Donor Highlight - Wyomissing Foundation

Communities in Schools of Eastern PA owes our success to the support of our donors, whose funding enables us to further our mission and expand into more school districts and counties. 

The Wyomissing Foundation, a partner of CIS of Eastern PA, will celebrate its centennial birthday next year. The nonprofit is dedicated to initiatives that enhance the quality of life through community partnerships and outreach.

The Wyomissing Foundation provided pilot funding to CIS of Eastern PA to expand our integrated student supports model to three middle schools in northern Berks County in partnership with Kutztown Strong. The success of this pilot provided data to support expanding the program and enable our organization to obtain other funding.

Given the Wyomissing Foundation’s long view of Berks County’s growth and success, its leadership knows that without an educated and skilled population prepared to face the challenges our rapidly evolving society presents, there are risks around not attracting new businesses that will provide jobs that will sustain community members’ future needs and support the economy.

“Today’s teachers and administrators work hard every day to support their students, but the demands on them to serve all students’ complex needs have become harder and harder,” said Patricia Giles, president of The Wyomissing Foundation. “CIS of Eastern PA is well-equipped to provide supplemental staff, who are critical and add value to the work that schools do every day by working side-by-side with school district personnel to support students.”

The Wyomissing Foundation invests in place-based initiatives that produce long-term outcomes for the Berks County community. Oftentimes, the organization’s grants serve as a catalyst for expanding new ways to impact the community. Some examples of this work include its task force initiatives in West Reading, South of Penn, the Goggleworks Neighborhood, and formerly with the College Heights Taskforce, the Gateway Taskforce, and the Northeast Youth Development Taskforce.

The Foundation makes both small and large grants to nonprofit organizations in various industries including health and human services, youth and education, the arts, the environment, and community development. This funding can be for programs, projects, capacity building, and capital campaigns. On an exceptional basis, the Foundation provides operating support for highly effective organizations.

CIS of Eastern PA is deeply grateful for the Foundation’s support of our pilot program, which wouldn’t have been possible without it.

If you’re interested in exploring the Wyomissing Foundation’s grants, visit https://wyomissingfoundation.org/applying-for-grants/#applying-for-grants.