Boyertown Area Community Fund
Grants support charitable programs in the area served by Boyertown Area School District.
Darrell and Gloria Rank K9 Corps Fund
Grants support the acquisition, training, and maintenance of K9 Units that are part of Berks County governmental entities.
Darell S. Rank, the first executive of the Berks Earned Income Tax Bureau, and his wife, Gloria E. (D’Ercole) Rank, understood the importance of safety in their community. Darell Rank had his fair share of courageous moments – rescuing a woman from a car during the 1972 flood caused by Hurricane Agnes, and attempting to apprehend a suspect who assaulted a teenage girl. His eyewitness testimony was crucial evidence used for the conviction of the man, who was wanted for murder and assault in separate cases. When Gloria died at the age of 79 in 2012, her will left a majority of her estate to Berks County Community Foundation.
Pets in Need Fund
The Pets in Need Fund provides grants for veterinary care for animals in life-threatening situations. Applicants must be residents of Berks County and be referred to the fund by their veterinarian.
The veterinarian will be asked to confirm that the animal is in a life-threatening situation. Any grant that is awarded to offset treatment costs will be sent directly to the veterinarian’s office.
Diversity Alliance Endowment Fund
Grants support and strengthen projects or programs that address issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Berks County.
Please note: As of December 3rd, 2025, applications for this fund will open January 1st and remain open until all the funds are used; therefore, this fund does not have an application deadline.
HISTORY
In Berks County, we’re fortunate to have people who support the Diversity Alliance Endowment Fund of Berks County Community Foundation.
Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, this fund awards grants that strengthen projects that address issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Berks County.
Here are some examples of projects that have been supported by the Diversity Alliance Endowment Fund:
• The Children’s Home of Reading held workshops to identify, recruit, and train LGBT families to become resource, or foster, parents, and the Children’s Home also trained existing resource families about LGBT issues and advocacy in order to improve the lives of the disproportionate number of LGBT youth who are in the foster care system.
• Diakon Adoption & Foster Care conducted a workshop to provide participants with the awareness and knowledge that would enable them to work with LGBT youth and adults.
• Diakon also set up a resource library for LGBT adoption and foster care at Reading Public Library.
• Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center created a Berks County-based LGBT Women’s Health Awareness Program to address the 20% local health disparity for LGBT women who were not receiving cervical pap smears on time and the 9% local health disparity for LGBT women who were not receiving mammograms on time.
• Kutztown University began a program that gave university representatives the knowledge, tools and resources to create a sustainable Safe Space program on its campus.
• Co-County Wellness Services instituted a “Take Pride” program to provide a safe and supportive environment for LGBT youth/young adults in Berks County.
• The LGBT Center of Greater Reading established a parents support group for those who struggle with a child’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
• Albright College had Jeff Chu as the speaker for the annual James J. Gallagher Memorial Lecture because of Chu’s background as a gay Christian. His pain and struggle echoes in the lives of so many LGBT individuals and their families across the country and in Berks County.
• Reading Theater Project put on a Fringe Festival that produced a theatrical evening of short, original pieces by local artists examining and discussing topics facing the LGBT community.
• The Yocum Institute for Arts Education was awarded a grant to stage a local production of Be More Chill, an Off-Broadway show that is headed to Broadway in 2019.
Be More Chill is an honest, edgy, and humorous look at growing up in the digital age, set to some of the most exciting songs in contemporary musical theater. This original musical comedy looks at modern issues like depression, bullying, anxiety, and sexuality through the lens of sci-fi films of the ‘50s, horror flicks of the ‘80s, and teen movies of the ‘90s. The musical is already beloved by millions of theater fans because of its best-selling Billboard Top 10 cast recording.
Funding from the Diversity Alliance Endowment Fund provided takeaway educational material, including facts and local resources available for parents of questioning teens, as well as facilitated conversations with audiences following specific performances.
These programs have meant a great deal to the progress of the LGBT community. These types of programs are essential to making Berks County a healthy and accepting community.
Youth and Philanthropy Fund
The Youth and Philanthropy Fund provides grants to Berks County programs that address youth-related issues that are considered critical needs by the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) of Berks County Community Foundation and Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading.
YAB will provide up to $15,000 in grants in 2026 for programs that strengthen the physical, emotional, and social safety and wellness of Berks County youth who are at risk of or impacted by violence, exploitation, trafficking, or related safety concerns by providing prevention education, intervention supports, and/or recovery resources.
Note that applicants may be asked to participate in a site visit with YAB members. Site visits will occur in February and March. Decisions will be made in April, and funds will be available in May.
In April 1998, the Board of Directors of Berks County Community Foundation approved the creation of a Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) in order to give interested Berks County youth a hands-on experience in philanthropy. Berks County Community Foundation strongly believes that young people should be able to participate in community decisions that affect them and their peers. Members of YAC had the annual responsibility of making decisions about the distribution of $15,000 in grants from Berks County Community Foundation’s Youth and Philanthropy Fund to programs and projects that serve Berks County teens.
In 2019, YAC merged with another program to become the Youth Advisory Board, a program of Berks County Community Foundation and the Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading. Grants are now distributed from the Youth and Philanthropy Fund of Berks County Community Foundation through the Youth Advisory Board, which is run by VOiCEup Berks.
The new Youth Advisory Board program combines the grant-awarding component of YAC with the service-learning component of the Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading. The Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading is an affiliate of a national program. VOiCEup Berks runs the local affiliate.
From 1998 to 2025, the Youth and Philanthropy Fund of Berks County Community Foundation distributed 134 grants totaling $423,258.00.
Richard D. and Linda Reed McCrae Clothing Fund
Grants support the purchase of clothing, accessories and other items that promote good grooming for students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades at Muhlenberg Middle School.
Tara D’orazio Milligan Family Foundation Fund
Grants support families that lost a parent in an untimely fashion, leaving adolescent children behind.
Camella Maggs Client Memorial Fund
Grants help Berks County children who are under the age of 18 with physical or learning disabilities discover their strengths and reach their full potential with dignity. This fund is in honor of the clients of Lyn Camella and Mark Maggs. A parent, guardian, teacher, social worker, caseworker, or court official may complete the application on a child’s behalf to be considered for a grant.
Bridge Fund
Grants support critical needs of juveniles or those responsible for their care. These individuals are under the jurisdiction of Berks County judges who handle youth or domestic issues.
Berks County Tennis Fund
The Berks County Tennis Fund was created to develop the game of tennis in Berks County through programs that may include:
- Creating community tennis programs in areas of the county not previously exposed to the sport.
- Providing equipment and lessons to disadvantaged youth.
- Fostering self-esteem in people with disabilities.
- Running after-school or summer programs that promote fitness, health, citizenship, and leadership.
- Mentoring programs that provide the means and opportunity for minority youth to participate in tournaments and higher levels of play.
The intent of the fund is to enhance the quality of life for children and adults of Berks County through the sport of tennis. Programs should promote and teach tennis as a lifelong leisure activity, a competitive sport. Programs develop skills in patience, self-discipline, and critical thinking.
After the application deadline, an advisory committee made up of local community members will review the applications and recommend the programs that will receive the grants.
