Grants Process

Grant Application Notice

The Discretionary Grants cycle opens Monday, November 10th and closes Monday, December 22nd.

Application

If you experience any issues accessing the grant application, please contact us using the form below.

Statement of Identity

1889 Foundation serves as a community leader and funder of initiatives that improve the health of people and communities in Cambria and Somerset Counties.

The 1889 Foundation defines “health” broadly as complete physical, mental, and social well-being. We embrace the population health model, recognizing that health is shaped by the conditions in which people live. Our mission goes beyond improving health—we aim to improve lives.

We provide strong, forward-thinking leadership to ensure the Foundation remains financially sustainable, strategically focused, and operationally effective. By stewarding our resources wisely and building meaningful partnerships, we work to create measurable, systems-level improvements in community health.

We invest in bold, innovative initiatives that deliver measurable impact, and we seek to leverage our funding to attract additional resources to the region. We prioritize collaborative, multi-organizational efforts and welcome both Foundation-prioritized and applicant-designed proposals. All initiatives must be grounded in strong evidence and clear logic, with defined outcomes and accountability.

While we do not provide ongoing operating support, we fund the development and early implementation of promising new approaches with potential for lasting change. Through interactive outcomes-based grantmaking, capacity building, and strategic partnerships, we strive to help nonprofits become more effective and resilient. We also act as a convener, fostering stronger, more coordinated systems to meet community needs.

Grants Philosophy & Timeline

At the 1889 Foundation, our grantmaking is designed to advance our mission of improving health and wellness across Cambria and Somerset Counties.  We do this through two funding pathways:

  1. Strategic Grants, which are invited applications that align with programs, projects, or initiatives identified or initiated by the Foundation as strategic priorities.  The Foundation Board determines these mission-focused efforts annually.
  2. Discretionary Grants*, which offer eligible organizations the opportunity to apply for funding aligned with our mission and focus areas during a limited open application period. The Discretionary Grants cycle opens annually on the 2nd Monday of November and closes on the 4th Monday of December. 

* Consideration of these grant applications is contingent upon the availability of discretionary funding. 

Grants Guidelines

Eligibility

Eligibility:

  • The Foundation supports U.S. charitable organizations classified as tax exempt under IRS Section 501c3.
  • The Foundation may consider applications in which an intermediary arrangement has been made between a registered 501c3 charity and an organization that is not a qualified applicant; however, there must be a direct affiliation of mandate and purpose.
  • Organizations must demonstrate strong leadership and a committed board, financial transparency and solvency, effective management, and the capacity to carry out the proposed initiative.
  • Must align with 1889 Foundation’s mission and Strategic Priorities.
  • Programs must primarily benefit the residents of Cambria and Somerset Counties.
  • Programs must demonstrate a provision for measurement and evaluation and a realistic plan for ongoing financial viability.

Applications should:

  • Address an urgent or emerging community need of strategic importance.
  • Complement or enhance existing initiatives.
  • Develop and implement innovative or evidence-based strategies that address critical gaps in health, wellness, and prevention services for underserved communities.
  • Foster cooperation, sharing, and strategic partnerships among organizations to minimize duplication of services.
  • Strengthen socioeconomic outcomes and enhance collective impact on community health and wellness. 
  • Expand individual and community capacity through health education, while enhancing access to vital health-related services such as transportation, screenings, and wellness programs.
  • Have the ability to implement the proposed project successfully.
  • Have a history of effective project management and fiscal responsibility.

Applications will be considered more favorably if the applicant can demonstrate how partial support from the Foundation will enable the applicant to leverage additional funding or in-kind contributions.

Requests Not Considered

  • For loans, debt retirement, or operational deficits
  • For an organization’s routine, ongoing operational expenses (e.g., general overhead, staff salaries not tied to the project, rent, etc.) **
  • For urgent needs, emergency funding, or gap funding
  • For endowments or revolving funds that act as such
  • From an individual for their personal benefit
  • From individuals unauthorized to act on behalf of a qualified tax-exempt organization
  • For funds to be distributed to beneficiaries of the organizations’ choosing
  • For propagandizing or for influencing legislation and elections
  • For sectarian or religious organizations whose principal activity is for the primary benefit of their own members or adherents
  • For institutions that, in policy or practice, unfairly discriminate against race, ethnic origin, sex, creed or religion.
  • For feasibility studies or research
  • For organizations organized and operating outside any U.S. state or territory
  • For-profit organizations
  • Multiple-year grants will be considered on an individual basis.  Grant sizes vary and are determined in accordance with the spending policy. 

**  Operational costs that are related to and necessary for the successful completion of the proposed project may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Grant Application Notice

The Discretionary Grants cycle opens Monday, November 10th and closes Monday, December 22nd.

Application

If you experience any issues accessing the grant application, please contact us using this form.

1889 Foundation is not a traditional grantmaking organization. Most of our grantees are identified through our work with selected stakeholders and organizations on strategic initiatives and special projects that are closely related to our mission. As a result, we are able to organize our efforts, maximize our funding, and address issues from various approaches with appropriate timing to optimize systemic and sustainable outcomes.

The Foundation’s resources are targeted to ambitious, innovative organizations that achieve meaningful impacts. Our success as a foundation depends on the success of our partners. We have high expectations both for us as a funder as well as for organizations we fund. Applicants should be committed to using the Foundation’s funding to accomplish transformational change to improve our community. Grants are viewed as successful when there is a measurable return on investment.

889 Foundation only supports U.S. non-profit organizations classified as tax-exempt under the IRS.

Please note that the following kinds of requests are NOT considered:

  • For funds to be distributed to beneficiaries of the organization’s choosing
  • For funds that will ultimately be passed through to other organizations
  • For sectarian or religious organizations whose principal activity is for the primary benefit of their own members or adherents
  • For loans, debt retirement or operational deficits
  • For institutions that, in policy or practice, unfairly discriminate against race, ethnic origin, sex, creed or religion
  • For propagandizing or for influencing legislation and elections
  • From an individual for their personal benefit
  • From individuals unauthorized to act on behalf of a qualified tax-exempt organization
  • For-profit organizations
  • For normal ongoing operations, including existing staff, or for the continuation of existing projects
  • For continuation of programs previously financed from other external sources
  • For organizations organized and operating outside any U.S. state or territory
  • For urgent needs, emergency funding or gap funding
  • For endowments or revolving funds that act as such

1889 Foundation has established collaborative partnerships with other granting agencies to assist us in fulfilling our mission. Partnering organizations include the United Way of the Laurel Highlands, Center of Population Health, and Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance. If your project or program falls within one of these existing partnerships, we encourage you to apply directly to these granting agencies rather than directly to 1889 Foundation.

  • Letters of Inquiry are reviewed and considered at three meetings a year: August, November, and February.
  • 1889 Foundation does not accept unsolicited letters of inquiry or grant proposals.
  • We value your time. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to review 1889 Foundation’s grants philosophy, statement of identity, eligibility, and About Us page.
  • If, based on the letter of inquiry, the project appears to match our funding criteria and priorities, the applicant may be asked to provide additional information.
  • Review of the LOI and a request for additional information does not mean funding will be approved.
  • Due to the volume of requests we receive, all letters of inquiry will only be accepted through the Foundation’s online portal using the LOI form. Requests in any other format i.e., emailed or mailed, etc. will not be reviewed.

All Letters of Inquiry must demonstrate a clear tie to the Foundation’s mission and should align with the following priority areas:

Advance health in our region: 1889 Foundation is a “health” foundation that embraces the World Health Organization’s definition of health as a “state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Moreover, we recognize that a person’s health is strongly influenced by the social, economic and environmental context within which they live, work and go to school. Given this broad understanding of what health is and how health is created, 1889 Foundation views its purpose as “improving lives”.

Improve systems to achieve region-wide impact: In order to achieve population-level impacts, the Foundation intervenes at a systems-level rather than simply supporting individual programs. In particular, the Foundation seeks to create stronger systems throughout the region, where organizations align their approaches and operate from a holistic perspective.

Foster effective and innovative organizations: The Foundation believes that meaningful improvements in population health will require organizations throughout the region to be more strategic and innovative in their programming, and to incorporate strategies that have proven effective in other settings. Our grantmaking and community leadership work will be structured in a way to encourage innovation, learning and adoption of best/proven practices.

Grant Application Notice

Our Grant Application is being updated and will be accessible at a later date to be determined. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Submit Letter of Inquiry

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