JOHNSTOWN — For the Spring 2015 grant round, on behalf of its donors, the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies’ Distribution Committee has awarded $132,405 in grant funding. A wide range of projects has been supported, from a food backpack program for children to a folk music program at a Cambria City arts organization to crime prevention camera installations.

“There is a particularly broad array of programs that are supported this round,” said Mike Kane, Foundation president. “Strong nonprofits make for a strong community. We are pleased to be able to support these organizations because we know the work they do, and we can tell our donors that we see the results, even of the smaller projects, in making our community better able to care for itself and to grow.”

Twice each year, the Foundation accepts applications for funding from applicants that have a 501(c)3 IRS designation and serve Bedford, Cambria, and/or Somerset counties. The grant rounds have become increasingly competitive; for this round 118 applications were submitted requesting a total of $1,005,696 in funding. Cambria County projects received 24% of the total amount awarded; Somerset County projects received 36%; Bedford County projects received 16%; and 23% of the funding went to projects identified as serving multiple counties. Specifically, the $132,405 in grant awards will go to the following organizations:

• Adagio Health, Inc.:  $2,100.00 for Mammography Program
• Alternative Community Resource Program, Inc.: $2,500.00 for Indoor/Outdoor Play Center and $1,600.00 for Sip & Shop
• Ashville Volunteer Fire Company #1: $1,000.00 for Emergency Scene Lighting
• Band of Brothers Shakespeare Company, Inc.: $500.00 for All the Wood’s a Stage
• Bedford County Chamber Foundation: $2,000.00 for BASICS
• Bedford County Historical Society: $1,100.00 for Rack Cards/Banners
• Bedford County Players: $1,200.00 for Assistive Listening System
• Bedford County Regional Education Foundation: $4,000.00 for Nurse Training Equipment
• Bedford Heritage Trust: $3,000.00 for Native Peoples Exhibit
• Birthright of Johnstown, Inc.: $1,000.00 for Clothing for Women and Babies
• BOTTLE WORKS Ethnic Arts Center: $2,500.00 for Fire and Security Systems
• Boys & Girls Club of Somerset County, Inc.: $1,550.00 for Aim for the Stars
• Cambria and Somerset Counties Conservancy:  $3,000.00 for Quemahoning Reservoir Boat Launch
• Cancer Caring Center: $3,000.00 for Women’s Cancer Support Group
• Chestnut Ridge School District: $1,500.00 for Weekend Backpack Program
• City of Johnstown: $2,000.00 for Washington Street Trees
• Coaches 4 Kids Foundation:  $1,000.00 for Financial Literacy Project
• Conemaugh Valley Conservancy, Inc.: $1,000.00 for Biological Stream Monitoring
• Conemaugh Valley School District: $2,000.00 for Chromebooks in STEM Classrooms
• Dauntless Fire Company: $1,000.00 for Multi-gas Detection Meter
• Destiny Outreach Jefferson Memorial Church: $2,000.00 Food Purchases for Outreach Program
• Downtown Bedford, Inc.: $3,500.00 for Riverfest Arts Festival
• Greater Johnstown Community YMCA: $2,000.00 for Integrated Software Program
• Historical & Genealogical Society of Somerset County: $3,000.00 for Lime Kiln Interpretive Exhibit
• HOPE for Hyndman Charter School: $2,000.00 for Elementary Technology
• Johnstown Area Regional Industries: $4,500.00 for Increasing Workforce Capacity
• Johnstown Backpack Project Fund: $3,500.00 for 2015-2016 Meals
• Johnstown Free Medical Clinic, Inc.: $2,750.00 for Diabetic Supplies
• Laurel Arts: $1,000.00 for Murder Mystery at Morguen Toole
• Laurel Highlands Council-Boy Scouts of America: $1,700.00 for STEM Educational Workshops
• Lazarus Gate Food Pantry: $1,200.00 for Food Purchases
• Learning Lamp, Inc.:  $2,500.00 for Fund for the Future – System Upgrades
• Mary S. Biesecker Library: $580.00 for Teen Summer Reading
• Meyersdale Area School District: $3,400.00 for Weather and Water Curriculum
• Meyersdale Public Library: $3,000.00 for Sidewalk Replacement
• Middle Taylor Township Volunteer Fire Company: $1,000.00 for Building Addition
• Mom’s House, Inc.: $2,000.00 for 90 Days to Learn
• New Day, Inc.:  $1,000.00 for After-School Program
• Next Day Ministries: $1,000.00 for Kitchen Equipment
• Pennsylvania Maple Festival, Inc.: $1,000.00 for Office Desktop Computer System
• Portage Area Ambulance Association: $1,250.00 for IV Solution Warming Devices
• Portage Area Joint Recreation Commission: $7,000.00 to Refurbish “KidsPlace”
• Portage Borough: $600.00 for Sonman Mine Explosion Project
• S.O.S.-Secret Santa of Somerset & Surrounding Areas: $760.00 for Secret Santa Smiles
• Shade/Central City Area Ministerium, Inc.: $1,000.00 for Food Pantry Facility Upgrades
• Shawnee Valley Ambulance Service, Inc.: $1,000.00 for ADA Restroom Project
• Sipesville Volunteer Fire Company #607: $2,450.00 for Kitchen Services Upgrade
• Skills of Central PA: $565.00 for Life Skills Equipment Project
• Solar Samaritans Ministry: $1,500.00 for Operation Solar Hope
• Somerset Christian School: $2,000.00 for Gym Floor
• Somerset Community Clinic: $2,500.00 for Immunizations and Record Transitions
• Somerset Community Park Association: $2,500.00 for Pavilion Equipment
• Somerset Co. Campus Foundation (Allegany of MD): $1,000.00 for Walking Track Resurfacing
• Somerset County Drug Free Communities: $800.00 for Drug Awareness Marketing Campaign
• Somerset County Mobile Food Bank: $2,500.00 for Feeding Our Community
• Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art: $1,000.00 for Exhibitions Programming
• St. Francis University: $2,300.00 for Energy Audit Equipment & Training
• Stoystown Volunteer Fire Company: $1,500.00 for Portable Pump
• Tableland Services, Inc.: $1,000.00 for Project Home Grown
• The Bedford County Arts Fund: $1,000.00 for Library Art Exhibit
• The Mountain Playhouse: $5,000.00 for Match Challenge
• The Pennsylvania Consort Society: $1,000.00 for Philadelphia Brass Ensemble
• The Salvation Army Somerset Service Center: $1,000.00 for Back-To-School Program
• United Way of Allegheny County: $2,000.00 for the Campaign for What Works
• Venue of Merging Arts (VOMA):  $2,000.00 for 2015 VOMA Folk Series
• Veteran Community Initiatives, Inc.: $1,000.00 for Vietnam Veteran Recognition Event
• West End Improvement Group Fund: $1,000.00 for Surveillance Cameras
• Windber Public Library: $3,000.00 for Basement Waterproofing Project
• YWCA of Greater Johnstown: $1,000.00 for Kuddle Korner Playground

Community Foundation grants are awarded in a wide variety of categories across Bedford, Cambria, and Somerset counties. For this round, 24% of the total grants awarded went to Health & Human Services projects ($32,415), 18% went to Children & Youth projects ($24,080), and 15% went to Education ($19,450). The application deadline for the next round of funding is Friday, August 28, 2015. All grant applications must be submitted online.