Community Foundation of Fayette County

What Community Foundation of Fayette County does

The Community Foundation of Fayette County (CFFC) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1999 and headquartered in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. It operates as a regional philanthropic intermediary for Fayette County, collecting donations from individuals, families, and businesses, holding them in a portfolio of endowed and pass-through funds, and redistributing them as grants and scholarships. Core programmatic offerings include the Building a Stronger Fayette endowment fund, the annual Gala of Giving ~ Catalyst for Change (which funds large-scale grants up to $100,000), the Fayette Gives day-of-giving platform (cumulative $3.1 million raised over six years, $531,613 in 2025), recurring spring and fall grant cycles, and post-secondary and PreK-12 scholarship administration (51 scholarships available for 2026-2027, with nearly 100 students receiving over $250,000 in the prior year).

CFFC does not charge fees for its charitable services, relying instead on unrestricted donations, event sponsorships, and investment returns on its endowment. Its operational infrastructure is built on third-party platforms: fcsuite.com for online donations, GrantInterface for grant and scholarship applications, fayettegives.org as a dedicated day-of-giving portal, and Constant Contact for email distribution. The foundation runs a small staff of 1-10 employees led by CEO Jessica Hajek-Bates following the retirement of Executive Director Renee M. Couser, and is currently recruiting its first Director of Development.

The foundation serves three primary constituencies: (1) Fayette County 501(c)(3) nonprofits across arts, education, health and human services, and community development applying for capacity-building and program grants; (2) individual, family, and business donors establishing charitable funds such as donor-advised funds, agency funds, and field-of-interest funds; and (3) Fayette County high school seniors, post-secondary students, and nontraditional students applying for educational scholarships. CFFC holds the Community Foundation National Standards Seal and the 2025 Candid Gold Seal of Transparency, signaling compliance with sector-wide operational and reporting benchmarks. Geographic scope is strictly Fayette County, PA.

Name

Community Foundation of Fayette County

Legal name

Community Foundation of Fayette County

Website

https://cffayettepa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of Fayette County is a 501(c)(3) public charity that manages charitable funds, distributes grants and scholarships, and connects individual and business donors with Fayette County, Pennsylvania nonprofits, schools, and students through the annual Gala of Giving and Fayette Gives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Uniontown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The foundation receives charitable donations from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to build endowed funds that support community grantmaking in perpetuity
2. Event-Based Fundraising: Annual Gala of Giving and Fayette Gives day-of-giving events raise funds for Catalyst for Change Grants and general community support

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of Fayette County is a 501(c)(3) public charity that manages pooled and individual charitable funds for Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It connects donors with causes, distributes grants to local nonprofits through programs such as the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund and Catalyst for Change Grants, administers post-secondary scholarships, and operates the annual Fayette Gives day-of-giving and Gala of Giving fundraising events.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of Fayette County operates as a philanthropic organization offering a portfolio of charitable services rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include grant programs through the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund endowment, large-scale Catalyst for Change Grants (up to $100,000) funded by the annual Gala of Giving, the Fayette Gives day-of-giving platform, post-secondary scholarships administered via online portal, donor services for creating charitable funds, and various field-of-interest funds supporting specific causes. These programs work together to fulfill the foundation's mission of inspiring charitable giving, supporting nonprofits, and nurturing positive community impact in Fayette County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building a Stronger Fayette Fund Community grantmaking endowment fund that awards grants to local Fayette County nonprofits to support programs, projects, equipment, and capacity building across multiple priority areas.
• Catalyst for Change Grants Large-scale grants (up to $100,000) funded by Gala of Giving proceeds that support significant county-wide projects designed to spark change and growth in Fayette County.
• Fayette Gives Annual day-of-giving campaign that engages the community in philanthropy and supports local charities. A 12-hour fundraising marathon highlighting Fayette County charities and providing a one-stop-shop for charitable giving.
• Gala of Giving Annual fundraising gala event that raises money for larger funding projects in Fayette County through corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, and auction donations.
• Post-Secondary Scholarships Scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors, current post-secondary students, and nontraditional students pursuing education, plus PreK-12 tuition assistance through the Educate Fayette Scholarship Fund. Administered through an online scholarship portal.
• Donor Services and Fund Creation Personalized services helping individuals, families, and businesses create charitable funds, including donor advised funds, agency funds, and various ways to donate (check, online credit/debit, legacy gift, charitable IRA, stock transfer).
• Grant Programs Spring and fall grant cycles for Fayette County nonprofits, including the Building a Stronger Fayette Fund, Burchinal Family Endowment Fund (health/medical care), Mary and John J. Depcrymski Memorial Fund (senior transportation), Community Beautification Fund, and Jack and Diane Hughes Family Fund (gardens/environmental education).

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.1 million raised through Fayette Gives in six years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Fairchance Construction CompanycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 April 2026Presenting Sponsor for the annual Gala of Giving event, supporting the foundation's flagship fundraising initiative that awards Catalyst for Change Grants to Fayette County nonprofits.
• Dress for Success Pittsburgh / EmployHER PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026Co-hosted the first-ever EmployHER Fayette County Opportunity Fair to support women's employment readiness, combining professional attire, employer connections, and career resources.
• Main Street Theatre CompanyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2024Produces ENCORE! county-wide musical showcase program, first-ever $50,000 Catalyst for Change Grant recipient, bringing together students from seven local high schools.
• State Theatre Center for the ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides rehearsal and performance space for ENCORE! program in collaboration with Main Street Theatre Company.
• Foundation for Free Enterprise EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPtak Family Fund at CFFC supports Fayette County students attending PA Free Enterprise Week (PFEW), providing $15,000 in registration reimbursement over three years.
• Penn State Extension Fayette County 4-HcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for STEM and Computer Science Initiative, providing $12,000 grant for Race Day workshop and $26,665 for 2023 continuation across five school districts.
• Elevate NP of SWPAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting Scenario Planning Clinics for nonprofits at CFFC office, facilitated by Procopia, for executive directors of organizations with budgets $100,000-$5 million.
• Touchstone Center for CraftsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded Building a Stronger Fayette Fund grants for technology equipment and staff expansion to support arts programming in Laurel Highlands.
• Crime Victims' Center of Fayette CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived capacity building grants and Strawberry Patch Fund distributions; reported 149% increase in clients from 2023-2024.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: National donor advised fund sponsor and the largest in the U.S. by assets. Competes with CFFC for charitable dollars from Fayette County residents who could choose a national DAF instead of a local community foundation fund.
• United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania: Federated giving organization operating across multiple southwestern Pennsylvania counties including Fayette, raising workplace campaign dollars for community impact grants. Comparable donor stewardship and community grantmaking model but with a federated (rather than endowed) approach.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national donor advised fund sponsor providing tax-advantaged giving accounts. Competes for the same high-net-worth donors CFFC courts, particularly those willing to bypass local community foundation vehicles.
• The Pittsburgh Foundation: One of the largest community foundations in Pennsylvania with hundreds of millions in assets, serving the broader Pittsburgh region including Fayette County area. Same product set (DAFs, scholarships, competitive grants) at much greater scale; sets the regional benchmark CFFC operates against.
• Richard King Mellon Foundation: Pittsburgh-based private foundation with multi-billion-dollar endowment making large regional grants in southwestern Pennsylvania, including for community and economic development in counties like Fayette. A dominant grantmaker in CFFC's geography but at vastly greater scale.

Others

• Foundation Source: Provider of administrative infrastructure for private foundations and DAFs; an enabler/competitor for donors considering a private foundation versus a CFFC fund. Relevant for understanding donor alternatives CFFC must position against.
• Elevate NP of SWPA: Southwestern Pennsylvania capacity-building nonprofit that hosts scenario planning clinics at CFFC's office for executive directors of small-to-mid-sized nonprofits. Ecosystem partner that strengthens CFFC's grantee pipeline and signals adjacent nonprofit infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Community Foundation for the Alleghenies: Rural south-central Pennsylvania community foundation serving Somerset and surrounding counties with comparable endowed funds, scholarships, and county-level grantmaking structure. Closely matches CFFC's scale and operating model.
• Community Foundation of Greene County, PA: Small rural Pennsylvania community foundation immediately adjacent to Fayette County, offering donor advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grant cycles for a similar demographic and economic base. Directly comparable peer.
• The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County: Neighboring southwestern Pennsylvania community foundation of similar size and age, operating donor advised funds, scholarship programs, and competitive grant cycles for a single county. Most direct functional and geographic comparable to CFFC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cffayettepa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cffayettepa
• Instagraminstagram.com/cffayettepa
• Xx.com/cffayettepa

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of Fayette County