Chester County Community Foundation
The Chester County Community Foundation (CCCF) is a 501(c)(3) community foundation located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1994, it operates as one of over 900 community foundations across the nation. The organization serves as a philanthropic intermediary, connecting donors with charitable causes through a network of endowed funds and strategic grantmaking.
Key facts about Chester County Community Foundation
In short: Chester County Community Foundation gave $5.2M across 170 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 23-2773822
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $5,166,836
- Grants made (2025)
- 170
- Average grant
- $30,393
- Median grant
- $12,879
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (48 of 170, 2025)
- Total assets
- $136,202,115
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (74% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Quick answers about Chester County Community Foundation
How much does Chester County Community Foundation give each year?
Chester County Community Foundation gave $5.2M across 170 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $3.3M across 140 grants.
What is Chester County Community Foundation's typical grant size?
Chester County Community Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $12,879, and its average grant was $30,393, across 170 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Chester County Community Foundation that year got $23K on average.
Where does Chester County Community Foundation give grants?
Chester County Community Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Ohio (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were West Chester, PA (34 grants), Kennett Square, PA (16 grants), Philadelphia, PA (10 grants) and Phoenixville, PA (9 grants).
Does Chester County Community Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 170 grants with a stated purpose on Chester County Community Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Human Services" (83 grants), "Arts & Culture" (24 grants) and "Environment & Animals" (22 grants).
Who are Chester County Community Foundation's largest grantees?
Chester County Community Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Endowment Foundation ($1,012,650), Arts Holding Hands & Hearts ($168,995) and Community Volunteers in Medicine ($155,848), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Is Chester County Community Foundation open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 48 of 170 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $23K; repeat grants $33K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 49% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−4%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Chester County Community Foundation
- How to evaluate Chester County Community Foundation as a funder
Our grant prospecting guide: read the 990-PF, check fit, and decide whether to apply.
- Draft an LOI to Chester County Community Foundation with AI
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Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$136.2M
+15.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$5.2M
+55.3% YoY
Grant Count
170
+21.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$30K
+27.9% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: The Chester County Community Foundation connects people who care with the causes that matter, so their philanthropy makes a difference now and forever.
The foundation supports a broad range of charitable purposes including education, arts and culture, health, social services, economic development, and community strengthening initiatives. Recent grants have supported organizations working in education, libraries, museums, counseling services, senior services, homelessness prevention, and youth development.
Grantmaking
CCCF awards millions in grants and scholarships annually through multiple fund types:
Ready to take the next step with Chester County Community Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CCCF primarily funds organizations located in and serving Chester County, Pennsylvania, though grants are also made to charities across the United States.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 170 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of June 2024:
- Total Assets: $118.4 million
- Total Revenue: $14.5 million
- Total Expenses: $6.8 million
- Total Liabilities: $8.1 million
- Number of Employees: 24
Investments are professionally managed by a chief investment officer firm and overseen by the Board's Investment Committee.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $136,202,115 | $118,449,078 | $103,228,321 |
| Revenue | $21,125,233 | $14,532,199 | $20,699,529 |
| Expenses | $8,863,509 | $6,843,480 | $8,621,620 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $7,921,448 | $4,458,829 | $1,657,373 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
793 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
19 open opportunities from Chester County Community Foundation
Bruce E. Hepke Memorial Scholarship Grant
Chester County Community Foundation
Amount
US $1,500
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Chester County Estate Planning Council Scholarship Grant
Chester County Community Foundation
Amount
US $500 - US $1,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
East End Neighborhood Association Scholarship Fund Grant
Chester County Community Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Endowment Foundation Hudson, OH | Human Services | $1,012,650 |
| Arts Holding Hands & Hearts Kennett Square, PA | Arts & Culture | $168,995 |
| Community Volunteers in Medicine West Chester, PA | Health | $155,848 |
| Wharton Esherick Museum Paoli, PA | Arts & Culture | $151,455 |
| Chester County Hospital Foundation West Chester, PA | Health | $105,579 |
| Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown, PA | Education & Library | $100,000 |
| North Wales Area Library North Wales, PA | Education & Library | $100,000 |
| Wissahickon Valley Public Library Blue Bell, PA | Education & Library | $100,000 |
| Fund for Women and Girls West Chester, PA | Education & Library | $89,514 |
| Chester County Food Bank Exton, PA | Human Services | $86,380 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Karen Simmons – President/CEO
- Jason Arbacheski – Gift Planning & Stewardship Director
- Bob Ferguson – Controller/Executive Vice President of Business Affairs
- Beth Krallis – Marketing & Communications Officer
- Stephenie Stevens – Grants & Scholarships staff
- Elizabeth Zwaan Milne, Esq. – Chair of the Grants & Scholarship Policy Committee
The foundation has 18 Board members, 10 professional staff members, numerous student interns, and over 100 committee volunteers.
Chester County Community Foundation is led by Karen Simmons, President & CEO on every filing since 2019; 2 of 21 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Karen Simmons
President & CEO
On filings since 2019
55 hrs/week
$160K (2019) → $219K (2025)
Stephanie Pahides Kalogredis Esq.
Board Vice Chair & Committee Chair
Committee Member → Committee Chair, 2023
Committee Chair → Board Vice Chair & Committee Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Zebulun Davenport EdD
Board Chair
Committee Member → Board Vice Chair, 2023
Board Vice Chair → Board Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
1.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Zwann Milne Esq.
Committee Chair
Committee Member → Committee Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
0.9 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark McCarron
Committee Chair
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rob Necarsulmer
Corp Secretary, Treasurer & Committee Chair
On filings since 2023
0.9 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bob Ferguson
Executive Vice President & Business Affairs
Executive Vice Pesident & Business Affairs → Executive Vice President & Business Affairs, 2021
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$91K (2020) → $128K (2025)
Cindy Sineath Ray CPA
Committee Member
On filings since 2019
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Winifred Moran Sebastian Esq.
Immediate Past Chair
Corp Secretary, Treasurer & Committee Chair → Board Chair, 2023
Board Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Vermeil
Committee Member
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Donna Urian CPA
Committee Member
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Erik Gudmundson
Chair Elect
Committee Member → Committee Chair, 2022
Committee Chair → Chair Elect, 2025
On filings since 2020
1.4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Denise Antonelli Esq.
Committee Member
On filings since 2021
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Emily Temple Abels Esq.
Board Vice Chair
Committee Member → Board Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
1.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Allegretto Esq.
Committee Member
Committee Member → Committee Member Til, 2024
Committee Member Til → Committee Member, 2025
On filings since 2022
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Les Bear
Board Vice Chair
Committee Member → Board Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicholas Hoffman CPA
Committee Member
On filings since 2022
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bronwyn Martin PhD
Committee Member
On filings since 2023
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Natalie Ortega Moran EdD
Committee Member
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deb Bookman
Committee Member
On filings since 2024
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richelle Foreman Gunter
Committee Member
On filings since 2024
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (23)
- Former: John F. McKenna Esq. (2019–2024) — Committee Member Til
- Former: Michael A. Dehaven CPA (2019–2024) — Immediate Past Chair Til
- Former: Phillip C. Wagner CFA (2019–2024) — Committee Member Til
- Former: Kathy Wileczek CPA (2020–2024) — Committee Member
- Former: Matthew Holliday (2020–2024) — Committee Member Til
- Former: Mary Holleran (2021–2024) — Committee Member Til
- Former: Jacqueline Moytl Esq. (2022–2024) — Committee Member Til
- Former: Ginny Kricun (2024) — Committee Member
- Former: Donald E. Lynn Esq. (2019–2022) — Committee Member
- Former: Kathy Dean-Bradley CPA (2019–2022) — Board Vice Chair
- Former: Margaret Freeman (2019–2022) — Committee Member
- Former: Michael R. Horak CFA (2019–2022) — Board Vice Chair & Committee Chair
- Former: Natalie Ortega Moran Ehd (2022) — Committee Member
- Former: Anthony Morris Esq. (2019–2021) — Imm Past Chair
- Former: Joanne Peskoff Bear Esq. (2019–2021) — Committee Chair
- Former: James E. McErlane Esq. (2019–2020) — Committee Member
- Former: Kevin Holleran Esq. (2019–2020) — Committee Member
- Former: Robert E. Rigg Cic Cpcu Clu (2019–2020) — Imm Past Chair
- Former: Carol A. Clark (2019) — Committee Member
- Former: John H. Diederich CFA (2019) — Committee Member
- Former: Michael B. Karwic CFP (2019) — Committee Member
- Former: Pamela Leland PhD (2019) — Committee Member
- Former: Patrick C. South CFA (2019) — Committee Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**November 2024:** CCCF announced $45,505 in capacity building grants to 15 Chester County nonprofits, prioritizing small and mid-size organizations working in mission, vision & strategy, governance & leadership, partnerships & collaborations, operations & technology, and fundraising
Chester County Community Foundation Awards $45,000 to 15 Chester County NonprofitsThe foundation actively seeks to inspire and grow legacy philanthropy through engagement with families, individuals, teenagers interested in philanthropy, private foundations, professional advisors, and nonprofits
Chester County Community Foundation Awards $45,000 to 15 Chester County NonprofitsCCCF maintains an active calendar of events including a Winter Investment Forum luncheon where annual investment returns and asset allocation are discussed
Contact Information
Address: 28 West Market Street, The Lincoln Building, West Chester, PA 19382
Phone: (610) 696-8211
Fax: (610) 696-8213
Email: info@chescocf.org
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Chester County Community Foundation fund?
**Mission:** The Chester County Community Foundation connects people who care with the causes that matter, so their philanthropy makes a difference now and forever. The foundation supports a broad range of charitable purposes including education, arts and culture, health, social services, economic development, and community strengthening initiatives. Recent grants have supported organizations working in education, libraries, museums, counseling services, senior services, homelessness prevention…
How do I apply for a grant from Chester County Community Foundation?
CCCF awards millions in grants and scholarships annually through multiple fund types: • **Donor Advised Funds** – The primary vehicle through which grants are made; donor families recommend grants to the Board for approval • **Field of Interest Funds** – Funds designated for specific charitable purposes • **Nonprofit Endowment Funds** – Funds established by nonprofits for perpetual support • **Scholarship Funds** – Educational scholarships for students **Recent Grant Activity:** • In November 2…
What is Chester County Community Foundation's EIN?
Chester County Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-2773822. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Chester County Community Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.