In the Know
FAQs
Get quick, helpful answers to important questions you may have about the Foundation.
Community foundations are public charities that award grants to non-profit organizations, improving the lives of people in their community. Unlike private foundations, community foundations derive support from the public and rely on donors to help support their grantmaking efforts.
There are over 900 community foundation in the United States, ranging in asset size from less than $100,000 to over $1 billion. Among foundations in the United States, health accounts for the largest share of grant dollars awarded according to the Foundation Center. This is followed by education, human services, and arts and culture.
The Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation began transitioning from a private foundation to a community foundation in the summer of 2023. This move will allow us to address a broad range of community needs as we forge partnerships with new donors and cultivate new funding sources.
The Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation is a community organization created as the result of the sale of Pottstown Memorial Medical Center to Community Health Systems. With approximately $70 million in assets as of 2023, the Foundation serves the residents of Pottstown Borough and those within a 10-mile radius of the borough.
The Foundation’s purpose is to provide opportunities for our community to enthusiastically embrace a healthier lifestyle. We’re here to offer the tools and motivation for people to improve their health and well-being every day.
Founded as a health conversion foundation, PAHWF focuses on preventing illness, not treating it. Like similarly dedicated organizations throughout the country, the Foundation is committed to showing area residents how they can adopt a lifestyle to become healthier, feel better and enjoy life more. Study after study has shown that a healthy lifestyle often results in a longer life with better health in old age.
The Foundation’s overall goal is to improve the health of the community by inspiring healthier living for all residents – whether young or old, active or inactive, at any level of education.
As part of our results framework, the Foundation invests in two grantmaking pillars: Developing Youth Potential and Promoting Equitable Health & Wellness. Partnering with organizations in our service area, we provide funding of solutions aimed at long-term improvement in healthy behaviors. For more information on our program areas and support types, visit pottstownfoundation.org/grantmaking/resultsframework.
As of 2023, the Foundation has an asset base of approximately $70 million, which is used to calculate annual grant giving.
The Foundation provides grants to non-profit organizations, which use the money to develop and enhance programs that support our purpose. The Foundation’s plan is to be a permanent resource for grants well into the future.
Since 2004, the Foundation has awarded more than $50 million to area schools and non-profit organizations in the Pottstown area. Funding supports programs such as garden projects, recreation, community networks, health access and capacity building.
The Foundation has a ten-person paid staff. A volunteer board of directors oversees the Foundation, while several committees (also composed of volunteers) determine the direction of specific programs.
The Foundation is here to help everyone in the TriCounty area, specifically residents in a 10-mile radius of Pottstown. By providing opportunities to improve their health and well-being every day, we will create a more dynamic and more vibrant community in which to live.
Talk with your healthcare provider and read trusted sources of information, whether in print or on the web. The Foundation's Healthy Living Blog has free online resources for easy steps to a healthier you.