Greater Harrisburg Foundation Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund Grant

The Greater Harrisburg Foundation's Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund honors Franklin's legacy by providing grants to support programs that enhance knowledge and improve quality of life for individuals in Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Mifflin, Lebanon, and Perry Counties. Grants, capped at $1,700, aim to inspire positive outcomes within the community, focusing on projects that comply with specific eligibility criteria and the grant year timeline.

Greater Harrisburg Foundation’s (GHF) Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund
Benjamin Franklin’s legacy lives on at The Foundation for Enhancing Community (TFEC) through the Greater Harrisburg Foundation’s (GHF) Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund. In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote his last will and testament. In his will, Franklin directed that after 200 years, half of the accumulated funds of his estate go to the State of Pennsylvania to be used for whatever the public officials felt was necessary. The State Legislature split the money among most of the community foundations across the state, of which The Foundation for Enhancing Communities was included. Counties that do not have a community foundation are, for the purposes of the Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund, covered by an adjacent county with a community foundation. For purposes of grantmaking from the Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund of the Greater Harrisburg Foundation, a regional foundation of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, the Fund serves Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin, and Perry Counties, and the Dillsburg area of York County.
Funding Priorities
The GHF Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund grant opportunity seeks to support programs and services that work to increase knowledge and/or quality of life or that inspire positive outcomes for individuals and families living in the service area of Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Mifflin, Lebanon, and Perry Counties, and/or the Dillsburg area of York County.
Grant Size
In honor of the period during which Franklin lived, the maximum grant is $1,700. Grants are awarded for one year. The GHF Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund will not fund 100% of any project.

Eligibility

Eligible projects must serve individuals, groups, and/or locations within Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Mifflin, Lebanon, and Perry Counties, and the Dillsburg area of York County.Applicants must either be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, a nonprofit organization as recognized by the IRS as such, or have a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization act as a fiscal sponsor for the proposed project.Only projects taking place during the grant year beginning January 1 and ending December 31 will be considered for this round of funding. Only projects taking place during the stated grant year will be considered for this round of funding.Grant seekers may apply for any project that best fits their needs, the grant year, and the GHF Benjamin Franklin Trust Fund grant guidelines.

Ineligibility

We do not fund:AdvertisingCapital campaignsDirect lobbying to influence legislation or funding appropriationsIndividualsNational and statewide umbrella organizations that cannot demonstrate a local presenceNew staff positions without a substantial plan for sustainabilityReligious organizations for religious purposesRetroactive projects