gearing, Chairman; Joy G. Huston; (absent from photo) Terry Burden; John Cellurale; David Hughes; John LaCarte; William Radcliffe, Esq.; Philip Rishel