Commonwealth Cornerstone Group
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group (CCG) is a public charity based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Established by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, it describes its mission as strengthening and revitalizing low-income communities across the state and supporting economic opportunities for low-income residents.
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group at a glance
In short: Commonwealth Cornerstone Group gave $38.2M across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $1.5M), mostly in Pennsylvania. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $38,236,646
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- Average grant
- $1,529,466
- Median grant
- $1,161,510
- Total assets
- $164,724,976
- +117.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Commonwealth Cornerstone Group
- Contact
Mailing address: 211 N Front St, Harrisburg, PA 17101-1406
Phone: (717) 780-1877
Website: https://commonwealthcornerstone.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Commonwealth Cornerstone Group funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Project Home Pres ($5.0M). Together the top 10 received $25.8M.
Grant Size Distribution
25 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 14 grants of 25 (56%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CCG describes its work as serving communities throughout Pennsylvania. All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $500K (2020) to $38.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $38.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Project Home Pres Philadelphia, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $5,000,000 |
| Regent Terrace Kingston, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $4,800,000 |
| Vernon House Kingston, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $3,500,000 |
| Allegheny YMCA Pittsburgh, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $2,200,000 |
| 901 Mill Revival Emmaus, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $2,148,000 |
| Mill II Emmaus, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $2,000,000 |
| Cloisters III Kingston, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $1,700,000 |
| New Freedom Lancaster, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $1,575,000 |
| Homewood Pittsburgh, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $1,500,000 |
| Dalmatia Elderly Lewisburg, PA | Housing Options Grant Program | $1,350,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $164,724,976 | $52,922,487 | $39,366,593 | $38,236,646 | 25 | — |
| 2024 | $75,885,694 | $6,120,884 | $451,765 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | $74,422,384 | $32,986,552 | $432,926 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | $72,617,247 | $12,939,661 | $431,938 | — | — | $27 |
| 2021 | $23,397,344 | $2,911,771 | $409,222 | — | — | $287 |
| 2020 | $21,058,070 | $2,530,910 | $939,281 | $500,000 | 2 | $2,660 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
CCG’s stated mission is to enhance and revitalize low-income communities and support economic opportunities for their residents. Its 2024 filing says it makes loans to qualified businesses for real estate development and rehabilitation, including mixed-use properties, community facilities, and wealth-creating single-family homes. Its website describes a focus on real estate projects in highly distressed areas that can provide jobs, services, good wages, and green principles. It identifies mixed-use redevelopment and community facilities addressing unmet needs as investment targets.
The 2025 grants included housing-related projects. Among the supported organizations, Chi-Northside Widows Home stated its mission is to provide affordable housing to low-income individuals; Caribe Towers stated its mission is to provide low-income housing for the elderly.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, CCG reported 25 grants totaling $38,236,646. Grant amounts ranged from $411,975 to $5,000,000, with a median of $1,161,510. The largest reported grants included Project Home Pres in Philadelphia ($5,000,000), Regent Terrace in Kingston ($4,800,000), Vernon House in Kingston ($3,500,000), Allegheny YMCA in Pittsburgh ($2,200,000), and 901 Mill Revival in Emmaus ($2,148,000). These were listed for the Housing Options Grant Program.
CCG’s website describes an application route for developers seeking New Markets Tax Credits: review the project qualifications and complete CCG’s NMTC application. The stated eligibility focus is real estate development and rehabilitation in qualifying low-income communities. The website lists certain businesses as ineligible, including private or commercial golf courses, gambling facilities, and stores principally selling alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption. It also says procurement opportunities for qualified nonprofit or for-profit social-mission-based lending entities may be listed when available.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robin Wiessmann as governing board chair; Donna Kreiser and John Bendel as governing board members; Rebecca Peace as a governing board member; Louise Rynd as a board member; Tracy Horetsky as secretary; Michael Steven O’Neill as CCG program operations director; and Wendy Gessner as executive director.
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group is led by Wendy Gessner, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 8 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Wendy Gessner
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
37.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robin Wiessmann
Governing Board Chair
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Steven O'Neill
Ccg Program Operations Director
Program Operations Director → Ccg Program Operations Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Donna Kreiser
Governing Board Member - T
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Bendel
Governing Board Member - T
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Peace
Governing Board Member
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tracy Horetsky
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Louise Rynd
Board Member
General Counsel → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Dan Reisteter (2020–2024) — Governing Board Member - T
- Former: Stephanie Willow (2022–2023) — Senior Nmtc Program Officer
- Former: Brian A. Hudson (2020–2022) — Governing Board Chair - Tr
- Former: Charlotte Folmer (2020–2021) — Executive Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Commonwealth Cornerstone Group
How much does Commonwealth Cornerstone Group give each year?
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group gave $38.2M across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990.
What is Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's typical grant size?
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's median grant in 2025 was $1,161,510, and its average grant was $1,529,466, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Commonwealth Cornerstone Group give grants?
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Pittsburgh, PA (7 grants), Philadelphia, PA (4 grants), Lancaster, PA (4 grants) and Kingston, PA (3 grants).
Does Commonwealth Cornerstone Group give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 25 grants with a stated purpose on Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Housing Options Grant Program" (25 grants).
Who are Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's largest grantees?
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's largest 2025 grantees include Project Home Pres ($5,000,000), Regent Terrace ($4,800,000) and Vernon House ($3,500,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Commonwealth Cornerstone Group?
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group reported $164.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $52.9M.
What does Commonwealth Cornerstone Group fund?
CCG’s stated mission is to enhance and revitalize low-income communities and support economic opportunities for their residents. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Commonwealth Cornerstone Group?
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check commonwealthcornerstone.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's EIN?
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1637418. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 2, 2021)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 10, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Commonwealth Cornerstone Group funds
Community Improvement & Capacity Building Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's focus areas in our free grants database
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More similar funders
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Commonwealth Cornerstone Group funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/commonwealth-cornerstone-group-morg_a5ded4c3b07d40a4b2fbd536f53f9da4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421637418_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Commonwealth Cornerstone Group funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/commonwealth-cornerstone-group-morg_a5ded4c3b07d40a4b2fbd536f53f9da4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Commonwealth Cornerstone Group's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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