Healthy Communities Grants

The Healthy Communities Grants aim to support nonprofit organizations in Westmoreland County by addressing the physical, social, environmental, and emotional needs of vulnerable populations. The Community Foundation promotes innovative solutions for families living in poverty, emphasizing programs for upward mobility, mental health support, and food security. These grants reflect a commitment to long-term change and dignity for those facing economic hardships, ensuring that essential services are accessible to those who need them most.

NOTE: In 2024, however, we will not be issuing an RFP for Healthy Communities.
Our mission is to encourage local residents to become philanthropists, provide grants that support a wide variety of charitable organizations and serve as a community leader.
In 2019, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County completed a planning process to more clearly articulate its funding priorities through its Comprehensive Community Investment Strategy. Grants to help support vulnerable populations will be distributed through Healthy Communities Grants, as described in these program guidelines.
Comprehensive Community Investment Strategy
Vision: Westmoreland County will be a vibrant community where citizens are enthused and energized to live, work and share in its abundant resources.
Values: The following values help to frame the Comprehensive Community Investment Strategy.
Relationships: Facilitating collaboration by making connections and building alliances across sectors, organizations, and groups, including local leaders and community members.Innovation: Working creatively to rethink how to build and invest in the community and people.Impact: Ensuring the value of investments by strengthening the capacity of individuals,communities and organizations.
Statement of Need
At the heart of our mission, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County is called to serve the most vulnerable of our population in Westmoreland County. Poverty is a product and symptom of which people live. This adds to the creation of barriers to achieve physical health, mental health, well-being, educational attainment, economic prosperity, and quality of life, amongst others.
The Working Poor Families Project, supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation,  describes the working poor as those living at 200% of the federal poverty level. In 2012, the poverty threshold was $23,283 for a family of four. This means that the threshold for a family of four living at 200% of the poverty level is $46,566. For families living below 200% of the poverty level, meeting basic needs can be a daily struggle. These families are amongst those we might consider as our most vulnerable in Westmoreland County.
According to the US Census Bureau’s most recent information for Westmoreland County, 64,991 individuals or 18% of the population fall under 150% of the federal poverty level. This is an increase of 7% over 2000. Additionally, 27% of the population live at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. With nearly a third of our population in this category, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County is committed to working with our nonprofit community to find ways to support these populations, ultimately promoting healthier communities for our most vulnerable populations.
Locally, it has been reported by county officials and nonprofit leaders that issues facing vulnerable populations are much more complex than simply issues of financial hardship. The intersectionality of issues creates additional barriers that must be overcome. It is not unlikely to encounter a family that is not only living in poverty, but is also dealing with food insecurity, mental health concerns, and addiction. These complex issues call for greater collaboration from service providers, flexibility in delivery, and a multitiered service model.
Healthy Communities Grants is a county-wide grant initiative to provide nonprofit organizations with funding to support the physical, social, environmental and emotional needs of our most vulnerable populations in Westmoreland County. The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County wishes to address the root causes of poverty by supporting long term solutions that assist individuals and families to move out of poverty, and to assist those with limited capacity, such as low income, underrepresented and vulnerable populations, to live with dignity. The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County encourages applicants to think creatively, to discover new approaches, and to take courageous steps towards new solutions.
Goals
To support programs that promote the upward mobility of families living in poverty.To provide supports for single women raising children including childcare needs.To assist community-based programs that support men, women, and children struggling with mental health concerns including addiction.To address the complexities faced by men and women reentering society after a period of incarceration.To support men, women, and children dealing with housing and food insecurity.

Eligibility

Applicants must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving communities in Westmoreland County. Examples of eligible projects:Afterschool programsAccess to healthy foodsHomeless/housing initiativesPrograms to reduce recidivismHealth/wellness programsEmployment readinessMental health initiativesSafety net services

Ineligibility

Healthy Communities Impact Grants will not provide grants to:Capital Campaigns Endowment Funds For-profit entitiesFundraising events Public Schools IndividualsPolitical GroupsReligious organizations for religious purposesBusinessesCounty agencies or departments