1889 Foundation

What 1889 Foundation does

1889 Foundation is a private nonprofit (501c3) community foundation headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, focused exclusively on Cambria and Somerset Counties. Originally established in 1993 as the Conemaugh Health Foundation and the fundraising arm of the Conemaugh Health System, the entity became independent and rebranded as 1889 Foundation in 2015 following the sale of Conemaugh to Duke LifePoint Healthcare. It is governed by a board of directors, led by President Susan Mann and Board Chair Jim Hargreaves, and operates with a staff of 1–10 employees.

The foundation's core products and services are structured grant programs rather than technology products. Three named funding priorities — Population Health, Childhood Development, and Medical Education & Training — are delivered through direct grantmaking and through partnerships with named anchor recipients: the United Way of the Laurel Highlands (challenge grant channeling Community Impact Grants to 30 programs across 25 partner agencies, with $5M+ deployed since 2015), the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance (administering the Creative Health Impact Grants up to $60K annually), Conemaugh Health System (joint Community Health Needs Assessment every three years), and Thomas Jefferson University (the original $7.5M, five-year gift that established the 1889-Jefferson Center for Population Health, which became an independent 501c3 in July 2023). Additional grant recipients include Outdoor Odyssey, Conemaugh School of Nursing, and Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. The foundation uses a triennial CHNA to set regional funding priorities and reports outcomes including 200+ at-risk individuals connected to health resources and 183 HUB-program babies born with 85% term and 87% normal birthweight.

The business model is philanthropic: 1889 Foundation is funded through an endowment and donations, and distributes capital as grants to eligible non-profits serving the two-county region. There is no commercial pricing; grant amounts vary by program. Go-to-market is community-led, leveraging established partner organizations as pass-through distribution channels. Marketing is limited to a WordPress-hosted website, a Facebook page, Constant Contact email newsletters, and annual community reports. Geographic scope is firmly limited to Cambria and Somerset Counties, with a 2024 ARC POWER Initiative grant (routed through the Center for Population Health) representing the only signal of geographic broadening.

Name

1889 Foundation

Legal name

1889 Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://1889foundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

1889 Foundation is a Johnstown, Pennsylvania-based 501c3 community foundation providing grants and leadership for health, childhood development, and medical education programs across Cambria and Somerset Counties. It operates through partner-administered programs, primarily the United Way of the Laurel Highlands and the Center for Population Health.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Community health grants
• Population health funding
• Nonprofit foundation
• Childhood development grants
• Medical education scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Johnstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment & Philanthropic Distribution: 1889 Foundation operates as a philanthropic grant-making organization. Originally the Conemaugh Health Foundation, it became independent in 2015 following Conemaugh's sale to Duke LifePoint Healthcare. The foundation distributes grants to support health and wellness programs in the region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The 1889 Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation that inspires and mobilizes resources to improve the health and wellness of Cambria and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania. It provides grants and funding across three priorities, including population health, childhood development, and medical education, while administering a Community Health Needs Assessment and partnering with United Way, PRAA, and regional healthcare and education institutions.

Product overview

1889 Foundation is a community foundation serving Cambria and Somerset Counties in Pennsylvania, focused on improving health and wellness through grant-making and collaborative initiatives. Rather than offering a unified technology product, the foundation operates a portfolio of funding programs and partnerships including the Center for Population Health (a collaborative resource center), United Way Community Impact Grants, and Creative Health Impact Grants with the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance. The foundation's three main funding priorities are Population Health, Childhood Development, and Medical Education & Training, all aimed at transforming the overall health and wellness of the regional community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for Population Health: A collaborative resource center focused on population health and disease prevention to benefit citizens in Cambria and Somerset Counties. Major initiative includes the Community Health Worker program.
• Creative Health Impact Grants (CHIG)

Products and services

• Community Impact Grants Grant funding distributed to nonprofit and community organizations in Cambria and Somerset Counties to support health and wellness initiatives, administered through the United Way of the Laurel Highlands partnership.
• Creative Health Impact Grant (CHIG) Grants that use arts and creative approaches to address community health priorities, awarded in partnership with the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance (PRAA) to regional organizations and artists.
• Center for Population Health A population health initiative established with a $7.5 million gift to the 1889 Foundation, focused on addressing community health needs and advancing population health outcomes in the region.
• Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) A published assessment of regional health needs in Cambria and Somerset Counties that informs the Foundation's grant priorities and serves as a community resource for health partners and grant seekers.
• Outdoor Odyssey Mindful Pause A youth-focused mindfulness and well-being program funded by the 1889 Foundation and delivered in partnership with Outdoor Odyssey for children and adolescents in the region.
• Conemaugh School of Nursing Scholarships Medical education scholarships funded by the 1889 Foundation for students attending the Conemaugh School of Nursing, supporting the development of regional nursing workforce capacity.
• Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Nursing Scholarships Medical education scholarships funded by the 1889 Foundation for nursing students at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, strengthening the regional healthcare workforce pipeline.

Quantifiable outcome

• HUB program: 183 babies born to participants, 85% born at term, 87% with normal birthweight
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Community Foundation for the AllegheniesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2020Collaborated with 1889 Foundation and United Way of the Laurel Highlands on unified COVID-19 response to support local nonprofits and health/human service organizations.
• Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance (PRAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2016Partnership on Creative Health Impact Grant Awards providing up to $60,000 annually to support arts programs related to health and wellness in Cambria and Somerset Counties. PRAA evaluates applications and administers the grant program.
• Thomas Jefferson University / Jefferson College of Population HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 20161889 Foundation provided $7.5 million five-year gift to establish the 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health (now Center for Population Health), which became an independent 501c3 organization as of July 1, 2023. The Center focuses on population health and disease prevention for Cambria and Somerset counties.
• United Way of the Laurel HighlandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 20151889 Foundation provides challenge grants to United Way of the Laurel Highlands to increase the reach and impact of Community Impact Grants. Since 2015, over $5 million has been provided. Community Impact grants are distributed annually to high-performing non-profit organizations in Cambria and Somerset Counties.
• Conemaugh Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConemaugh Health System partnered with 1889 Foundation on the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) conducted every three years for Cambria and Somerset Counties. The 2025 CHNA focuses on Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder, Early Childhood, Physical Health, and Social Drivers of Health.
• Outdoor OdysseyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner1889 Foundation provides funding support for the Mindful Pause Initiative, a community resiliency program led by Outdoor Odyssey. The program helps local leaders manage stress and build mental fitness practices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• United Way of the Laurel Highlands: Core partner and primary distribution channel for 1889 Foundation's Community Impact Grants. Functions as an intermediary partner rather than a peer, but is essential context for understanding 1889 Foundation's impact channel.
• Appalachian Regional Commission: Federal-state partnership providing POWER Initiative funding to the Center for Population Health. Comparable as a regional economic/health funder in Appalachia, but operating at a different scale and as a public entity rather than a private foundation.
• Conemaugh Health System: Former parent organization of 1889 Foundation (when it was the Conemaugh Health Foundation). Remains a strategic partner on the Community Health Needs Assessment, making it a closely related ecosystem entity rather than a direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• Pittsburgh Foundation: Large community foundation serving the broader Pittsburgh/southwestern Pennsylvania region. Comparable as a community grantmaker with health-related priorities, but with significantly larger endowment and broader funding scope.
• Richard King Mellon Foundation: Major Pittsburgh-based foundation with significant health, human services, and economic development grantmaking in southwestern Pennsylvania. Comparable regional focus but operates at materially larger scale and broader scope than 1889 Foundation.

Direct peers

• Community Foundation for the Alleghenies: Community foundation serving the same southwestern Pennsylvania region as 1889 Foundation. Both are geographically constrained community grantmakers that have even co-funded a unified COVID-19 response, making them directly comparable in scope, scale, and beneficiary population.
• Highmark Foundation: Pennsylvania-based corporate health foundation focused on community health, chronic disease, and behavioral health grants. Highly comparable to 1889 Foundation in funding priorities (population health, workforce) and Pennsylvania geographic anchoring.
• Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey: Regional health foundation funding community health grants in specific New Jersey counties. Comparable in focus on population health, social determinants, and operating as a non-hospital-affiliated grantmaker since restructuring.
• Endowment for Health (New Hampshire): Small state-wide health-focused foundation funding population health initiatives in a defined rural region. Closely comparable to 1889 Foundation in mission, regional constraint, and grantmaking-only operating model.

Regional players

• PA Department of Health: Pennsylvania state health agency that complements 1889 Foundation's regional health priorities. Adjacent in mission (population health) but operates as a public authority rather than a private grantmaker.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1889Foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about 1889 Foundation