The Lancaster County Community Foundation's mission is to embolden extraordinary individuals and community benefit organizations throughout Lancaster County by using grantmaking, managing investments, and providing philanthropic counsel to strengthen a resilient, inclusive, vibrant community where every individual is valued, has a sense of belonging, and has the opportunity to thrive.
Lancaster County Foundation’s largest recent grants all went to Lancaster County Community Foundation for the organization’s program related expenses, including $2,489,326 in 2024, $2,315,893 in 2025, and $2,064,129 in 2023. That pattern points to a funder that moves substantial resources through a local partner while maintaining a broad community portfolio in Lancaster County. Across its active programs, the foundation supports LGBTQ+ visibility and services, nonprofit capacity building, clean water work, cross-sector business partnerships, community activation, historic preservation, and competitive Passion Grants. It also backs rapid-response relief through the Lancaster Cares COVID-19 Response Fund and an initiative tied to racial equity and equitable small business recovery through Reinventing Our Communities. Its stated summary emphasizes community-based philanthropy and the power of endowment to help shape a Lancaster County where individuals are valued, have belonging, and can thrive. The foundation’s public program structure shows a preference for practical implementation: capacity-building support, project support, operating expenses, and small pilot investments all appear in its grant portfolio. Recipients are local to Lancaster County, with some programs extending to nearby communities such as Cumberland County through the John J. Snyder Fund.
Several of Lancaster County Foundation’s programs are built around targeted community needs rather than a single issue area. In LGBTQ+ work, the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle grants support organizations that raise visibility and address needs within Lancaster County, with priority for the most vulnerable LGBTQ+ communities. The foundation also funds nonprofit infrastructure. Through the CBO Capacity Building Program, it supports strategic planning, board development, succession planning, marketing and development plans, and technology upgrades; past awards are frequently $10,000 each. In environmental work, the Lancaster Clean Water Fund backs education, outreach, engagement, monitoring, and implementation projects to improve Lancaster’s water quality. Its economic and civic portfolio includes the CBO & Business Partnership Program, which supports partnerships between community benefit organizations and businesses, and Project Activate, which helps neighborhood teams develop and pilot locally owned community ideas.
$2.3M
$29.9M
$2.3M
$2.3M
Most grants fall between $2.2M and $2.4M, with a median of $2.3M.
25th Percentile
$2.2M
Median
$2.3M
75th Percentile
$2.4M
SAMUEL J BRESSI
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The typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $2,170,428, the median is $2,276,728, and the 75th percentile is $2,383,027. That distribution reflects a foundation that makes substantial awards rather than many small ones. The recent grants list also shows repeated funding to the same recipient across 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating an ongoing relationship rather than one-off support. Lancaster County Foundation is a foundation, and its public program model includes operating support, general program expense funding, and project implementation funding. Its active programs also accept unsolicited applications.
Lancaster County Foundation gives locally: 100% of grants in the recent country distribution went to U.S. recipients, and the top state by grant count is Pennsylvania. Recent grants landed in Lancaster, PA. Program geography is centered on Lancaster County, with some place-specific efforts in Eastern Lancaster County and neighborhood-level pilots such as Southeast Lancaster City and Paradise, PA. The John J. Snyder Fund extends historic preservation support into Cumberland County as well.
Its active programs cover LGBTQ+ services and visibility, nonprofit capacity building, clean water, cross-sector business partnerships, community activation, rapid-response relief, historic preservation, racial equity and small business recovery, and competitive Passion Grants. The broader focus list also includes education, health and wellness, human services, arts and culture, youth, social justice, veterans, women’s issues, entrepreneurship, journalism, museums and historical societies, and animals.
Yes. The active programs listed for the foundation, including the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle Grants, CBO & Business Partnership Program, CBO Capacity Building Program, Lancaster Cares COVID-19 Response Fund, Project Activate, Passion Grants, Lancaster Clean Water Fund, ROC, the John J. Snyder Fund, and the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle, all indicate that they accept unsolicited applications.
The foundation’s typical grant size is substantial, with a 25th percentile of $2,170,428, a median of $2,276,728, and a 75th percentile of $2,383,027. Some named programs are much smaller, including $10,000 capacity-building awards, $25,000 business partnership grants, and clean water grants ranging from $2,000 to $20,000.
Yes. Its geographic scope of giving is local, and 100% of the grants in the recipient country distribution went to U.S. recipients. The top state by grant count is Pennsylvania, and recent grants were awarded to organizations in Lancaster, PA.
The recent grants show repeated support to Lancaster County Community Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for program related expenses, which suggests an ongoing funding relationship. The foundation also runs continuing programs such as the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle, Passion Grants, and the Lancaster Clean Water Fund.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Lancaster County Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Local individuals or small organizations throughout Lancaster County.
Deadline: Open for nominations; no closing date is specified in the scraped content.
Who can apply: Eligibility varies by specific Cycle 2 opportunity.
Deadline: Cycle 2 opportunities are open; specific deadlines vary by grant.
Who can apply: Community benefit organizations working to address crisis needs in Lancaster County.
Who can apply: Organizations working to address systemic barriers facing Lancaster County residents.
Deadline: Cycle 2 grant opportunities are open, but no specific deadline is visible in the scraped content.
Who can apply: Community benefit organizations serving Lancaster County, PA residents.
Deadline: Cycle 2 grant opportunities are open, but no specific deadline is visible in the scraped content.
Who can apply: Community benefit organizations addressing the crisis in Lancaster County.
Deadline: Applications must be received by Tuesday 12 Noon to qualify for funding during that week; the application is open on a rolling basis for the foreseeable future.
Who can apply: Community Benefit Organizations serving Lancaster County; specific eligibility requirements apply before applying.
Deadline: 2026 Grant applications are open; some cycle opportunities are closed while Cycle 2 is open.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LANCASTER COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LANCASTER, PA | $2,315,893 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAM RELATED EXPENSES. |
| LANCASTER COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LANCASTER, PA | $2,489,326 | 2024 | TO PROVIDE FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAM RELATED EXPENSES. |
| LANCASTER COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LANCASTER, PA | $2,064,129 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAM RELATED EXPENSES. |
LANCASTER COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$2,315,893TO PROVIDE FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAM RELATED EXPENSES.
LANCASTER COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$2,489,326TO PROVIDE FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAM RELATED EXPENSES.
LANCASTER COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$2,064,129TO PROVIDE FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAM RELATED EXPENSES.
