The Dickert Family Foundation concentrates its giving locally in the Laurel Highlands/Westmoreland County area, prioritizing workforce development and early childhood literacy/ kindergarten readiness. Grants also support refugee/newcomer literacy services, K–12 school health and safety projects, and general operating or capacity needs of local nonprofits. The foundation gives relatively few but sizable awards and appears to repeat support to flagship community organizations.
Dickert Family Foundation 62177-9 stands out for a large Westmoreland Kindergarten Readiness Project grant to The Learning Lamp, a clear signal that early childhood literacy is a core priority. The foundation’s giving also shows a sustained commitment to workforce development through Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportunities, which received major support in both 2024 and 2023. Those two patterns frame a portfolio built around local education and economic mobility rather than broad thematic diversification. Beyond those anchor gifts, the foundation supports organizations working on refugee and newcomer literacy, K–12 school health and safety, and community-based student programming. The recent-grants record also includes support for college access, author visits, arts exposure, food security, shelter services, and general operating needs. Several awards are sized to help local nonprofits maintain staffing, expand services, or cover program-specific expenses. The overall picture is of a regional family foundation making targeted, relatively few grants with clear attention to children, learners, and community infrastructure in western Pennsylvania and selected partner organizations elsewhere.
Early childhood literacy and kindergarten readiness are central to the foundation’s work. A 2025 grant of $228,527 to The Learning Lamp funded the Westmoreland Kindergarten Readiness Project, and related support appears in grants for Imagination Library programming and book distribution. Workforce and college-readiness programming is another thread. Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportunities received $142,051 in 2024 and $95,102 in 2023 to continue its mission, while Ligonier Valley School District received $20,000 in 2023 and $15,000 in 2025 for LV College NOW. The foundation also backs safety and enrichment in schools and community settings. It gave $35,439 to Ligonier Valley School District Fdn for HALO Vape Sensors, $5,665 for an Author Visit, and $2,250 for an Artist Visit-Elementary Schools. Outside education, grants supported the Refugee Development Center’s literacy programming and Union Mission’s shelter services and counseling.
Typical grants are moderate to sizeable, with a p25 of $5,665, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $33,000. The record shows repeat support to several organizations across multiple years, including Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportunities, The Davies Project, Ligonier Valley School District, Ligonier Valley School District Fdn, Westmoreland Food Bank, and the Refugee Development Center. That pattern points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards. The foundation funds individuals, and the grants list also shows general operating and program support, including staffing, transportation, and payroll-related needs. The structure appears to be family philanthropy with a regional grantmaking pattern.
$1.6M
$1.4M
$233K
$1.6M
Most grants fall between $6K and $33K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$6K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$33K
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A concentrated, place-based strategy: a small number of moderately large grants focused on repeat and flagship local organizations rather than many small awards; mixes program-specific grants with unrestricted/continuing support.
Notable grantees: Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportunities, The Learning Lamp, Refugee Development Center, Ligonier Valley School District Foundation, Child & Family Charities (Imagination Library)
Grants are concentrated in Pennsylvania, which accounts for 67% of awards and is the foundation’s top state by grant count. Within the state, recipient cities include Johnstown, Greensburg, Ligonier, Latrobe, New Florence, and Delmont, reflecting a strong Westmoreland County and Laurel Highlands footprint. The record also includes Michigan recipients in Lansing, where the foundation supported literacy, family services, and disability-related programming. All listed grants went to U.S. organizations.
Its recent grants focus on early childhood literacy and kindergarten readiness, workforce development, college-readiness programming, school health and safety, refugee and newcomer literacy, and local nonprofit operating support. Examples in the record include the Westmoreland Kindergarten Readiness Project, Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportunities, and literacy programming for the Refugee Development Center.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportunities in 2024 and 2023, The Davies Project in 2025 and 2023, Ligonier Valley School District in 2025, 2024, and 2023, and Westmoreland Food Bank in 2025 and 2024.
The grant-size distribution centers on moderate awards: p25 is $5,665, median grant size is $20,000, and p75 is $33,000. The recent-grants list also includes larger awards, such as $228,527 to The Learning Lamp and $142,051 to Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportunities.
Pennsylvania is the main grantmaking state, with 67% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent Pennsylvania recipients include organizations in Johnstown, Greensburg, Ligonier, Latrobe, New Florence, and Delmont.
The foundation funds schools, school districts, literacy and family-service nonprofits, food security organizations, shelter and counseling services, and community nonprofits. The recipient list includes The Learning Lamp, Ligonier Valley School District, Westmoreland Food Bank, Union Mission, and the Refugee Development Center.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickert Family Foundation MI | East Lansing, MI | $1,381,245 | 2026 | Start a New Foundation |
| The Learning Lamp | Johnstown, PA | $85,531 | 2026 | Early Intervention Programs |
| Child Family Charities Lansing | Lansing, MI | $36,700 | 2026 | Imagination Library |
| Adelphoi | Latrobe, PA | $30,000 | 2026 | Adelphoi promise scholarship. |
| The Davies Project | Lansing, MI | $20,000 | 2026 | To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission.Driver and Cbyer Securities |
| Ligionier Valley School District | Ligionier, PA | $15,000 | 2026 | LV College Now |
| Union Mission | Latrobe, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | Shelter Services and Counseling |
| Westmoreland Food Bank | Delmont, PA | $1,000 | 2026 | Weekend Backpack Program. |
| The Learning Lamp | Johnstown, PA | $228,527 | 2025 | Westmoreland Kindergarten Readiness Project |
| KCS Angels | Lanseng, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Social enrichment for disabled adults-transportation, scholarship, payroll |
| The Davies Project | Lansing, MI | $20,000 | 2025 | To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission. |
| Ligionier Valley School District | Ligionier, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | LV College Now |
| Ligonier Valley School District Fdn | Ligonier, PA | $2,250 | 2025 | Artist Visit-Elementary Schools |
| Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportun | Greensburg, PA | $142,051 | 2024 | To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission. |
| Refugee Development Center | Lansing, MI | $51,934 | 2024 | Literacy Programming Early |
| Ligonier Valley School District Fdn | Ligonier, PA | $35,439 | 2024 | HALO Vape Sensors |
| Child Family Charities Lansing | Lansing, MI | $33,000 | 2024 | Imagination Library |
| Ligionier Valley School District | Ligionier, PA | $7,620 | 2024 | RK Mellon LifeSkills Classroom |
| Union Mission | Latrobe, PA | $5,000 | 2024 | Shelter Services and Counseling |
| Fairfield Twp Volunteer Fire Co | New Florence, PA | $5,000 | 2024 | General Operations |
| Westmoreland Food Bank | Delmont, PA | $1,000 | 2024 | Weekend Backpack Program. |
| Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportun | Greensburg, PA | $95,102 | 2023 | To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission. |
| Refugee Development Center | Lansing, MI | $25,050 | 2023 | WECAN expansion proposal |
| Adelphoi | Latrobe, PA | $25,000 | 2023 | Adelphoi promise scholarship. |
| The Davies Project | Lansing, MI | $20,000 | 2023 | To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission. |
| Ligionier Valley School District | Ligionier, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | LV College NOW |
| Communities in Schools | Lansing, MI | $14,081 | 2023 | The Imagination Library affiliate program books/postage for the next full year. |
| Ligonier Valley School District Fdn | Ligonier, PA | $5,665 | 2023 | Author Visit |
| Westmoreland Food Bank | Delmont, PA | $1,000 | 2023 | Weekend Backpack Program. |
Dickert Family Foundation MI
$1,381,245Start a New Foundation
Adelphoi
$30,000Adelphoi promise scholarship.
The Davies Project
$20,000To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission.Driver and Cbyer Securities
Ligionier Valley School District
$15,000LV College Now
KCS Angels
$25,000Social enrichment for disabled adults-transportation, scholarship, payroll
The Davies Project
$20,000To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission.
Ligionier Valley School District
$15,000LV College Now
Ligonier Valley School District Fdn
$2,250Artist Visit-Elementary Schools
Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportun
$142,051To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission.
Refugee Development Center
$51,934Literacy Programming Early
Ligonier Valley School District Fdn
$35,439HALO Vape Sensors
Ligionier Valley School District
$7,620RK Mellon LifeSkills Classroom
Fairfield Twp Volunteer Fire Co
$5,000General Operations
Laurel Highlands Workforce Opportun
$95,102To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission.
Refugee Development Center
$25,050WECAN expansion proposal
Adelphoi
$25,000Adelphoi promise scholarship.
The Davies Project
$20,000To assist in continuing the nonprofits mission.
Ligionier Valley School District
$20,000LV College NOW
The Imagination Library affiliate program books/postage for the next full year.
Ligonier Valley School District Fdn
$5,665Author Visit