Cause Connection eNewsletter
Cause Connection October/November 2024
In this issue we outline powerful strategies for year-end giving—from maximizing the impact of your Donor-Advised Fund to supporting local nonprofits in meaningful ways. Discover how giving locally and unrestricted, exploring matching programs, and engaging directly with the causes you care about can amplify your legacy. Whether you’re setting up a new fund or exploring bequests, our Foundation is here to streamline your philanthropy and help fulfill your charitable vision in our community.
Cause Connection September 2024
We are happy to share with you the September/ October 2024 Cause Connection eNewsletter. In this month’s newsletter, we share some highlights from our program focusing on the early childcare that we co-hosted with The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, and Early Childhood Education Action Committee. Discover how our community is uniting to ensure every child receives the quality care they deserve.
Cause Connection | August 2024
In this month’s newsletter, we shine a spotlight on LVCF’s pivotal role in leading the Early Childhood Workgroup that helped in securing a $20 million federal grant for the City of Allentown. This transformative funding, part of the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Recompete Pilot Program, is set to address critical barriers to employment, including the enhancement of transportation and affordable childcare. LVCF, under the leadership of Megan Briggs, played a crucial role in crafting the childcare section of the Recompete application, ensuring that access to quality childcare is a cornerstone of Allentown’s economic revitalization efforts. Additionally, LVCF’s ongoing involvement in the Early Childhood Education Action Committee highlights its commitment to systemic change in the Lehigh Valley’s early childhood sector. We also introduce two distinguished new members of LVCF’s Board of Governors, Lindsay Watson and Jennifer L. Mann, who bring a wealth of experience and dedication to the Foundation’s mission. Discover how these efforts are paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive future for Allentown.
In this edition, we share highlights from our report on our 2023-2024 Youth and Families Grant Cycle, outlining our funding priorities, initiatives, and the critical issues we aim to address in early childhood education within the Lehigh Valley. We also share an update on our leadership activities that includes serving as a key partner the City of Allentown’s Recompete Plan, a federal grant application which seeks approximately $20 million to address employment barriers in the city’s most distressed neighborhoods. We introduce you to our Robyn Weaver, our newly hired Program Officer for Capacity Building who will focus on implementation and co-facilitation of CORE Fellowship and identifying regional nonprofit capacity building needs and solutions. Also, Maureen Connolley Wendling, our Director of Donor Initiatives, is now working full-time at the Foundation.
LVCF Annual Report
Annual Report 2022-23 | Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
View Single Pages PDF | View Report in Spreads PDF | View Report Flipbook
Message from the Board Chair and President & CEO
The Foundation has made incredible strides during the fiscal year 2022-23 thanks to the unwavering support of our Staff, our Board of Governors, and our philanthropic partners. We continued to build on our strengths and address our limitations to secure our future as a trusted, agile, and transformational community leader.
In this year’s annual report, we’re inviting you to see what we’ve been up to, particularly our CORE Fellowship program to build inclusive leaders and equitable organizations. This work is nuanced, layered, and complex, but we keep showing up each day because the work is important, the future of our community is important and you are important.
While on this incredible journey of community leadership, we continue to focus on what we have always done – connecting people who care to causes that matter. We welcomed 21 new funds this year across a diverse set of interests. We distributed over $7.2 million dollars to the community, of which almost 90% stayed right here in the Greater Lehigh Valley. As a community endowment, we exist to do good today and in the future. We prioritize a healthy balance of leveraging our resources to address current critical community needs, while sustaining our funds to ensure our ability to respond to future needs that are sure to arise.
We are excited to share these highlights and more from last year. We encourage you to share the pages of this report with friends, family, colleagues, and community members. By spreading the word about our incredible work at the Community Foundation, you can help inspire others to join us in creating positive change. This report reflects your generosity to our community and your hard work, and for that, we are most thankful.
With deepest appreciation and gratitude,
Past Reports
Stay Connected | Follow us on Social Media
Who doesn’t love to see interesting photos and videos in their social media feed online? How about when those photos/videos are of the people, places, causes and news-worthy philanthropic activities in and around the Lehigh Valley? At LVCF we aim to please, from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to LinkedIn and the rest, the Community Foundation is using its social media platforms to connect people who care to the causes that matter— and more. We promise to educate, empower, entertain, and engage.
ASK MICHAEL | Stay up to date with latest news and information impacting philanthropy. Contact me with ideas or questions.
Michael Wilson
Director of Communications
840 West Hamilton Street
Suite 310, Allentown, PA 18101
484 695-3277
michael@lvcfoundation.org