The Donald Guthrie Foundation Community Benefits Committee recently awarded $47,500 in grants to seven organizations across the Southern Tier of New York and the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania.
The funding supports local programs addressing critical community health needs, including obesity prevention and expanded access to mental health services.
The grants reflect the foundation’s commitment to partnering with organizations that provide frontline care in underserved communities and support projects identified in the Community Health Needs Assessment.
Expanding Mental Health Access and Trauma Support
Five of the seven grants support programs focused on mental health access, trauma-informed care and specialized services for vulnerable populations across the region:
- Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeast Pennsylvania ($7,500):Funding will strengthen and expand trauma-focused mental health services for child victims of abuse in Wyoming and Susquehanna counties in Pennsylvania. The grant supports implementation of a secure electronic health record system, purchase of standardized trauma-specific assessment instruments and creation of child-friendly therapy spaces at the organization’s satellite locations in Tunkhannock and New Milford.
- Neighborhood Transformation Center ($5,000):Funding will support the Friday Community Connection Program, a weekly, prevention-focused initiative in Elmira, N.Y., that offers nutritious hot meals, a weekend food pantry, structured social activities and on-site community resource navigation for seniors, adults with disabilities and low-income individuals in Chemung County.
- Supporting Area Families Everyday ($5,000):Funding will support the launch of SAFE Legacy, a monthly grandparent support group in Bradford County, Pa., offering trauma-informed education, peer support and connections to mental health resources for grandparents raising grandchildren due to parental substance use.
- Samaritan Counseling Center of the Southern Tier ($15,000):Funding will support the creation and equipping of a dedicated Youth Behavioral Health Prevention and Group Intervention Space for adolescents ages 12 to 18 in Broome and Tioga counties, N.Y., expanding structured early-intervention programming for youth experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma-related stress and early substance use risk.
- Seven Valleys Health Coalition ($7,000):Funding will expand the Doula Partnership of Cortland County, N.Y., increasing capacity to serve low-income families during the postpartum period and supporting specialized bereavement training for doulas working with families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss.
Combating Obesity, Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
The remaining grants support programs focused on physical activity, nutrition education and healthy habits — aligning with regional strategies to reduce obesity and chronic disease risk:
- Corning Family YMCA ($5,000):Funding will expand the organization’s Teaching Kitchen initiative into a structured, eight-week nutrition education and cooking program offered year-round to youth and families in Steuben County, N.Y. Family-centered classes led by a certified nutritionist will focus on affordable, healthy meal preparation and building long-term healthy habits at home.
- Wyoming County Community Health Foundation ($3,000):Funding will support Get Out! Tunkhannock, a partnership with the Tunkhannock Area Recreation Association, that provides free, inclusive recreational and healthy-eating activities for children and families in Wyoming County, Pa. Programming includes physical activities such as biking, hiking, soccer and paddling, as well as a Food Explorers component that introduces children to healthy foods.
Guthrie’s Community Health Needs Assessment identified access to mental health providers and obesity as priority health challenges across the region. The Donald Guthrie Foundation Community Benefits Committee awards grants to nonprofit organizations whose programs directly address those priorities in communities served by Guthrie.
