ECF Grants
The Erie Community Foundation announced its Transformational Philanthropy 2.0 grant, an array of large grants, to organizations whose projects and programs are deemed vital to Erie's positive transformation.
These grants, together totaling $1,950,000, show the Foundation's investment in our youth, our neighborhoods, and our downtown. "We are supporting efforts to revitalize our downtown, transform our economy, improve our neighborhoods, block by block, and to invest in our most important resource, our citizens," said Michael L. Batchelor, President of The Erie Community Foundation.
| Nonprofit | Project Funded | Amount Received |
| Bayfront East Side Taskforce | BEST Focused Neighborhood Revitalization | $250,000 |
| Bayfront NATO, Inc. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center | Minority Community Investment Coalition (MCIC): Collaborating for Economic Success | $250,000 |
| Erie Downtown Development Corporation | Revitalizing Erie's Downtown Through Strong Community VISION and ACTIVATION | $100,000 |
| Gannon University | GO College at Strong Vincent Middle School | $200,000 |
| Mother Teresa Academy | Renewal & Recommit | $150,000 |
| Our West Bayfront | West 8th St. Corridor Revitalization | $250,000 |
| Penn State Erie, The Behrend College | Susan Hirt Hagen Center For Community Outreach, Research and Evaluation (CORE) Outreach Expansion Project 2018 | $200,000 |
| Perry Square Alliance | Accelerate Infrastructure Investments in Perry Square | $100,000 |
| The Urban Oasis Project | The Oasis Market | $200,000 |
| United Way of Erie County | Community Schools Truancy Prevention through Community Coordination | $250,000 |
"All of these grants are designed to support our unprecedented $10 million investments designed to establish an Erie County Community College, a downtown Innovation District and to strengthen neighborhoods and community centers. We are currently planning a third, multi-year, round of grants to accelerate our momentum. The community is fortunate to have these and many other such organizations leading critical efforts that have direct, measured outcomes for Erie's betterment. The Erie Community Foundation is committed to investing our community's support in projects such as these that will have a transformational impact for all in our community," said Batchelor.
The Erie Community Foundation is committed to community impact in step with efforts to move the needle on the Erie Vital Signs indicators in ways to further position Erie as a place of choice to live, work and play. The Foundation, as routine, will be working with each community partner to track progress. Special effort will be made to seek synergies. For example, the Foundation has invited several to a discussion on urban agriculture as a result of recognizing this theme across several partners of the proposals.
