Ardagh Group donates to McKean County Community Foundation COVID-19 Assistance Fund

/in /by

The McKean County Community Foundation (MCCF) has established the COVID-19 Assistance Fund to support local non-profit organizations that have been impacted by the pandemic. We are excited to announce a generous donation of $25,000 to the fund by Ardagh Group, Glass – Port Allegany. The Foundation is extremely grateful to the Ardagh Group for their concern for our communities and for their financial support in this effort to help non-profits who need assistance during this unprecedented time.

The COVID-19 Assistance Fund is made up of public donations. All individuals, corporate donors, and organizations are encouraged to join in this effort. By pooling our funds, we can collectively support our community nonprofits and make a bigger impact on their needs. The McKean County Community Foundation will waive administrative fees on all donations and will distribute 100% of all donations to those agencies in need by an open grant process.

The Community Foundation will administer grants from the COVID-19 Assistance Fund to nonprofit organizations in McKean County that are serving our vulnerable populations. With stay-at-home orders and the closure of businesses across the state, non-profits have not been able to hold the fundraising events that keep their doors open. Grants of any size from the Community Foundation will help them through this unusual time. Support can be given to nonprofits who have seen detrimental impacts to their fiscal and administrative operation as a result of a loss of revenue, fundraising, or staffing, with focus on education and health care throughout McKean County.  Click here for COVID-19 grant application.

The McKean County Community Foundation has identified some high priority needs in the communities across McKean County and can distribute funds to the agencies that may provide the service to help with those needs. During this challenging time for our county and our communities as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying loss of employment, many of our residents face tremendous needs in the areas of food support, rent and utility assistance, and child care.

MCCF is asking for community support to build the fund and assist our non-profits. Donations to this new fund can be mailed to the McKean County Community Foundation at P.O. Box 708, Bradford, PA, 16701, with check made payable to the MCCF COVID-19 Assistance Fund. Online donations will also be accepted through our website at www.mckeancountyfoundation.org. Use the Donate Now button on the top of the page and please indicate the COVID-19 Assistance Fund as the fund name. For more information, contact the Foundation toll-free at 1-844-238-2289.

PHOTO: Ardagh representatives, Shannon Roys, Manager of Human Resources, and Jesse Azzato, Plant Manager, present a donation of $25,000 to Paula Fritz Eddy, Executive Director, and Bob Esch, Board President of the McKean County Community Foundation to help establish the MCCF COVID-19 Assistance Fund. This fund, made up of public donations, will benefit local non-profit organizations that have been impacted by the pandemic.

McKean County Scholarship Applications Are Now Available

/in /by

McKean County Scholarship Applications Are Now Available 

Bradford, PA: Attention All those attending Colleges, Universities or Vocational schools! The McKean County Community Foundation, (MCCF) is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies added twenty new scholarships this year.  This will increase the total scholarship awards by the Foundation to nearly $250,000 available for students across seven counties. The Community Foundation has distributed all post-secondary or vocational school scholarship applications to the high school guidance departments throughout the area and also have information on their websites.   Please visit: www.mckeancountyfoundation.org, look for the Scholarship page and the “Information for Students” tab!

Each scholarship that is available has a different focus, so check each one out and see if it is right for you. Some of the new scholarships are the Andrew Taylor Recognition Award, Samuel F. Heffner, Garrick S. Anderson, BAHS Class of 1960 Scholarship, the BAHS & BCCHS Class of 1964 Scholarship, and the Bradford Area Fire Department Scholarship in Bradford and Kristie Chase Memorial Scholarship in Otto Eldred.

Post-secondary music students and high school seniors are also eligible to apply for the Inez Bull Piano or the Ole Bull Violin Scholarships as long as they graduated from a high school in Potter, Tioga, Elk, McKean, Cameron or Clinton County.

The Community Foundation is one of 40 state wide partners with PATH (Partners for Access to Higher Education). Students who receive a scholarship award from the Community Foundation may qualify for matching dollars through PHEAA and the PATH program. In 2019 over $50,000 was matched to our local students.

Visit the websites to see what is available! For further details and deadlines, contact your guidance counselor or the Community Foundation at 844 238-2289.

Pictured 2019 scholarship winners

Esch named president of Community Foundation parent company

/in /by

Esch named president of Community Foundation parent company

At the December meeting of the Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies (CFNA), Bob Esch, on left, was named the new president of the board of directors, taking over the reins from past president, Bill Conrad. CFNA is the parent company of the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation. The common mission of the two foundations is to enhance the quality of life in the local area as they strengthen their region through development, stewardship, and grant making. With a shared vision to inspire philanthropy and strengthen their unique communities, these affiliate foundations are making an impact in the Northern Allegheny region. For more information on donor opportunities, scholarships, and grants visit their websites at www.mckeancountyfoundation.org or www.elkcountyfoundation.org.

11 Bradford Scholarships under care of McKean County Community Foundation

/in /by

Jan 16, 2020: 11 Bradford scholarships under care of McKean County Community Foundation

A new partnership with the McKean County Community Foundation and Bradford Area School District means extra funding for local scholarship recipients — up to twice as much.

“To date 11 of the scholarships held at the district have transferred nearly $187,000 to the Foundation for administration and there are still a few more accounts that may be interested in exploring collaboration with the Community Foundation,” according to a press release from Paula Fritz Eddy, executive director of the foundation.

Eddy explained that the foundation “is a non-profit organization that strives to strengthen our region through development, stewardship and grant making as it works with donors to achieve their philanthropic goals.”

Regarding the Bradford scholarships that were just transferred, the community foundation will help grow the funds, as well as administer the school district’s scholarship program.

“It’s great for the recipients of the scholarship, too,” noted Bob Esch, board president of the foundation, at a gathering of the foundation and school district on Wednesday.

Not only will the foundation help grow the funds themselves, the new partnership means that scholarship recipients will now be eligible for additional educational funding through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.

“One of the most important benefits is the McKean County Community Foundation is a PATH partner with PHEAA,” Eddy explained. “As a partner with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) Partnership for Access to Higher Education (PATH), the Community Foundation scholarship recipients are nominated for matching funds and often receive additional grants from PHEAA.”

Bradford scholarships that have been transferred are the Andrus Family Good Citizenship Award; BAHS Class of 1960 Scholarship; Andrew Taylor Recognition Award; Ernest C. Tanner Memorial Scholarship; Elzear Kalstrom Schoch English Scholarship; Garrick S. Anderson Memorial Scholarship; Mary Motty Memorial Scholarship; Rodney Schoch Band Scholarship; Samuel F. Heffner Sr. Memorial Scholarship; Timothy S. Epsen Memorial Scholarship; and the Bradford Area Fire Department Scholarship.

As Eddy explained, these scholarships represent decades of giving in the Bradford community.

“There’s some that are 40 years old” that were left in estate plans, she noted. Others are newer, such as the BAHS Class of 1960 Scholarship and the Garrick S. Anderson Memorial Scholarship.

Until now, the school district had been holding all above scholarships, some of them in the role of trustee, she noted.

“The benefits of partnership will bring many more scholarship opportunities to area students as they pursue their higher education,” Eddy added.

Bradford is the second school district in McKean County to partner with an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies, according to Eddy. She explained the Kane Area School District transferred funds to the Elk County Community Foundation close to 10 years ago.

The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is the parent organization for both the McKean County and Elk County community foundations. The Kane scholarship transfer occurred before the formation of the McKean County Community Foundation, which was established in 2017.

Eddy described the role of the McKean County Community Foundation as so: “The Foundation manages charitable funds, grows them through sound investment policies, and distributes grants to local non-profit organizations and scholarships to students.

“Many school districts have placed their scholarship funds with community foundations for investment because Pennsylvania School Code restricts investments to certain types of low-risk, low-earning investments. The partnership will offer multiple benefits and help grow the scholarship program for the Bradford schools,” she said.

Eddy noted that the McKean County Community Foundation is accepting donations to any of those scholarships. Donating is as simple as mailing a check to the foundation at: McKean County Community Foundation, P.O. Box 708, Bradford, PA 16701. People can also donate by phone at 844-238-2289 or online at mckeancountyfoundation.org.

PHOTO: Representatives of Bradford Area School District and McKean County Community Foundation celebrate the transfer of nearly $187,000 in scholarships form the district’s care to the foundation’s care. From left are Paula Fritz Eddy; Executive Director of the McKean County Community Foundation; Bob Esch, Board President of the Community Foundation; Katharine Pude, BASD Superintendent; Judy Bodamer, Director of Finance at the school district; and Lynne Eschrich, Guidance Secretary at Bradford Area High School.

Community Foundation shares tax strategies for donors

/in /by

St. Marys, PA, January 2, 2020: The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies, and its affiliates, the Elk County Community Foundation and the McKean County Community Foundation, are inspired by working with donors to help them create charitable strategies and legacy gifts that benefit both the donors and their community. Donors can take advantage of various tax strategies to make the most of their charitable giving.

These Community Foundations have resources to help donors do the most with their means, at whatever level they are comfortable sharing. In addition to making a difference in the community, charitable giving can have tax benefits that are well worth exploring.

One strategy is to celebrate your 70 ½ birthday in a special way. At this age you must begin taking Required Minimum Distributions from your IRA and paying taxes on that additional income. Fortunately, the IRS allows generous donors to direct all or a portion of their distribution (up to $100,000) to entities like the Elk County or the McKean County Community Foundation. Any gift made directly to the Foundation is excluded from your taxable income.

Another strategy is called “Bunching”.  In today’s tax environment, your charitable gifts may or may not be deductible on your tax return, depending on your ability to itemize in a given year. Charitable donations are deductible only if you itemize, which may be a less likely scenario for many taxpayers given today’s higher standard deduction. In 2020, the standard deduction will be $12,400 for individuals and $24,800 for married couples.

Taxpayers can benefit from the new tax law and get back some of the tax advantages of their charitable contributions by using Bunching. Essentially, this means combining perhaps several years’ worth of donations into a single tax year so that – along with your other deductions – you exceed the standard deduction. Then you’d take the standard deduction in the interim years.

Of course, bunching multiple contributions into a single year can feel daunting if you’re not sure how much you want to give and to whom. So to build some flexibility into your giving plan, you may wish to set up a donor-advised fund account at a community foundation, which allows you to donate a lump sum in the current tax year, invest the funds for future growth, and parcel out the money to qualified charities over time. The money can continue to appreciate once invested in a donor-advised fund account, which means the potential for even greater giving down the road.

The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies is a nonprofit organization that manages endowed funds established by donors to benefit area nonprofit organizations. Donor gifts are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. For more information about donations, grant requests or other opportunities at the Foundation please contact them at 814-834-2125.