by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Jan 15, 2026 | CFFC News
The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) is accepting funding requests for five grant opportunities this spring. Interested nonprofits must apply through CFFC’s online grant portal by March 1 at 5:00 p.m.
The Building a Stronger Fayette Fund is the foundation’s unrestricted grantmaking endowment, which is accepting grant requests up to $5,000 for projects or capacity building. These awards are made with combined funding from the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund; Fayette County Charities Endowment; Franklin K. and Jean Smith Family Fund; GIVE Fayette County campaign; Levi Komarinski Memorial Fund; Thompson Fund.
The spring grant cycle also includes four Field of Interest Funds, which have a specific area of focus:
- The Burchinal Family Endowment Fund supports charities that provide health and medical care for Fayette County residents.
- The Mary and John J. Depcrymski Memorial Fund supports transportation expenses for Fayette County seniors.
- The Community Beautification Fund supports landscape improvement in Fayette and Greene Counties.
- The Jack and Diane Hughes Family Fund supports community gardens and science/environmental education.
“Last year, our spring grant cycle awarded $36,000 for computer equipment, employment readiness services, senior center programming, food distribution, flowers for an Honor Roll, and more,” said Jessica Hajek-Bates, Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to another year of charitable giving that addresses the needs of our community.”
For more details about these grant opportunities and criteria, visit the Nonprofits page at www.cffayettepa.org.
by Community Foundation of Fayette County | Sep 14, 2022 | Building a Stronger Fayette
There’s a saying “all dressed up with nowhere to go,” but sometimes there’s somewhere to go and no way to get there. Transportation can be a challenge for a variety of residents. The Mary and John J. Depcrymski Memorial Fund, held at the Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC), supports transportation for Fayette County senior citizens and awarded a grant to Lafayette Manor, an assisted living residence. “We were able to use the grant money to fuel our wheelchair van to have transportation accessible to our residents that otherwise would not have been available,” said Director of Social Services Shari Viano.
Lafayette Manor’s van was used for group outings such as seeing fall foliage, trips to the mountains, ice cream outings, and group lunches. In addition to these fun group outings, this grant enabled transportation for important family functions, such as a resident attending her granddaughter’s wedding. “Without the use of the van, she would not have been able to do so, and it meant so much to her to be able to share in the special day. And the family was grateful, especially since that was the last family event that they were able to share with her,” explained Viano. Another resident was transported to her husband’s funeral, which she otherwise wouldn’t have been able to attend.
The van was also used for those who didn’t have or couldn’t afford transportation for home assessments, a vital part of planning for safe discharge from the residence. Alternate transportation options, like wheelchair van services or ambulance, can be costly and sometimes unavailable, and not all residents have family members who are able to arrange transportation with them.
Lafayette Manor assisted 60+ residents through this grant. “CFFC is an asset to Fayette County and our community. Through their hard work and dedication, projects can be completed and services can be provided to members of our community that would not otherwise be available,” said Viano.
(Viano pictured at the Spring 2022 Grants Presentation, when Lafayette Manor was awarded another grant for senior transportation.)