Doylestown, PA (Dec. 16, 2016) – Foundations Community Partnership’s (FCP) Board of Directors has announced the distribution of $157,000 in grant funding to benefit 18 Bucks County non-profit organizations and the families they support. The grant program is an

integral part of Foundations’ mission to improve the lives of underserved youth and their families in Bucks County. The grants included $90,000 in Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants (BIIG), $60,000 in Capital Grants, and $7,500 in Technical Assistance Funding.

“We have the unique opportunity to support Bucks County non-profits that are striving to have a positive impact in our community,” said Karen Lasorda, Chairman of the Foundations Community Partnership Board of Directors. “It’s extremely rewarding helping to make a difference in the quality of life among Bucks County youth and their families.”

“We are thrilled to be receiving this support from Foundations Community Partnership. The museum is visited by 45,000 visitors annually, and these funds will assist us in completing much needed renovations to the popular Factory Works exhibit area,” says Kelly Krumenacker, Executive Director, Bucks County Children’s Museum. “We are grateful that FCP supports the museum’s mission to serve the needs of young learners in our community.”

Foundations’ Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants (BIIG) were awarded to the following 12 organizations and programs:

* Bucks County Audubon Society’s Nature’s Healing Powers program will use the grant to provide a garden for meditation by special needs children, youth and families.

* Community Conservatory of Music’s smArt program will use the grant to offer music, art and theater opportunities for special needs and low-income children.

* The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania will use the grant to fund programming for 400 girls with special needs and those who require financial support.

* Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Academy’s “Leading the Way” equine assisted learning program will use the grant to support 8-15 Bucks County special needs youth who are participating in equestrian programs.

* Snipes Farm and Education Center’s “Our Farms, Food and Future” family-based program will use the grant to provide nutrition and gardening education to children and youth with special needs.

* Network of Victim’s Assistance will use the grant to provide personal safety education for special needs young adults, including children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

* Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic will use the grant to support their integrated medical and behavioral health care services at a free clinic, which provides depression screening.

* The Upper Bucks YMCA will use the grant to provide free membership opportunities to 7th grade students, including special needs and low-income children.

* The Lower Bucks Family YMCA and Central YMCA Unified Special Abilities Program will use the grant to provide summer camp behavioral support for special needs children in Lower Bucks County.

* Centennial School District Foundation will use the grant for the Arts Meet Commerce Coffee Cove, Klinger Kafe and 42nd Street, which are vocational and theater opportunities for special needs youth.

* Ivy Hill Therapeutic Riding Center’s “Freedom Haven Horses” program provides equine assisted learning experiences for children and mothers recovering from abuse.

* YWCA’s Reading to End Racism program provides selected readings with children and parents for group discussion to reduce racism.

Seven organizations received Capital Grants from Foundations Community Partnership:

* The grant will support improvements to the Bucks County Children’s Museum’s Factory Works Exhibit and address the museum’s challenge to serve its increasing attendance, including children with special needs.

* The Children’s Developental Program will use the grant to remodel its CDP Library, which is used for family literacy programs, to make the library more user friendly for families, teachers and students.

* Community Conservatory of Music will use the grant to improve their performance hall seating, providing durable and comfortable seating in the concert area. The program serves a large number of children with special needs.

* The Council Rock Education Foundation’s “Up in the Air“ program, which provides physical therapy equipment in classrooms, will use the grant for Duraswings for special needs students at Council Rock.

* The Mercer Museum of the Bucks County Historical Society will use the grant to rehab their Log House Environment Learning, a historic cabin for children’s education.

* The YWCA Bucks County will use the grant to purchase a new computer server and other technology to replace failing equipment.

* The Kiwanis Foundation and Belmont Hills Elementary School and Community Playground will use the grant to rehabilitate a playground for a school in a low-income area, serving a large number of children with special needs.

Technical Assistance Support Funding was awarded to:

* The James A. Michener Art Museum received a grant to support the development of a new Facility Master Plan, which will help identify and prioritize improvements to their existing physical plant. The Museum’s 2005 Master Plan led to a major expansion of gallery, curatorial and support spaces and identified other institutional needs.

Foundations Community Partnership has awarded over $3.6 million in grants and scholarships in Bucks County since 2007. Foundations Community Partnership is a philanthropic grant-making foundation supporting the behavioral health and human service needs of children and young adults in Bucks County. Foundations Community Partnership provides grants and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, awards scholarships to Bucks County high school seniors, subsidizes service learning internships for college students, underwrites community education programs and supports behavioral health education and research.

 

*Pictured: Kelly Krumenacker, Executive Director, Bucks County Children’s Museum (left) accepts a grant from Ron Bernstein, Executive Director, Foundations Community Partnership (right).

 

Editor’s Note: Grant recipients are available for interview.