The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies has been helping people in our community help each other for more than 35 years. We put our donors’ generosity to work through strategic grantmaking and connect individuals with opportunities to make an impact. We support grassroots efforts, collaborate with community partners, and facilitate philanthropy across the region.
We can help you design a lasting legacy aligned with your particular passion: the arts, education, economic development, or any cause close to your heart.
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She Changed Lives Through Science—
Now Her Legacy Will Change More
Strategic Grantmaking
The Community Foundation supports hundreds of local nonprofits, awarding more than $213 million in grant awards so far. From special initiatives like the Early Childhood Education Fund to regular fall and spring grant rounds, we provide local nonprofits with resources and funding to make the greatest possible impact in our communities, today and for future generations.
The Fund for the Future was established at the Community Foundation to address the needs of our region today, tomorrow, and forever. Because it’s one of our endowments, only earnings are used to make grants. The principal is invested and designed to grow in perpetuity. That means that any gift you make will be there for future grantmaking, forever.
The Fund for the Future is also one of the funds that our Distribution Committee uses to make grants twice each year to local nonprofits. A gift to the Fund for the Future is a unique way to care for our community no matter what the future may hold.
Legacy creation
The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies can work with you to create permanent funding for whatever causes you’d like to empower. We’ll walk you through every step of starting a fund or help you explore established efforts you may want to support. No matter what you choose, we will ensure that your charitable intent is always honored. We can also work with your wealth advisor to help you design a giving strategy that is tax-efficient and tailored to your needs and desires.
Our Legacy Society is our way of acknowledging your commitment to the future—today. Becoming a member is simple: Include the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies as a beneficiary of a gift from your estate and notify us of your plan.
At the Community Foundation, our mission is to help people support the local causes they care most about. Our Pathfinder Funds allow you to easily donate to a cause that matches your own personal interests. These funds are a permanent resource that will help respond to the changing needs of our community not only today, but for generations to come. We invite you to join us on a journey that will lead to a better future for all members of our community.
Hear from our community
The death of our Son Luke was devastating for our family. We reached out to the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies for guidance in developing a fund to honor Luke’s life. It has been a pleasure working with this organization and we have been able to help so many people from our community in the past two years!
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I can maximize my efforts in causes close to my heart because of the CFA, and we are all better individuals, organizations, and communities as a result of the CFA’s work.
Somerset County has provided us with an excellent lifestyle, prosperous careers, and a satisfying retirement environment. It is now time to give back. When you give to the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies the money impacts lives for many years to come. Giving back to local communities is simply the right thing to do!
“The Community Foundation has given me many scholarship opportunities that have made it possible for me to continue with my career goals. The Community Foundation made applying to scholarships quick and efficient! I can’t thank the Community Foundation enough for their part in this process!”
“The Legacy Society is a unique and satisfying way to make a difference in the life of our community.”
“Diane and I are blessed to be able to provide support to educational causes through the foundation. It gives us the potential for our gifts to appreciate in value. It also provides great convenience when we choose to make a donation. The staff is always very responsive and helpful.”
