Why Work With Us?

You Care About Erie

Whether you have lived here forever, or are new to the area, you know the Erie region is a special place. When you give to your community through The Erie Community Foundation, you are joining others who have the same philanthropic foresight. You are making our community stronger and more vibrant by supporting the good work of the Foundation and hundreds of local nonprofits.

You Appreciate Our Expertise

The Erie Community Foundation's competitive grantmaking process keeps us in constant contact with our nonprofit community. You can be assured we carefully vet all projects before funding them. Our Community Impact Team makes regular site visits both before and after we make grants. As a donor, you can rely on our due diligence and transparency. When you make your own charitable decisions, consider us your nonprofit information resource.

You Like to Keep Things Simple

At The Erie Community Foundation, our Finance Team administers all tax filing and audit requirements for our fundholders. Tax deductions are taken when you make your gift to The Erie Community Foundation, and we coordinate everything else. We will work with your professional advisor on asset transfers, agreement language, etc., to insure a smooth and convenient process. If you support many different nonprofits, the Foundation can also process pass-through gifts for you. You write one check to The Erie Community Foundation, and we take care of the rest!

You Love Good Ideas (and want to learn about community needs)

As a thought leader in the Erie region, The Erie Community Foundation creates awareness around community needs. Our tagline, "Helping today...Shaping tomorrow," represents our work.

Through Helping today grants, the Foundation addresses current needs of local nonprofits such as a new roof, computer system, handicapped ramp or programming. Through our Shaping tomorrow grantmaking, we address complex issues including health, education and economy as tracked on Erie Vital Signs. For example, Shaping tomorrow grants have supported Erie FREE Taxes, Erie's Future Fund, School-Based Health Centers, Erie Summer JAM and much more.

You can join other like-minded philanthropists through Foundation affiliations such as Erie Women's Fund, Emerging Erie Fund, Hear Erie's Youth - H.E.Y.!, The LGBT Fund, Elisha H. Mack Society and Donors Choose. You can also learn more about the community through our four regional community foundations in Corry, Findley Lake, North East and Union City.

To find out more, please contact us at 814-454-0843.