JOHNSTOWN ― The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies (CFA) has announced $105,000 in funding has been awarded from the Creative Sector Flex Fund (CSFF).
The grant offers $5,000 for the organizations to use in ways that will have the most significant impact on the people they serve, according to a press release. The 2024 CSFF Grant round awarded a $5,000 grant to each of the following Somerset County nonprofits: Confluence Creative Arts Center, Guild of American Papercutters and the Somerset Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County Inc.
“We are very pleased and grateful to be a recipient of Creative Sector Flex Funds,” said Jody Best of the Confluence Creative Arts Center, in an email. “We rely on our volunteers and donors to allow us to bring a variety of high-quality programs to the Confluence community, and this funding will be directed to some of the activities that are ‘free’ for individuals, families, and visitors to Confluence.”
More: Community Foundation for the Alleghenies awards more than $400,000 in Fall 2024 Grants
CFA is the Region 12 Partner in the Arts for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). Through this partnership, CFA executes the CSFF grant funding for the PCA in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties. The CSFF supports nonprofit art organizations and art programs within the six-county region.The award is flexible and can be used to meet a variety of needs, including administrative, programmatic and project-related expenses.
Special community events
Best said two of the center’s signature events – Art and the Park and Free Family Pumpkin Carving during PumpkinFest attract hundreds of participants who can participate without a fee.
More: Somerset auxiliary continues its support of the JSO with $10,000 award
“We love offering these events because they encourage community engagement and creative exploration,” she said. “During Art in the Park, folks can drop by the bandstand area on the designated day in July and participate at any of a dozen or so activity stations which are geared for all ages and abilities. We’ve offered everything from lantern making to paper marbling, and adults and children can spend as much time as they want at the stations they enjoy.”
Best said during PumpkinFest, the center provides free pumpkins and implements for carving them into jack-o-lanterns. They then are lit up at night in a display that fills the Arts Center yard.
“Our free pumpkin carving has become a tradition with some families who have participated every year for more than a decade,” she said.
Best said funding and volunteers are crucial in staffing these events.
“They are always enthusiastic and welcoming,” she said. “Equally important, however, is the help we get from funding organizations and donors. The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts/Pennsylvania Council on the Arts can be credited for helping our community have programs and activities that are meaningful, fun, and enriching.”
More: More than 300 scholarships available for CFA 2025 scholarship application season
Concentrating on the Arts
The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies is a public, nonprofit foundation that manages funds to strengthen communities in Bedford, Cambria, Indiana and Somerset counties. The Community Foundation matches the needs of the region with the passions of donors, creating pathways forward that meet community challenges and inspire new possibilities.
“We greatly value our partnership with the PCA, as it allows us to concentrate on the arts and creative organizations within our region,” said CFA Program Officer Emily Wood in a press release. “These nonprofits contribute significantly to our communities, and we are pleased to have this funding source to aid their efforts.”
CFA President Mike Kane said in the press release “It has long been established that a healthy arts community promotes economic growth for our region. The arts not only improve our quality of life, but also attract people who want to live in and support our community.”
Madolin Edwards has been a journalist at the Daily American for 38 years, covering school boards, borough councils, sports and new stories. Contact the Daily American reporters at news@dailyamerican.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: CFA announces $105,000 in Funding for Arts programming