PHOTO PROVIDED First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania presents a $5,000 grant to the Williamsport City Jazz Orchestra to support their second annual Jazz Fest at Lycoming College. Left to Right: Betty Gilmour, foundation director of grantmaking; Robert Leidecker and William Martin, Williamsport City Jazz Orchestra; and Davie Jane Gilmour, FCFP board chair.

The First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania (FCFP) held a ceremony Wednesday at its philanthropic center in Williamsport to announce the approval of $320,010 in field of interest grants.

The grants support nonprofit organizations serving residents all across this region.

The grants are established by generous donors to address specific areas of community need or to benefit local neighborhoods, said Jennifer D. Wilson, foundation president & CEO to a packed room at the center at 201 W. Fourth St.

Through a competitive grant application process, nonprofits submit proposals, which are reviewed and evaluated by advisory committees made up of community members.

The foundation, this quarter, received applications from 79 organizations across five counties, including Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union.

The projects, when funded, reflect diverse priorities of the region – from libraries, to museums preparing to celebrate America250, to pools, church missions, food banks, and uniforms for athletes as well as helmets.

Children and adults, alike, benefit from the funded programs.

Here are those that were funded from the Plunketts Creek Township Foundation Fund, which was established to foster the moral, educational, recreational and social interests of residents in and adjacent to the township. Those grantees included:

• Barbours Cemetery Association, $4,000, for perpetual care and maintenance of the cemetery grounds.

• James V. Brown Library, $1,000, for new reading materials for children and adults for the Barbours Link Library.

The Waldron Memorial Fund supports charitable, educational and religious programs and programs and projects that create and sustain the health and well-being of the residents in Muncy and surrounding areas. Grantees:

• Community Action Program, $10,000, for free half-day Muncy Summer Recreation program for children in grades 1 through 6.

• Foundation for Free Enterprise Education, $3,475, scholarships for Muncy School District students to attend the Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week.

• Heartland Youth Football League, $10,000, for new flag and tackle football uniforms and cheer uniforms and spirit packs.

• Muncy Area Pool Association, $10,000, to support the mission and operations of the community pool and enhancements to the heating system.

• Muncy Baptist Church, $6,000, to support the mission and operations of the church.

• Muncy Historical Society & Museum of History, $10,000, to support the mission and operations of the museum and $10,000, for America250 commemoration programs and activities.

• Muncy Public Library, $5,500, in support of the mission and operations of the library.

• Muncy School District, $3,500, for new basketball uniforms, shooting shirts, and equipment for Ward L. Myers Elementary School.

• Pennsdale Friends Meeting, $10,000, for roof replacement for the 250-year-old meetinghouse.

• Pleasant View Wesleyan Church, $15,000, for a lift, accessible restrooms, new kitchen for the fellowship hall.

Sonlight House, $19,835, for a walk-in freezer/cooler unit.

• St. Andrew Evangelical Lutheran Church, $15,000, for construction of a new exterior access route and interior elevator.

• United Way North Central Pennsylvania, $5,000, in support of the mission and operations of the United Way.

• Vineyard Community Activity Center, $31,500, for facility improvements.

The Greater Susquehanna Valley Competitive Grant Program supports requests from nonprofits that benefit the residents of Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties. Grantees:

• AGAPE Love From Above to Our Community in partnership with The Gatehouse, $25,000, “Code Blue” expansion to support homeless individuals during extreme weather.

• Beaver Memorial United Methodist Church, $10,000, for personal hygiene and limited household items for the Beacon Free Shop.

• Child Hunger Outreach Partners, $6,000, for expansion of the in-school pantry and backpack programs into the Warrior Run School District.

• CommUnity Zone, $5,000, for music and art for a purpose fostering inclusion through a multi-disciplinary lens of art, music and performance.

• DIG Furniture Bank, $5,000, for a driver and maintenance of a truck for free delivery of essential home furnishings to families in crisis.

• Good Samaritan Mission, $5,000, for Feed-A-Friend annual Thanksgiving food giveaway collaborative initiative with the Danville Riverside Food Bank and Danville Area School District.

• Herr Memorial Library, $11,000, for a lobby remodel to expand the children’s section and increase visual access to building entrances.

• Mifflinburg Buggy Museum Association, $8,000, for safety improvements for the original 1880s Heiss Carriage Factory Building.

• Susquehanna River Valley Dental Health Clinic, $25,000, for major facility remodel and expansion to house dental equipment and supplies from four dentist offices that closed.

The Williamsport Lycoming Competitive Grant Program supports requests from nonprofits that benefit the residents of Williamsport and Lycoming County. Grantees:

• Foundation for Free Enterprise Education, $6,000, for scholarships for Lycoming County school district students to attend the Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week.

• KidsPeace National Centers, $7,250, for basic needs and support for foster families and foster children.

• Repasz Band, $5,000, to commission a new band work celebrating 200 years of the band.

• Ronald McDonald House of Danville, $5,000, Share-A-Night program providing a home-away-from-home for parents and families of children with serious illnesses.

• The New Love Center, $15,000, for expanding the BackPack program for Jersey Shore Area School District students.

• Williamsport City Jazz Orchestra, $5,000, for its second annual Jazz Fest at Lycoming College – two evening concerts featuring the Williamsport City Jazz Orchestra and local college and school district jazz bands.

• Williamsport Millionaires Youth Football and Cheer Association, $6,000, for guardian caps for football helmets which help lower the risk of head injuries.

• The foundation works to improve the quality of life in north central Pennsylvania through community leadership, the promotion of philanthropy, the strengthening of nonprofit impact and the perpetual stewardship of charitable assets. FCFP strives to create powerful communities through passionate giving.