The Partnership has awarded our first grants under the Participatory Grantmaking Program! Participatory grantmaking is the practice of ceding grantmaking power to affected community members and constituencies. In practice, it means placing affected communities at the center of grantmaking by giving them the power to decide who and what to fund.

Our first project was guided by community members who care deeply about the health and life outcomes of their fellow community members. The 2024 cohort created its first grantmaking opportunity centered on addressing loneliness and social isolation in our Service Area.

The funded projects range from programs that center senior wellbeing, community-based conversations exploring trauma with youth, and other collaborative actives that advance togetherness.

List of 2025 Participatory Grant Awardees: 

• Amelia Givin Library - Adult Programming Project 
• Bethany House of Cumberland County - Family Night
• Branch Creek Place Senior Center - Support Groups and Peer Counseling
• Central Perry Community Senior Citizen's Center - Evenings Out 
• Community Meal Networking - Shippensburg Community Meals 
• Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland & Perry Counties - Trauma-informed Support Groups & Advisory Board
• Employment Skills Center - Student Connection Project 
• Perry County Council of the Arts - Strengthen Connections Through the Arts 
• Reins of Rhythm Riding & Horsemanship - Silver Strides - Bringing Seniors & Youth Together 
• Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition - Shippensburg Teen Nights 
• St. Andrews's Episcopal Church & Grace Place Gardens - A Seat Around the Table 
• YWCA Carlisle and Cumberland County - Second Season: A Gathering for Women in their Second Season of Life 

For information regarding our Participatory Grantmaking Project, please contact Dr. Marcellus C. Taylor, Director of Health Equity (Marcellus@ForBetterHealthPA.org; 717.960.9009 x5).

The Partnership is pleased to welcome 55 local nonprofit organizations to this year’s Match Madness campaign! These organizations address homelessness and food insecurity, build connection and community, promote access to health services and essential resources, and more as they promote good health for all members of our community.

From March 1-31, we will accept online, cash, and stock donations on behalf of the following organizations. Participants will receive 100 percent of gifts in their name as well as a portion of $150,000 in matching funds. Matching funds for the 2025 campaign are provided by the Partnership for Better Health with support from WellSpan Health and M&T Charitable Foundation!

We know collaboration is key when it comes to advancing health equity in our region. The Partnership for Better Health works with individuals and organizations across a variety of pathways to improve health in our communities. We define partnership as a relationship centered on a collective vision that is sustained through shared commitments. In our region, we seek partners with the collective vision of cultivating better health for all people in our community.

We have defined the following pathways by which we partner across our region:

1. Listening – we serve our partners by actively listening and responding to their expressed needs, challenges, and successes.
2. Connecting – we serve our partners by connecting them with resources to accomplish their goals.
3. Grantmaking – we serve our partners through providing grants that aim to improve the health of individuals and communities by focusing on the Social Determinants of Health and health equity.
4. Learning – we serve our partners by fostering opportunities for shared learning.

Visit our website to learn more about pathways you can take to partner with our organization, and the commitments our team makes with partners, or email Social@ForBetterHealthPA.org.

The Housing Coalition of Cumberland County has received a sizable grant to create a Landlord Engagement program in Cumberland County. This program will provide landlords with a single-point of contact to call for customer service support, to obtain education and resources, and the option to participate in a matching service where they will receive financial incentives.

The Coalition is looking for community partners who work with clients that are ready to sustain rent on a traditional 12-month lease. If this sounds like you, please reach out to Cait Deane,

Landlord Liaison for the Housing Coalition of Cumberland County (Cait@newlifecommunity.us).

By partnering with the Housing Coalition of Cumberland County's landlord engagement program you'll gain access to:

• Exclusive updates on available units
• Matching services for housing ready clients
• Landlord incentives and support

The Housing Coalition of Cumberland County is a collaborative of passionate volunteers, those with lived experience, and housing and social services professionals in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. They bring the best leaders in the county together from healthcare, local governments, banks, foundations, social services, affordable housing, community action groups, homeless shelters, and more.

With a shared goal of housing for all, the Coalition strives to remove barriers, bridge gaps, and advocate for housing that meets the needs for all Cumberland County residents.