Executive Director Named

(August 22, 2014) The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Fayette County, is pleased to announce that Clara L. Pascoe has been selected to return as Executive Director of the CFFC, a post she held from 2006 until 2012.  Since 2012, Pascoe has served as the Director of Development at the Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA, where she managed a staff of 7 development professionals and helped achieve the annual $5 million fundraising goal for the museum. 

Formerly, while employed at the CFFC, Pascoe helped increase endowment assets from $3 million to $8 million. The organization now holds over $14 million in assets. Also during her tenure at the CFFC, the Foundation received national accreditation from the Council on Foundations and was named the Outstanding Foundation of Western Pennsylvania for 2009 from the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Southwestern PA. Additionally, the CFFC reached the $1 million dollar mark in grantmaking during Pascoe’s former tenure.

In her new capacity as Executive Director of the CFFC, Pascoe will be responsible for guiding the organization in fundraising, grantmaking, public policy, outreach, and community engagement. 
Pascoe has over 25 years experience in development and non-profit managment, holding prior positions as Director of Development in the College of Creative Arts, West Virginia University and as Executive Director of Touchstone Center for Crafts in Fayette County, PA.  Pascoe holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art/Art History and a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from California University of Pennsylvania and serves on the Board of Directors of the Fort Ligonier Association

Charity Fund Awards Grants

The Community Foundation of Fayette County Board Chairman, Jim Foutz, announced the Charity Fund grants were awarded totaling $12,200 to the following organizations:

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Laurel Region ($5,000) – School-Based Mentoring programs within the Brownsville, Connellsville and Uniontown Area School Districts.

Fayette County Community Action Agency ($2,200) – “Cooking At Home”. This program introduces healthy food preparation and cooking habits among first-time mothers enrolled in the Nurse-Family Partnership Program.

 Fayette County Cultural Trust ($5,000) – Vouchers will be provided for low income individuals to purchase fresh produce at the Farmer’s Market.  This grant will also aid in establishing a “Victory Garden” in collaboration with the Connellsville Canteen.

The Charity Fund was created in 2012 by a generous anonymous donor to support services in Fayette County such as basic human needs, programs serving women and children to assist in self-sufficiency; and programs that benefit the underserved, i.e. community gardens.

CFFC Awards $550,000 In 2013

In 2013 The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) awarded over $550,000 to local non-profits and Fayette County students!

The Foundation makes awards through several areas of funding, including, agency endowments, donor advised funds, college scholarships, the Chevron Community Fund, the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) and general grantmaking.

Local Non-profit Agencies who have established endowment funds with the Community Foundation received nearly $160,000 to support the needs of their organization.

Donors, who have established donor advised funds, generously contributed over $100,000 to their favorite charities’ programs and projects.

Fayette County college students were awarded nearly $96,000 to attend the college of their choice.  Some of the awards were eligible to be matched through CFFC’s partnership with the Partnership for Access to Higher Education (PATH). In addition, Fayette County students attending non-public schools (Pre-K through 12) received more than $65,000 for tuition assistance.

The Chevron Community Fund granted $94,000 to programs that support STEM Education, Workforce Development and Basic Human needs in Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

The Growth Fund awarded $19,000 to Fayette County non-profits for Community Development/Revitalization Projects and CFFC also awarded nearly $18,000 in grants for general grantmaking purposes.

2014 New Officers & Board Members Announced

The Community Foundation of Fayette County Board of Directors recently announced the election of new officers and board members for 2014.

Officers are:   James R. Foutz, CPA, Board Chairman; W. David Kerr, Vice-Chairman; David Callahan, Treasurer; and Beth Casteel, Secretary.  Directors continuing to serve include:  Angela Braun, Robin Bubarth, Joseph Ferens, David Hughes, Joy Gnagey Huston, Philip Rishel, Dr. John Sunyecz, Joshua Swimmer and Lynda Waggoner. Two new Board Members were elected to full terms beginning in 2014.  They are:  Dan Gearing and Ron Sheba.

Thank you to all of the CFFC Board of Directors who graciously volunteer to help serve and support the residents of Fayette County.

For more information about the Community Foundation of Fayette County, please contact Renee M. Couser, Director, Donor Relations at 724-437-8600 or visit the website at www.cffayettepa.org

CFFC Announces Grant Cycle

UNIONTOWN (December 17, 2013) —— The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) is accepting grant applications for the Foundation’s upcoming grant cycle.  The Grant Application must be post-marked by February 28, 2014.

Eligible organizations must be non-profit (recognized under Section 501 (c)(3) or equivalent, of the I.R.S. Code), tax-exempt, and located in Fayette County, PA. The Foundation also considers the grant requests of organizations from other areas whose purposes and programs benefit Fayette County.

Requests of up to $5,000 will be accepted. Funding is focused on, but is not limited to, the following areas:  Education, Health/Human Services, and Destructive Decision Awareness.  Collaborative efforts among non-profits are encouraged, but not required.  Funding will not be considered for:  festivals, athletic teams, fundraisers or sponsorships.

Scholarships Available To Fayette County Students

The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) has many scholarship opportunities available to Fayette County residents. In 2014, CFFC awarded over $125,000 to high school seniors and college students enrolled for the 2014-2015 school year.  Thank you to all of our donors who have made this possible.

Criteria vary for each scholarship fund.  There are awards for students pursuing various careers, including nursing, music education, education, international studies or culinary arts.  Some awards are designated to students planning to attend a specific school. Some awards are based on GPA, financial need and others are not.  All students residing in Fayette County are eligible to apply.

In addition, through the Community Foundation’s partnership with the Pennsylvania Access to Higher Education Program (PATH), match money may be available for students attending a college in Pennsylvania.

2015 Scholarship Applications must be postmarked from January 2 to March 27, 2015 unless otherwise stated on the application.

If you would like to create or donate to one of our scholarship funds, please contact Renee M. Couser, Director, Donor Relations at 724-437-8600.