Centre Inspires

Inspiring Centre County

Centre Inspires offers grants to fund projects that will be transformative on a county-wide scale by creating change through community engagement. It is a vehicle to enable the continued growth and strengthening of Centre County on a broad scale.

How Centre Inspires Works

Centre Foundation will provide up to $100,000 in grants to fund an innovative project that provides an opportunity to transform an aspect of life in Centre County. Collaborations between non-profit organizations and other entities that foster community engagement are strongly encouraged.

Organization qualifications and program guidelines are as follows:

Proposed projects must serve Centre County residents.
Only organizations that are the beneficiaries of a Centre Foundation endowment fund may apply.
Collaborative partnerships between nonprofit organizations, businesses, churches, government entities, etc. are encouraged.

In 2020, Centre Inspires funding has been rerouted to our COVID-19 ACTION Fund. This change will allow us to expand our support of the organizations providing inspirational change throughout the pandemic.

Granting Process

This granting cycle begins with the call for applications at the beginning of summer. The review process takes several months, and the grant recipient is announced in late fall. Funding for Centre Inspires comes from Centre Foundation’s community impact funds. Full qualifications and guidelines are available in the 2019 Centre Inspires Application Packet.

View Guidelines

Prior Grant Recipients

2019 - ACRES Project
Designed by ACRES Project, the Community Supported Agriculture program will provide horticultural therapy, employment, and community integration for adults with autism and intellectual disabilities.

2018 - The Rivet
Created by Discovery Space, The Rivet is a community workshop that connects multiple generations, hobbyists, and entrepreneurs to the skills and equipment they need to create new products.

2017 – Good Day Café
Envisioned by Strawberry Fields, this coffee shop employs individuals with disabilities and promotes inclusion in our community.

2016 - Centred Outdoors
Designed by Clearwater Conservancy, this program promotes health and wellness through local guided adventures during the summer.

2015 - Food Centres
This Penns Valley Youth Centre project allows students to grow and sell fresh produce, while learning important life skills.

2014 - Book Benches of Centre County
Twenty-five fiberglass benches painted by local artists were installed across the county through this collaborative program.

Ready to partner with Centre Foundation? Contact Rachael Hartman to get started today.

rachael@centre-foundation.org

814-237-6229