Our Mission Statement
Scranton Area Community Foundation is on a mission to enhance the quality of life for all people in Northeastern Pennsylvania through the development of organized philanthropy. A public 501c3 community foundation, the Scranton Area Community Foundation serves as a steward, a grantmaker, a charitable resource, and a catalyst for change.
As a steward and grantmaker, we manage more than 300 charitable funds established by philanthropic individuals in our community and have granted more than $20 million to assist the educational, human service, environmental, civic, and arts and cultural organizations in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We also manage assets of more than $37 million through two private foundations, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation and the Robert H. Spitz Foundation.
As a catalyst for change, we lead numerous initiatives, including Women in Philanthropy, which empowers and transforms the lives of women and girls throughout the region; NEPA Moves, which brings together a council of community leaders who are focused on solving the transportation challenges across the region; the Center for Community Leadership and Nonprofit Excellence, which serves the capacity building needs of the nonprofit community through seminars and training programs facilitated by highly-skilled, nationally-recognized professionals; and the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative, which brings together animal shelters, rescues, advocates, and sanctuaries interested in advancing various causes in animal welfare.
Scranton Area Community Foundation proudly celebrated 65 years of serving the community in 2019.
We are your community foundation. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.
We strive to carry out our mission as a:
Resource
For over 65 years we have been providing donors with a flexible, low cost, professionally managed mechanism to accomplish individual charitable goals. The Foundation provides a source for your charitable contributions that will affect the well-being of our community. Funds established today at the Scranton Area Community Foundation will provide an essential stream of income decades ahead to meet the needs of a changing community.
Steward
As a trusted steward for your charitable contributions, we have adopted a total return policy in an effort to maintain or increase the true value of endowment and its distributions to the community now and in the future. By utilizing a total return policy more return will come from capital appreciation rather than only current income of permanent funds.
Each year the Board of Governors and its Investment Committee establishes a spending percentage of its asset base. This amount may be more or less than actual income from dividends and interest. A total return policy means that interest, dividends and capital appreciation are considered as a single amount in the fund.
The spending rate holds spending in check through lucrative years and enables spending in less productive years. Thus, donors' funds are being managed to provide a balance between current and future community needs and opportunities. Investment decisions can be based on flexible long-term strategies that are not subject to sudden changes in interest rates or market value. Grant recipients and the community will be able to count on funds from their community foundation which will be made available for distribution based not only on changes in current investment income.
For more information, read our Statement of Investment Policy.
Grantmaker
At the Scranton Area Community Foundation, we hold and manage a variety of funds from individuals, organizations, and corporations. Through these gifts, we respond to community needs and opportunities with grants in diverse fields such as health, education, arts, environment, human services, and civic affairs.
The Scranton Area Community Foundation makes grants to foster good ideas which have the potential to strengthen our community and enrich the lives of the people of Scranton, Lackawanna County, and Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Organizations which serve the needs of residents in Lackawanna County are encouraged to keep the Foundation informed of their programs and services and to share their ideas about addressing community needs and opportunities.
Catalyst
We strive to be a community resource, as well as a catalyst for change and growth. We provide the channel for the people of the community to help one another and we endeavor to raise awareness, increase giving, and create a “Culture of Giving” within our community.
By providing leadership, encouraging philanthropy, and constructing permanent resources in our community, we are the mechanism for an improved life for the residents of Lackawanna County.
We work to strengthen local nonprofits in fundamental ways, by offering a variety of programs to help build their capacity and organizational structure.
To learn how you can make a charitable impact through a planned gift, visit SAFplans.org.
