The Erie Community Foundation closed 2025 with a significant investment in the region, awarding more than $4.6 million to 734 nonprofit organizations during the fourth quarter. The funding supports both immediate community needs and long-term solutions across Erie County.
Each quarter, the Foundation issues a combination of competitive grants—including those from its Helping Today and Shaping Tomorrow programs—and noncompetitive grants recommended through donor-advised funds. Together, these distributions advance the Foundation’s mission to foster a vibrant, thriving regions for all residents.
“At a time of growing uncertainty for nonprofits, community foundations play a critical role in helping organizations respond, adapt, and remain resilient,” said Karen Bilowith, President & CEO of The Erie Community Foundation. She highlighted the continued rise of donor-advised funds (DAFs) as a trusted philanthropic tool, noting that community foundations often direct these dollars with an emphasis on local impact.
National research shows that donor-advised funds now represent 15% of all charitable giving, including nearly 23% of individual giving. While the national average size of a DAF is under $71,000, community foundation DAFs average more than $600,000, underscoring donors’ commitment to long-term, place-based philanthropy.
In total, the Foundation distributed $4,688,462 between October and December 2025:
$3,861,097 from donor-advised funds to 715 nonprofits
$345,673 in Helping Today competitive grants to 14 organizations
$481,692 in Shaping Tomorrow competitive grants to 5 organizations
These investments were shaped by the challenges many nonprofits continue to face.
“Organizations across Erie County are navigating rising costs, staffing shortages, and increasing demand for services—often all at once,” said Pat Herr, Vice President of Community Impact. “In response, we focused our funding on strengthening organizational capacity, stabilizing operations, and ensuring critical services remain available now and into the future.”
Competitive grants supported a wide range of programs addressing community stability, health, economic development, and basic needs. Highlighted initiatives include:
A Hand Up Erie: Funding for delivery trucks to expand access to essential household items for families transitioning out of crisis.
Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania: Support for a new Bloodmobile to bolster the region’s lifesaving blood supply.
Erie’s Black Wall Street: Sustained staffing for programs promoting entrepreneurship, homeownership, and financial empowerment within the local Black community.
The Sight Center of Northwest Pennsylvania: Shaping Tomorrow funding to expand a countywide diabetes-prevention initiative aimed at reducing vision loss.
YMCA of Greater Erie: Shaping Tomorrow support to strengthen coordinated re-entry services through case management, peer support, and employer engagement.