Foundations Community Partnership: Greater Philadelphia Grants

OVERVIEW: The Foundations Community Partnership is a funder with a very specific issue interest and geographic focus: behavioral health and human services needs of children and youth in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Five types of funding are available, and online letters of inquiry are accepted.

IP TAKE: Nonprofits that serve Bucks County in the Greater Philadelphia area should know that the biggest opportunities are in Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants. Ten local organizations received $10,000 grants in this category in a recent year.

PROFILE: Established in 2007 from the sale of Foundations Behavioral Health, the Foundations Community Partnership (FCP) is a relatively new grantmaking entity that supports behavioral and human services needs for children and teenagers. It seeks to promote “innovative services to improve the lives of residents in the community, with a special emphasis on young people.” The Greater Philadelphia area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, but this foundation prioritizes Bucks County.

The Delaware Valley Mental Health Foundation opened a small psychiatric hospital in Doylestown in 1964, which later became known as Foundations Behavioral Health. Like many historic health funders around the country, the grantmaking entity was created when the facility was sold to a for-profit organization. Psychologists, school directors and community leaders serve on the funder's board of directors today.

Through grants, scholarships, community education, research, and training, FCP supports local community-based programs. FCP often accepts grant applications for the following: Partnership in Youth Services, BIIG- Bucks Innovation and Improvement, capital improvement, emergency action grants, and technical assistance requests. Each category has its own set of deadlines and guidelines, which can be reviewed on FCP’s Grants page.

Bucks Innovation and Improvement Grants—$10,000 to $25,000 for grantees that develop innovative ideas to improve the quality of life for children, youth, and families

Partnership in Youth Services Grants$3,000 to $5,000 for organizations dedicated to solving community problems, promoting a positive impact on local youth, and enhancing the quality of the lives of children, youth and their families

Capital Improvement GrantsUp to $10,000 for capital campaigns including structural improvements to the facility (bricks & mortar, such as new buildings or addition to existing buildings), or extensive renovation or addition of durable equipment to an existing structure

Emergency Action Grantsup to $10,000 for human services organizations serving children, youth, and families that have experienced unanticipated reduction in public funding or a non-reimbursable catastrophic event affecting direct delivery of services

Technical Assistance FundingNew as of 2010, for specific work plans developed with a local nonprofit technical assistance organization and board/management participation in conferences or workshops

Organizations can only receive one grant of each type in a single year. Past grantees include: The Cancer Support Community Greater Philadelphia: Gilda’s Club; Wood Services; Child Home and Community; The Peace Center’s Girls Unlimited.

In the middle of a past year, the foundation reported over $19.8 million in assets and $519,304 in total giving. Those figures are up from recent years. Grant amounts have reached $50,000 in past years, and FCP typically awards around 15 to 20 grants per year. In addition to grantmaking, FCP awards scholarships to high school seniors, subsidizes service learning internships for college students, underwrites community education programs and supports behavioral health research.

To keep up with FCP happenings and see what’s catching the funder’s attention, follow Dr. Dan’s blog or attend a professional education workshop. Many of the issues up for discussion these days involve childhood and adolescent anxiety. Continuing education credits are offered for PA social workers and licensed professional counselors, psychologists, and NBCC counselors, and courses are held at the Doylestown Health & Wellness Center. The Latest News section is kept up to date.

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).

LINKS: