Grants Awarded

Grant Recipients

Awarded in 2026

Disability Resource Fair of NWPA
Website: www.disabilityresourcefairnwpa.com

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $10,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: The Disability Resource Fair of NWPA, 501(c)(3), is a free, one-day event connecting over 100 organizations with individuals with disabilities and their families in one accessible location. We are requesting $10,000 to support our 2027 expansion at the Bayfront Convention Center.
  • Location: Erie, PA

Pennsylvania Chamber Symphony DBA Young Artists Debut Orchestra
Website: www.yadostars.org

  • Grant Awarded: The Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy
  • Amount Awarded: $30,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: To provide Erie’s seniors with the joy of watching and listening to children perform pieces of music that are familiar to them, such as Patriotic and Traditional Folk songs. This music promotes senior’s well-being and physical stimulation, as they recall happy memories, clap their hands, tap their toes, and sing-along. The project serves seniors in Long Term Care Facilities who, according to their caregivers are, “isolated and lonely.”
  • Location: Erie, PA

Strawberry Fields, Inc.
Website: https://www.sfionline.org

  • Grant Awarded: The Benze/Gesler Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $288,490.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Strawberry Field's intellectual disability program supports 26 adults, 65% of whom are fifty or older. This project delivers aging in place upgrades across several community homes, including accessible bathrooms, outdoor living improvements, and HVAC replacements to enhance safety, comfort, and independence for our aging residents.
  • Location: State College, PA

Zion Community Ministry Center
Website: https://www.goodhopezionlutheranoilcity.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $45,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: The Zion Community Ministry Center, established in 2025 following the closure of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, now serves as a hub for outreach programs in partnership with Good Hope Lutheran. Current offerings include twice-monthly free community meals, weekly “Coffee Break” gatherings, and ongoing youth programming, with plans to expand opportunities in music, arts, and day camps for underserved youth. Located on the south side of Oil City, the Center is easily accessible and positioned to serve a broad walk-in community of all ages.
    To ensure the facility can serve the community year-round, the project proposes installing air conditioning in the 125-year-old building, complementing a recently installed boiler system. This upgrade will allow the Center to operate continuously in all seasons and provide a critical cooling center during extreme heat, addressing increasing climate-related needs. The project strengthens the Center’s ability to deliver consistent, accessible support and programming to the community throughout the entire year.
  • Location: Oil City, PA

Baptist Homes Foundation
Website: https://www.baptisthomesfoundation.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $24,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: The Music Therapy Program at Baptist Senior Family provides therapeutic music services to residents in Skilled Nursing, Personal Care, and Memory Support communities at Providence Point near Pittsburgh. Professional musicians and therapists use music-based interventions to improve residents’ emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being while reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and social isolation. The program is especially important for older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and those receiving end-of-life care, as music can often reach individuals when traditional communication becomes difficult. Through familiar songs and interactive sessions, residents experience increased memory recall, emotional connection, engagement, and social participation. The project aims to expand access to music therapy by increasing the frequency and consistency of sessions for residents across all levels of care, including those with mobility or higher medical needs. Program outcomes will focus on improving mood, supporting cognitive function, and strengthening social interaction, with progress measured through staff observations, behavioral tracking, and participation levels. Recent evaluation data demonstrated the program’s effectiveness, showing measurable mood improvement in every session and reporting that 87% of participants ended sessions feeling calm or happy.
  • Location: Pittsburgh, PA

First Evangelical Lutheran Church
Website: https://www.flcwarren.com

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $300,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Upgrade an existing elevator that was installed in the 1990's, to a modern elevator that will better serve the community. The complicated man doors and sliding gates at each level pose difficulty for those who are mobility impaired. The new elevator will provide enough space for a passenger alongside a wheelchair, and the openings will function with sliding doors that automatically open at each level.
  • Location: Warren, PA

FSB Initiative, Inc.
Website: https://www.fsbinc.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $50,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: FSB Initiative, Inc. is a 100% volunteer-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless veterans transition from life on the streets to stable, independent living. Volunteers actively engage with homeless populations to identify veterans in need and assess their circumstances. The organization works to connect veterans with critical resources, including substance abuse treatment, mental health services, medical care, financial assistance, and long-term housing opportunities.
    The organization's founder and president is himself a formerly homeless veteran, whose lived experience has shaped the mission and approach of FSB Initiative. Drawing on that experience, he has dedicated himself to helping fellow veterans overcome the challenges associated with homelessness. FSB Initiative partners closely with the Allegheny Valley Veterans Center, an organization previously supported by The Lutheran Foundation for Long-Term Living. Through this partnership and other collaborative efforts, the organization assists homeless veterans in accessing services and support needed to achieve long-term stability and independence.
  • Location: Dallas, PA

Inter-Church Ministries
Website: https://www.icmeriecounty.org

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $70,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: ICM's Voucher System for Emergency Assistance has supported the Erie Community's underserved population with food, gas, transportation, and housing needs since 1985. We are seeking additional funding to support a proposed immediate increase to food assistance from $65/$35 to a flat $250.00 to help offset gaps in government assistance programs due to recent governmental cuts to these programs.
  • Location: Erie, PA


Awarded in 2025

Pennsylvania Chamber Symphony DBA Young Artists Debut Orchestra
Website: www.yadostars.org

  • Grant Awarded: The Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy
  • Amount Awarded: $15,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: To provide Erie’s seniors with the joy of watching and listening to children perform pieces of music that are familiar to them, such as Patriotic and Traditional Folk songs. This music promotes senior’s well-being and physical stimulation, as they recall happy memories, clap their hands, tap their toes, and sing-along. The project serves seniors in Long Term Care Facilities who, according to their caregivers are, “isolated and lonely.”
  • Location: Erie, PA

Capital City Area Council for Special Services DBA Special Learning Center
Website: www.speciallearningcenter.com

  • Grant Awarded: The Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy
  • Amount Awarded: $8,800.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Special Learning Center’s “Nurturing Notes” will be a transformative music therapy program that uses the power of rhythm, melody, and movement to enhance communication, emotional regulation, and developmental growth in the children with disabilities served by the organization.
  • Location: Jefferson City, MO

United Lutheran Seminary
Website: www.uls.edu

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $50,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Educational event titled, “From Planning to Potluck: A Comprehensive Overview of Funerals from Start to Finish with Rabbi Steve Leder”. Rabbi Leder, retired Rabbi from Wilshire Boulevard Synagogue and author of multiple books on death and dying will teach rostered leaders about walking with families through the death of a loved one. The one and one-half day seminar will provide pastors and deacons with the tools needed to provide compassionate, professional, and spiritual care for people in their ministry who are experiencing the death of a loved one.
  • Location: Gettysburg, PA

Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation
Website: https://www.hvhospice.org

  • Grant Awarded: Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $15,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Hudson Valley Hospice provides music therapy sessions to patients and their families, whether private sessions or supportive services with family and caregivers. As an AMTA National Roster Internship site, the grant supported stipends for interns providing music therapy services to patients.
  • Location: Poughkeepsie, NY

Learning in Retirement of Waukesha County
Website: https://www.lirwc.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $5,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: LIRWC offers a variety of courses to older adults. These courses offer the opportunity to learn about a variety of topics ranging from cooking, healthy living, history, travel and more. LIRWC’s educational courses not only provide a learning platform for developing and living a better lifestyle, but they broaden horizons and provide socialization. Our mission has become more important as the latest CDC report shows that in 2024, loneliness and depression are prevalent among older adults in the USA.
  • Location: Waukesha, WI
  • Letter of Gratitude:  Click Here to View

Allegheny Valley Veterans Center
Website: https://www.avvc.us

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $907,350.00
  • Purpose of Grant: The project supports veterans and community members facing housing instability and socioeconomic challenges by helping them set and achieve goals for transitioning from the AVVC into permanent housing. This phase will add 12 permanent apartments, including single and family units, specifically for veterans, seniors, and community members in need.
  • Location: Clarendon, PA

Five Star Life, Inc.
Website: https://www.fivestarlife.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $225,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Five Star Life is seeking to relocate the main entrance of its Summit campus from the current access point on U.S. Highway 12 to a safer road off the highway. Relocating the entrance is not just a traffic improvement, it’s a necessary safety measure to protect students' lives so we can continue delivering transformative educational experiences without tragedy. Innovative Learning is at the heart of Five Star Life’s mission to drive real education reform. Through hands-on experiences, real-world curriculum aligned with state academic standards, and mentorship, students see improved GPAs, fewer disciplinary referrals, and better attendance. They also build life skills, job readiness, and confidence for their futures.
  • Location: Elkhart, IN
  • Letter of Gratitude:  Click Here to View

Gaylord Specialty Healthcare
Website: https://www.gaylord.org

  • Grant Awarded: Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $10,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Utilization of music therapy programs for 600+ hospital patients requiring long-term intensive rehabilitation, with the goal of enhancing the recovery process. Music therapy programs are used with patients 15 years of age or older and experiencing health issues related to brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, amputations, and medically complex illnesses.
  • Location: Wallingford, CT

Spectrum Charter School
Website: https://spectrumcsi.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $800,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Since 2021, Spectrum Charter School (SCS) has steadily increased enrollment while operating within the constraints of its charter cap and facility space. Now, with its charter renewed and the enrollment cap lifted in Spring 2025, SCS is well-positioned for strategic growth and expansion. As the first charter school founded specifically for students with Autism, SCS continues its inclusive mission, offering small, ability-based classrooms, a low student-to-staff ratio, and comprehensive wraparound support. The school exclusively enrolls students aged 13 to 21 with disabilities, with a focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder, serving middle and high school students across the Pittsburgh region. SCS’s economically and racially diverse population benefits from a unique educational model that includes job readiness training and social skills development. These services are enhanced through strong community partnerships, with the ultimate goal of helping students achieve gainful employment, independent living, or post-secondary education.
  • Location: Monroeville, PA

Baptist Retirement Homes of North Carolina Inc. d/b/a ThriveMore
Website: https://thrivemorenc

  • Grant Awarded: The Benze/Gesler Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $250,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Creation of a unique residential model that allows care partners (one with a cognitive impairment and one without) to remain living together receiving the care and support they need to continue meaningful, productive, and safe lives. 
  • Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Levine Music
Website: https://www.levinemusic.org

  • Grant Awarded: Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $55,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Levine's Music Therapy program provides therapeutic therapy services to approximately 350 individuals with physical and cognitive impairments, including Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Dementia.
  • Location: Washington D.C.

United Lutheran Seminary
Website: www.uls.edu

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit
  • Amount Awarded: $250,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: In collaboration with 8 authors, create a series to address the intricate aspects of aging and maturation with the goal of meeting the aging population where they are from a holistic, theologically- grounded approach. This is a second series of the Aging Grace-Fully project.
  • Location: Gettysburg, PA   

Luther Memorial Concert and Cultural Series / Luther Memorial Church
Website: www.lm-concerts.com

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $17,500.00
  • Purpose of Grant: LMCCS provides a forum for performances and lectures for the Erie Community at no charge. LMCCS aims to leverage its physical resources to support local and regional artists while providing educational opportunities to the Erie community.
  • Location: Erie, PA   


Awarded in 2024

Suburban Adult Services, Inc.
Website: https://www.sasinc.org

  • Grant Awarded: Strategies for Increasing Life Skills and Independence
  • Amount Awarded: $100,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Creation of an outdoor space for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Project includes safe walkways to outdoor space, wheelchair accessible gazebo, swing chairs, and a sunshade.
  • Location: Elma, NY

Gaylord Specialty Healthcare
Website: https://www.gaylord.org

  • Grant Awarded: Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $10,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Utilization of music therapy programs for 600+ hospital patients requiring long-term intensive rehabilitation, with the goal of enhancing the recovery process. Music therapy programs are used with patients 15 years of age or older and experiencing health issues related to brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, amputations, and medically complex illnesses.
  • Location: Wallingford, CT

Allegheny Valley Veterans Center
Website: https://www.avvc.us

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $592,600.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Provide supportive and transitional housing options for veteran men and women, their families, and the general community of those in need. Construction of women and family housing units, parking areas, and updates to general facility, playground, and pavilion areas.
  • Location: Clarendon, PA

Emmaus Campus Ministry
Website: https://www.emmausmontana.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $10,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Creation of a program designed to bring together young adults (students) and Church seniors with the goal of young adults completing minor projects around the senior's house or serving as a pair together in the community. Program is designed to encourage faith-based conversations and community outreach opportunities among young adults and seniors.
  • Location: Missoula, MT
  • Letter of Gratitude: Click Here to View

Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation
Website: https://www.hvhospice.org

  • Grant Awarded: Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $15,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Hudson Valley Hospice provides music therapy sessions to patients and their families, whether private sessions or supportive services with family and caregivers. As an AMTA National Roster Internship site, the grant supported stipends for interns providing music therapy services to patients.
  • Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
  • Letter of Gratitude: Click Here to View

Levine Music
Website: https://www.levinemusic.org

  • Grant Awarded: Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $50,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Levine's Music Therapy program provides therapeutic therapy services to approximately 350 individuals with physical and cognitive impairments, including Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Dementia.
  • Location: Washington D.C.
  • Letter of Gratitude: Click Here to View

Lutheran Senior Services
Website: https://www.lssliving.org

  • Grant Awarded: The Benze/Gesler Grant for Long-Term Living
  • Amount Awarded: $137,280.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Expansion of reduced cost in-home care services to older adults with incomes at or below 150% of federal poverty level. Additional care management services of food, housing, and health needs are also provided in conjunction with in-home services.
  • Location: St. Louis, MO
  • Letter of Gratitude: Click Here to View

NW Works, Inc.
Website: https://www.works.com

  • Grant Awarded: Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $38,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Utilizing therapeutic music-making, singing, and dancing, the Music Therapy program at NW Works offers educational opportunities and exposure to structured must-making, physical exercise, and an exploration of potential for adults living with disabilities in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Goals of the program include improved self-confidence, self-expression, functional fine motor skills, and improved relationships.
  • Location: Winchester, VA
  • Letter of Gratitude: Click Here to View

Baptist Health Foundation Hardin, Inc.
Website: https://www.baptisthealth.com

  • Grant Awarded: Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $100,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Implementation of an ongoing Music Therapy program utilizing a Board-Certified Music Therapist. The therapy program will work with an interdisciplinary team to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the psychosocial and medical needs of patients receiving both inpatient and outpatient services. This program aims to positively affect overall wellness and patient satisfaction through the introduction of music as evidenced based care.
  • Location: Elizabethtown, KY

Warren Area Refugee Resettlement Network

  • Grant Awarded: We're All In This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $250,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: As of inception, we are welcoming and housing incoming refugees from Ukraine. We provide refugees with a "soft landing" after being displaced by war. This also provides the Warren community the benefit of engaging with other cultures, the gifts they share with us, and an understanding of what we can accomplish for the greater good when we work together.
  • Location: Warren, PA

CLC Foundation dba Winslow Therapeutic Riding Center
Website: https://www.winslow.org

  • Grant Awarded: The Benze/Gesler Grant for Long-Term Living
  • Amount Awarded: $15,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Winslow Therapeutic Riding Center is in the process of establishing a music therapy and community wellness program for those with and without special needs throughout the surrounding area. This project will be directed most towards to those with special needs but will include an emphasis on caregivers and community members. This is important because research shows the impact music therapy has on the special needs population, but there are few therapists in the local area. We hope to generate awareness and offer these services that can improve lives.
  • Location: Warwick, NY
  • Letter of Gratitude: Click Here to View

St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Website: https://www.stpaulserie.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $12,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Security updates for the facility’s Church’s Child Development Center and Pre-School, including upgrades to doors and locks to ensure children’s safety.
  • Location: Erie, PA

Lakeshore Community Services, Inc.
Website: https://www.lakeshorecs.org

  • Grant Awarded: We're All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $5,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Support of a two-day event for people who live with, work, or love someone on the autism spectrum. This third year of the event, Lakeshore Community Services will hire a keynote speaker to inform and educate professionals, parents, and caregivers on how to better cope with individuals on the spectrum. Areas served include Erie and Warren Counties in Pennsylvania.
  • Location: Erie, PA

First Evangelical Lutheran Church
Website: https://www.flcwarren.com

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit
  • Amount Awarded: $75,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades to the facility including Accessibility Lift Platform installation and facility alterations to accommodate ADA upgrades.
  • Location: Warren, PA

AIM Services, Inc.
Website: https://www.aimservicesinc.org

  • Grant Awarded: The Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy
  • Amount Awarded: $30,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Music and art therapies for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with the goal of improving social, emotional, and cognitive development.
  • Location: Saratoga Springs, NY

Gannon University
Website: https://www.gannon.edu

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit Grant
  • Amount Awarded: $2,000,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Gannon University is advancing its Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK) to foster innovation in healthcare and technology through education, research, and industry collaboration. Despite Erie's strong healthcare systems, the region faces high cancer rates, disparities in care, and workforce shortages. To address these challenges, Gannon will establish CLIA-certified medical laboratories on the 4th and 5th floors of I-HACK, supporting academic programs with AHN Saint Vincent and housing First Ascent Biomedical’s research and clinical operations. With 3,000 square feet dedicated to medical technician training and another 3,000 square feet for First Ascent’s laboratory, the initiative will provide education, internships, and employment opportunities, enhancing the region’s biomedical workforce and attracting healthcare professionals while supporting thousands of patients annually.
  • Location: Erie, PA


Awarded in 2023

Strawberry Fields
Website: https://www.sfionline.org

  • Grant Awarded: The Benze/Gesler Grant for Long-Term Living
  • Amount Awarded: $401,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Repairs and renovations for community-based housing serving adults with disabilities.
  • Location: State College, PA

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

  • Grant Awarded: We Are All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $66,250.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Renovation of the facility to install a free laundromat for the community.
  • Location: Erie, PA

Pennsylvania LIFE Providers Alliance
Website: www.palifeprogram.org

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit
  • Amount Awarded: $60.000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Awareness and educational campaign to educate frail elderly constituents of the home and community based LIFE program.
  • Location: Harrisburg, PA

St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
Website: www.ststanserie.org

  • Grant Awarded: We Are All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $3,200.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Installation and training of AEDs within the parish. 
  • Location: Erie, PA

Pennsylvania Chamber Symphony DBA Young Artists Debut Orchestra
Website: www.yadostars.org

  • Grant Awarded: The Edwina M. Gesler Music Therapy
  • Amount Awarded: $15,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Continue the orchestra's ability to perform for seniors throughout the community within senior facilities. 
  • Location: Erie, PA

Abiding Hope Lutheran Church
Website: www.abidinghopeerie.org

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit
  • Amount Awarded: $1,500.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Installation and training of AEDs within the parish
  • Location: Erie, PA

Erie Night to Shine Sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation
Website: www.ntserie.org

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit
  • Amount Awarded: $10,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: To provide a prom-style event for individuals with special needs.
  • Location: Erie, PA

The Faine House, Inc.
Website: www.thefainehouse.org

  • Grant Awarded: We Are All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $1,000,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Develop new innovative job programs with local partners for at-risk youth aging out of the foster care system.
  • Location: Orlando, FL

Friends of the Bridegroom, LTD Bethany House
Website: www.renewreligious.org

  • Grant Awarded: We Are All in This Together
  • Amount Awarded: $75,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: Renovation of a donated facility that will serve religious women with a place of retreat and renewal, regardless of religious affiliation.
  • Location: St. Francis, WI

United Lutheran Seminary
Website: www.uls.edu

  • Grant Awarded: Community Benefit
  • Amount Awarded: $250,000.00
  • Purpose of Grant: In collaboration with 8 authors, create a series to address the intricate aspects of aging and maturation with the goal of meeting the aging population where they are from a holistic, theologically- grounded approach.
  • Location: Gettysburg PA