You are likely aware that many families, organizations, and agencies in our community are struggling, and you may be wondering how you can help most effectively. Whether increased community needs are triggered by a budget impasse, government shutdown, or other economic factors, the Community Foundation is committed to helping you structure charitable giving plans that make a real difference in the lives of people in Berks County.
Here are a few examples of how our team can help:
Real-time identification of needs.
The program team at the Community Foundation has its finger on the pulse of which organizations are helping families in crisis, and which organizations are hurting the most due to state and federal funding gaps. Nonprofits in our community can be stretched thin by attempting to meet the rising demand for support. The foundation knows where dollars are most needed and how those dollars translate into immediate impact.
Offering fast and flexible charitable solutions.
If you have already established a fund at the Community Foundation, or if you are considering doing so, you can use it to support charities on the front lines in our community.
Leverage important timing.
The urgency of community needs in late 2025 coincides with an important window of opportunity for people who itemize their income tax deductions. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), limits on charitable deductions will tighten in early 2026. That means it may be advantageous for certain donors to give more this year-by establishing or adding to a fund—to maximize both tax benefits and impact.
Plan for the future.
The Community Foundation works with you and other donors and fund holders to strengthen our community’s ability to respond to urgent needs, regardless of when and why they occur.
We encourage you to reach out anytime.
At this moment, when urgent needs and tax opportunities are occurring simultaneously, we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible. It is our honor to work with our community members who care so deeply about Berks County.
Let us help you help others.
What are your plans? What do you need to get started? We’d love to have a one-on-one conversation with you anytime you want to talk.
At the Community Foundation, we want to improve life in Berks County by connecting its residents with accurate information.
What do these cuts mean for Berks County residents, nonprofits, businesses and donors?
The impact of federal funding cuts, government shutdowns, and the state budget impasse are beginning to be felt on a local level.
While philanthropy helps create vibrant and healthy communities, it is not designed to replace the stability of federal or state investments. Affordable housing, food security, access to education, workforce development, affordable healthcare and much more depend on federal dollars. When that funding is stripped or halted, we risk a reduction in essential local services.
Local philanthropy has never and will never be able to fill the void of government funding.
Why Stories of Impact?
As a community foundation, we hear directly from the Berks nonprofits, agencies, businesses and individuals how federal cuts impact their capacity to serve the community. To connect Berks County residents with accurate information, we’ve engaged a local freelance reporter to elevate the voices of those impacted and shed light on the real-world effects of these budget changes on local organizations and individuals.
This research has been captured in the form of articles that you can read below.
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Note from Monica Reyes, VP for Programs and Initiatives: Opinions expressed in the Government Cuts, Local Impact Series do not necessarily represent those of Berks County Community Foundation.
Click here to read the bio of our reporter, Susan Shelly McGovern
Susan is a freelance writer, editor, and researcher. Over the course of a long and varied career, Susan has crafted thousands of articles, written or contributed to more than 50 books, generated copy for advertising and marketing firms, edited a variety of manuscripts, researched corporate histories and generally applied her skills to whatever projects presented themselves.
But what Susan has enjoyed the most is telling stories.
As a feature writer for the Reading Eagle, area colleges and universities, health care systems, treatment centers and others, Susan has had the opportunity to tell the stories of first-generation college students, people struggling with addiction, veterans, business executives, health care workers, educators, patients dealing with serious illnesses and people who have triumphed over adverse circumstances.
As a long-time, invested resident of Berks County, Susan has witnessed some of the challenges local people experience with food insecurity, homelessness, incarceration, alienation and other extremely challenging situations. She has worked with agencies including New Journey Community Outreach, Opportunity House, Berks Coalition to End Homelessness, Family Promise of Berks County and Connections Work.
Balancing immediate and long-term support for your favorite community causes
At Berks County Community Foundation, we’re committed to working with individuals, families, and businesses to help make a difference in the causes they love.
Many people who establish funds have at least a general idea of the impact they’d like to achieve. If you’ve established a fund at the foundation, or if you are considering doing so, you might already have charities and priorities you want to support.
Our team can help you achieve your charitable goals. These goals include giving to charities you’ve already supported and introducing you to new initiatives and programs within your interest. Our program officers are experts in their areas of focus and have the latest information on community needs.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Do the causes and issues that matter most to you address short-term, immediate community needs, or long-term needs that will impact future generations?
- Would you like your children, grandchildren, or other loved ones to help advise your charitable fund in the future?
- Would you like to see the results of your giving now, or are you comfortable with your legacy taking shape beyond your lifetime?
- When you think about your charitable impact—whether in five years or fifty—what would make you feel your fund or funds at the Community Foundation accomplished their purpose?
Please reach out anytime. Together, we can craft a charitable giving plan that honors your unique vision. Whether you’re aiming to create a lasting legacy, make an immediate impact, or both, we are here to help.
We’re honored to work with so many individuals, families, and businesses to make a difference in the causes you care about. Philanthropy isn’t just about wealth—it’s about values, habits, and improving the quality of life in our community. This philosophy guides our work with donors across generations. We hope you enjoy this month’s insights and tips.
We are Here for You: Four Reasons to Call the Community Foundation
In an economic and legislative environment full of unpredictability, we encourage you to tap into the knowledgeable team at the Community Foundation – perhaps even more than you have in the past.
If you’ve already established a fund at the Community Foundation, you’re familiar with many of the ways we make charitable giving easy, flexible, and effective. This allows you to achieve your goals for improving the quality of life in our community as well as fulfilling your own estate planning and financial objectives.
Not quite sure when to reach out to the Community Foundation? If any of these situations applies to you, drop us an email or give us a call!
1. You promised yourself at the end of 2024 that you’ll never again get caught in a year-end crunch.
The last few months of the year are always hectic with holiday activities. When you layer on the added stress of tax planning and completing the charitable giving plans you set back in January, you might tip the scales from hectic to chaotic! The foundation staff can help organize your year-end charitable giving early, so that it achieves both your financial and philanthropic goals.
2. You’re concerned about recent drops in funding to local charities, but you’re not quite sure about what you can do to help.
The Community Foundation is Berks County’s home for charitable giving. That means that we have a finger on the pulse of our community’s needs and the nonprofits that are addressing those needs. Our team can provide recommendations for how you can help fill the gaps in funding that have affected local organizations.
3. Your tax advisor has suggested that 2025 is an important year to increase your charitable donations, but you don’t want your gifts to favorite charities to suddenly spike and then drop again.
For the small percentage of people who itemize deductions on their individual income tax returns, 2025 may indeed present opportunities. Our team is happy to work with you and your tax advisors to structure gifts to a fund at the Community Foundation. This will ensure that you’re leveraging tax advantages while also maintaining consistent support year after year for the causes that are important to you.
4. You’re updating your estate plan and want to leave money to charity, but you’re not exactly sure what charity you want to support.
Please reach out to Berks County Community Foundation anytime you are updating your estate plan or related financial documents, such as beneficiary designations on IRAs, life insurance policies, or retirement accounts. Our team is happy to work with your advisors to make sure you’re exploring the tax benefits of using various types of assets to fund your charitable intentions.
Whatever your charitable giving situation, we are here for you! Whether you’ve already started a fund at the Community Foundation or you’re considering getting involved, we look forward to our conversation.
Ed Lombardo has a connection to Berks County Community Foundation that goes back many years. A lifelong Berks resident, high school football coach, community volunteer and investment advisor, Ed recognizes the importance of philanthropy.
Earlier this year, Ed reflected on his history of giving, which includes the Lombardo Family Scholarship Fund and the Lombardo Family Memorial Fund. To learn more about Ed’s connections to Muhlenburg, read his feature in this year’s edition of our annual magazine, 237 Court. Click here to view the magazine; Ed’s story begins on page 3.
To learn more about establishing a fund at Berks County Community Foundation, click here or email mollyr@bccf.org.
Reading, PA (July 23, 2025) – Berks County Arts Fund of Berks County Community Foundation recently awarded $50,000.00 in grants to six organizations. The Berks County Arts Fund supports arts and culture organizations that will implement community-focused programs/projects through visual arts. They seek to support innovative, inclusive, and accessible programs that will foster community pride and encourage creative expression within the Berks community.
The following grants were awarded:
- $13,025.70 to Alvernia University’s Total Experience Learning Institute mural project, Sanctuary of Color – Bringing Art to the LightHouse Playground. The mural installation will enhance the beauty, privacy, and safety of the playground for Lighthouse residents who are transitioning from crisis to stability.
- $3,500.00 to Theron Cook Art Don’t Quit Foundation to support the project ArtCycle: Transforming Trash Into Treasure. Guided painting sessions of inner-city Reading’s trash and recycling bins will bring local youth together to beautify their community and learn about the importance of recycling.
- $5,000.00 to State Theatre Preservation Society for its Summer Kid Movies program to provide discounted movies, snacks, and relaxing quality time for lower-income families in Boyertown and the surrounding areas.
- $5,815.00 to Our Town Foundation to build its community mural at State Street Square, an event and gathering space that is currently being developed for the cultural and educational enrichment of Hamburg residents.
- $3,500.00 to Reading Theater Project to construct large, operable puppets for a free, outdoor theater performance at the Reading Public Museum Arboretum.
- $19,159.30 to Reading Symphony Orchestra to host a night of music and visual art. A Visual & Musical Mosaic features musical performances by Reading Symphony Orchestra and photography from local students that answer the question, “What does Berks County mean to me?”
Monica Reyes, Vice President for Programs and Initiatives of Berks County Community Foundation, stated, “We are proud to support these organizations whose work enriches our communities through visual arts. By supporting the visual arts, we’re investing in both creative expression and the civic vitality it fosters.”
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Berks County Arts Fund supports visual arts programming based in Berks County. To learn more about the fund, please visit the fund’s landing page on our website.
If you would like to make a gift to increase our ability to provide grant funding for the arts in our community, please email Molly McCullough Robbins, Vice President for Philanthropic Services, at mollyr@bccf.org.
Talking is hard – and for girls, having a safe space to discuss feminine issues can make those conversations easier. John Paul II Center created Girl Talk 101 so girls with special needs could meet monthly. There, girls can discuss topics they may not feel comfortable discussing in front of male classmates or at home.
Girl Talk 101 received a grant from the Power of the Purse (POP) in Berks County Fund of Berks County Community Foundation. The grant was awarded so that the club can continue to meet and provide resources for participants. POP awarded the club $3,500 for 2025-2026 to financially support the club’s endeavors. The “girls only” club is available for JPII female students ages 10 to 21 and meets monthly. There, the girls discuss topics like feminine health, personal hygiene, bodily changes, relationships and more. Girl Talk 101 participants also cultivate social skills and self-assurance, so those who can enter the workforce do so with confidence.
John Paul II Center’s mission is to serve “children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing diversified programs.” The center believes in the Catholic Church’s teachings on the sanctity of human life, which guides programming. John Paul II Center acknowledges the dignity of all learners while they realize their full potential.
POP is a women’s giving circle established in 2012 to support causes that improve the quality of life for women and children in Berks County. Chiara Sockel Renninger, a financial advisor who had taken part in something similar in Lehigh Valley, brought the idea to the Community Foundation.
“I wanted to start a group that would give local women a place to pool their charitable resources to improve the lives of women and girls in our community,” Renninger said. Since its inception, POP has provided more than $581,000 to local organizations, including JPII for Girl Talk 101.
To learn more about the Power of the Purse Fund of Berks County Community Foundation, please click here.
Power of the Purse in Berks County Fund Awards over $70,000 in Grants
Reading, PA – May 15, 2025 – The Power of the Purse in Berks County Fund of Berks County Community Foundation recently awarded $70,899 in grants to seven organizations. The Power of the Purse Fund supports programs that help break the cycle of poverty by eliminating or addressing barriers for Berks County girls and/or women who want to enter or re-enter the workforce or seek the education to do so.
The following grants were awarded:
- $15,000 to Safe Berks to help eliminate barriers that survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault face in obtaining and/or maintaining employment by providing direct support and financial assistance for education and employment needs.
- $15,000 to Helping Harvest to focus support on low-income women during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum to provide a box of healthy, vitamin-rich foods.
- $15,000 to Reading Science Center to provide access to a wide spectrum of hands-on science investigations, professional female role models and field trips that inspire young women with the confidence and skills to prepare for careers in the sciences.
- $8,000 to Literacy Council of Reading-Berks to help female residents of the community participate in the Gateway to Citizenship Program.
- $8,000 to Hannah’s Hope Ministries to provide career guidance, skills training, and mentorship and to introduce women to industries and roles that align with their interests and abilities.
- $6,399 to Co-County Wellness to help educate teens to make healthy and informed choices to postpone pregnancy and plan their futures.
- $3,500 to John Paul II Center for Special Learning to provide female students ages 10-45 with any disability category a safe space to talk about their bodies, rights, safety, and self-advocacy with staff and community experts.
“From an outsider’s perspective, you think that there are these big mountains that you have to go over, but sometimes it’s a small amount of money or just a small gesture that can make the difference for someone being successful and getting out of poverty or getting a job,” said Chiara Renninger, founder of Power of the Purse. “I learned that small things can really make a huge difference to people.”
“Being able to engage the collective giving of the Power of the Purse (POP) is really empowering for the women in our community,” said Cindy Milian, health and human services program officer. “POP funding for these organizations supports the belief that woman play a pivotal role in driving change and shaping the future of Berks County.”
Power of the Purse Fund was created in 2012 as a women’s giving circle. For more information, visit https://bccf.org/funds/power-of-the-purse-in-berks-county-fund/ or email Molly McCullough Robbins, Vice President for Philanthropic Services, at mollyr@bccf.org.
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Berks County Community Foundation is a nonprofit corporation serving as a civic leader for our region by developing, managing, and distributing charitable funds to improve the quality of life in Berks County, PA. More information is available at www.bccf.org.
Before Grantmaking, Let’s Understand Community Foundations
Community foundations pool resources from individuals, families, and businesses to support nonprofits within their communities. It all starts with a donor or donors working with us to establish a fund to support their charitable goals. We currently manage nearly 400 different funds totaling approximately $140 million. Most of those funds are restricted to support specific organizations or areas of interest.
Our Grantmaking Process
- Identifying Community Needs: Our team of program officers, each of whom is an expert in her area of focus, starts by identifying the most pressing needs within the community and managing their related portfolio of funds. This involves engaging with local stakeholders and analyzing data to understand where support is most needed.
- Establishing Grant Programs: Based on identified needs, our team established five areas of focus: Arts & Culture, Education, Environment & Energy, Health & Human Services, and Neighborhood Vitality.
- Endowments: To support our grantmaking activities, the Community Foundation relies on donations from the public. Most of the funds that we manage are endowed funds, which are invested to generate income for long-term grantmaking. This ensures a sustainable source of funding for future grants.
- Grant Application and Review: Nonprofit organizations seeking funding submit grant applications detailing their projects and how they align with the foundation’s priorities. Applications are reviewed by a committee and/or foundation staff to assess their potential impact and feasibility. Committee members are selected because they have a connection to the fund or expertise in the area it supports.
- Awarding Grants: Once the review process is complete, the foundation awards grants to selected nonprofits. These grants can be unrestricted, allowing organizations to use the funds as needed, or restricted to specific projects or programs.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: After grants are awarded, our program officers monitor the progress of funded projects. This involves regular reporting from grantees and site visits to ensure that the funds are being used effectively and that the projects are achieving their intended outcomes.
- Community Engagement and Feedback: Continuous engagement with the community is crucial. Foundation staff often holds meetings, site visits, and forums to gather feedback and ensure that our grantmaking strategies remain aligned with community needs and our mission.
Our grantmaking is made possible by the funds that have been established over our 31-year history. Each fund was established based on the interests and passions of the donor(s), and it is our honor and obligation to abide by the parameters set forth by our fund holders.
There are different types of funds that donors can establish with the Community Foundation:
- Undesignated: Want to meet the most pressing needs in Berks County? Grants from undesignated funds are determined by our board of directors to address ever-changing community needs. This type of fund supports initiative work such as our support of Spotlight PA, student retention work, rural initiatives, and new arts funding. We strategize to use unrestricted funding to create systemic change and address big issues.
- Designated: Support a specific organization year after year, even after you are gone. Organizations benefit from consistent support, and you can be confident the money in your fund is professionally managed.
- Field of Interest: Whatever your cause, our team of program experts will do the legwork to ensure grants from your fund make a difference for your cause now and for years to come.
- Donor Advised: Make decisions about where grants from your fund go each year while you are alive, with the option to name a successor advisor after you are gone.
- Scholarships: Help students pay for their education through a scholarship fund. Or use a designated fund or more flexible field-of-interest fund to support a specific school or area of education.
- Giving Circle: The Power of the Purse (POP) committee is a women’s giving circle. The dedicated group of women meets several times a year to learn about barriers women and girls face in Berks County. They visit local organizations, listen to expert speakers, and make thoughtful decisions about how best to help, using their pooled resources.
The vision for the Program Team is to:
- Move the needle in priority areas where donors and/or the community have asked us to shine a light.
- Develop deep expertise in these priority areas and make strategic investments of time, effort, and money to improve the quality of life in Berks County in those areas.
- Be impeccable in the stewarding of grants to ensure donor intent is met and data and feedback are collected and put to good use.
I lead the team of expert program officers, ensuring their grantmaking work and management align with donor intent. Together, we seek local and national partnerships and opportunities to amplify the impact of our programs.
The mission of Berks County Community Foundation is to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life for the residents of Berks County. We play a pivotal role by providing financial support to various nonprofit organizations and individuals in need through our grantmaking. If you have questions, please email me at monicar@bccf.org. To learn more about myself and the team at Berks County Community Foundation, visit the Our Team page.
READING, PA (April 9, 2025) – Berks County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the conclusion of its 1st quarter grant cycle for calendar year 2025, which has successfully distributed vital funding to local nonprofits and initiatives dedicated to improving our community.
In this quarter, the Foundation awarded grants to a diverse range of projects focusing in areas of environment and energy, education, health and human services, arts and culture, and neighborhoods and economic development; supporting the impactful work of local organizations that improve the lives of Berks County residents.
These numbers are a testament to the Foundation’s commitment to its mission to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life for the residents of Berks County.
- Q1 total grants awarded: 190
- Q1 total dollar amount awarded: $1,152,270
- Q1 number of organizations impacted: 142
“Grants awarded are made possible by generous donors who give back to the community they love,” stated Molly McCullough Robbins, Vice President for Philanthropic Services.
Moving forward, community members are invited to join the Community Foundation in sparking change. Here are two ways to get involved:
- Give to an Existing Fund: Your contributions can help sustain the important work of established funds addressing specific needs within Berks County.
- Create Your Own Fund: Whether you want to honor a loved one or support a particular cause or organization, the Foundation can help you to create a fund that reflects your passions and philanthropic goals.
For more information on how to give or create a fund, please visit www.bccf.org, email Molly McCullough Robbins at mollyr@bccf.org, or call (610) 685-2223.
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Berks County Community Foundation is a nonprofit corporation serving as a civic leader for our region by developing, managing, and distributing charitable funds to improve the quality of life in Berks County, PA. More information is available at www.bccf.org.
