Erie Community Foundation details Erie Gives, homelessness plan and $100M anniversary goal

Karen Beloweth, who has led the Erie Community Foundation since October 2021, told a Jefferson Society audience that the foundation plans a 10-year effort to raise $100 million tied to its 90th anniversary and described several ongoing programs that the foundation says aim to strengthen nonprofits and spur community development.

In a presentation at the Jefferson Society, Beloweth said the foundation manages roughly $438 million in endowed funds, distributes about 4% annually from those endowments, and received roughly $20 million to $25 million in gifts last year; she said Erie Gives accounted for roughly one-third of gifts in the most recent year and raised about $9.7 million in 2024. "We are a trustworthy and permanent steward of your generosity," Beloweth said, describing the foundation’s role connecting donors, nonprofits and community priorities.

Why it matters: the Erie Community Foundation acts as a major local funder and convener. Beloweth said the foundation uses unrestricted and targeted grant programs to support operations, collaborative projects and transformational initiatives; that mix is intended to help sustain nonprofit operations while also leveraging local dollars to attract larger national and federal grants.

Program and grant lines: Beloweth described the foundation’s grant portfolio: Helping Today (operating and capacity support, with awards up to $50,000), Shaping Tomorrow (collaborative or scaling grants, up to about $250,000), and transformational grants intended to change community trajectories. She cited prior transformational investments in Erie County Community College, the Magee Women’s Research Institute, the Erie Chamber, and the Experience Children’s Museum. The foundation also supports smaller, rapid-response grants for urgent needs and Acorn grants to build nonprofit capacity.

Donor-advised funds and payout policy: Beloweth said donor-advised funds (DAFs) represent about 20% of foundation assets and accounted for about 23% of grant dollars in the most recent year. She described a foundation policy, approved by the board, that asks donor advisers to make at least one grant every three years unless a written multi-year plan exists for the fund. "We have a policy that ... all of our donor advisers sign, which says that they will, at least every 3 years, make a grant," she said, explaining the foundation’s approach to encouraging active grantmaking from DAFs.

Mission-related investments and endowment use: Beloweth said the foundation is exploring mission-related investments (loans, loan guarantees and other catalytic uses of endowed assets) to support local organizations beyond traditional grantmaking while remaining consistent with charitable purposes.

Infinite Erie and homelessness strategy: The foundation’s role as a convener surfaced in Beloweth’s discussion of Infinite Erie, a community initiative that used a local playbook of projects to attract public and private funding. She said Infinite Erie and partners have leveraged nearly $44 million in recent years. As one example, Beloweth described an emerging, coordinated homelessness response developed with the city, county, healthcare and philanthropic partners. She said the foundation and partners have identified the former Erie Public Schools administrative building as the initial site for a permanent supportive housing project, to be called Schoolhouse Apartments. "We have now identified a location where we will eventually house up to 72 individuals who are chronically homeless, permanently, and wrap supportive services around those people," Beloweth said; she also described converting the building to a 22-unit permanent supportive housing development with room on the property for roughly 50 additional units.

Erie Gives and donor-facing changes: Beloweth noted Erie Gives will mark its 15th anniversary on the second Tuesday in August (this year, Aug. 12). She said Erie Gives has raised more than $66 million since inception and that the foundation raised about $9.7 million in the most recent Erie Gives. For 2025, Beloweth said the foundation will cover online processing fees through corporate sponsorships, which she and staff expect will increase net gifts to participating nonprofits.

Community engagement and affiliates: Beloweth described the foundation’s local affinity funds (including an Erie Women’s Fund, an Emerging Erie fund targeting younger donors, and an LGBT fund) and four hyperlocal affiliates that run local grant programs. She emphasized the foundation’s role as a neutral convener for funders and partners and said the organization will continue to cultivate donors and professional advisers to encourage estate gifts as part of a long-term transfer-of-wealth opportunity the speaker estimated could yield significant new charitable capacity if even a small share is captured by local nonprofits.

Questions from attendees addressed DAF restrictions, fund fees and grant priorities. On fees, Beloweth said total administrative and investment fees vary by fund type but are under 2% in total. On DAF distribution practices, she reiterated the board policy that encourages periodic grantmaking and the foundation’s practice of advising donors about community needs and nonprofit capacity.

Outlook: Beloweth closed by urging support for Erie Gives, inviting involvement in affinity funds and local affiliates, and announcing the foundation’s annual meeting and 90th birthday celebration in June. She framed the $100 million, 10-year outreach as an effort to expand the foundation’s capacity to respond to future needs: "We don't know what the issues are going to be in the future, but we know our community foundation will need to be here," she said.

Sources: Remarks by Karen Beloweth, leader of the Erie Community Foundation, at a Jefferson Society event; audience questions and exchanges with staff members mentioned during the presentation (Rick Giles, Kaylee Pizzani, Aaron Fessler).