News from the Foundation, Our Partners, and the Field - February 2025

A Note from the Executive Director

A month has already passed, and the new year’s journey has included incredibly challenging twists and turns. What remains steady is the foundation’s continuing commitment to our grantee, PRI, and other partners to strengthen our beloved community with one another, for one another. 

Thank you for your steadfastness over the last year and in the months to come. Together we will collaborate with all of you to learn, celebrate, and strengthen our neighborhoods to ensure those who need us most are served in a just and responsible way.

2025 marks the foundation’s strategic planning process kicking into high gear and, with our partner Just Strategies, the board and staff want you to know we are committed to exploring the ways systemic racism permeates social and economic issues, where everyone has what they need to thrive. We believe that repair, shared power, joy, and imagination are key components to strengthening our community with one another.

The Board and staff are committed to a learning mindset, as we work to center the margins and remove barriers to entry in our funding practices, prioritize resident-led practices, and create more opportunities for smaller, emerging, and BIPOC-led/serving organizations.

We commit to remaining strong stewards of our resources with integrity and recognition of the need for equitable investments that support greater opportunity for all our neighbors across the region. The foundation holds a deep sense of accountability in creating opportunities that respond to the fiscal needs of our partners, while building relationships to repair not only historic harm, but also the current pain being thrust upon many of us. 

This all starts with trust in our relationships and how together we honor the intelligence and power of lived experience and its role in shaping the work of our grantee partners. We commit to being authentic, a learner, and to an iterative practice of building and maintaining mutual trust. We also commit to finding joy with you and not letting fear win.

As we grow in 2025, we will continue to shine a light on the future path as it unfolds. We trust our collective strength will persevere, and with that strength, our communities will as well.

All of us at the foundation are humbled to be on this journey with you.

Thank you for all you do, all you give, and for your partnership.

Partner Spotlights



The Regional Foundation is grateful to GoggleWorks, Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) and SoWe (supported by Tenfold) for hosting 2024 regional peer gatherings! Thank you for inviting us into your communities and congratulations on another year of wonderful achievements.

Spanish American Civic Association

Founded in 1973 in Lancaster, the Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) provides a wide range of services, including Workforce Development, Human Services, Behavioral Health, Affordable Housing, and Commercial Development, along with its own bilingual radio station. Through new funding and partnerships, the Tec Centro workforce model has expanded its reach across Central Pennsylvania via the Tec Centro Workforce Network. Tec Centro offers employment services, job readiness programs, high school equivalency diploma courses, English language instruction, and digital literacy training, along with specialized skills training in fields such as healthcare, hospitality, and technical trades. With locations in Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, York, and Dauphin Counties, the Tec Centro model equips residents with the tools to secure high-demand jobs. In Lancaster, it also provides vocational training, job placement services, and internal referrals for health and housing support. SACA also leads the award-winning "Clean & Green" initiative and engages the community through public art projects and native plantings, fostering a sense of pride and inclusivity.

SoWe

SoWe (Southwest Lancaster), a resident-driven initiative of Tenfold, builds a powerfully connected neighborhood where everyone can thrive. This past year, SoWe supported new businesses, installed two large murals, provided funding for new affordable housing developments, supported low-income homeowners through a home repair grant program, helped to plant 24 new trees in the neighborhood, and coordinated a Neighborhood Champion program for trash clean-ups. SoWe also hosted 5 large, celebratory neighborhood events which included educational resources related to recycling, composting, and tree maintenance. Further, SoWe launched a pilot locker storage project for individuals experiencing homelessness. In addition to these efforts, Tenfold offers year-round services for those facing housing instability, including outreach, case management, specialized housing programs, and free financial counseling. They also opened a temporary shelter for 57 unhoused neighbors as a stopgap support until a permanent low-barrier shelter is completed. Together, they work with local governments to advocate for policy changes and engage their community through volunteer opportunities and educational events.