Helping hands: Centre County Council for Human Services supports nonprofits through grant awards

Robert T. Ott Seed Grants (named in honor of a beloved member of the Centre County nonprofit community) are intended to provide start-up funding for new programs or initiatives or for the expansion of existing programs. Funded projects must provide direct services to Centre County human services clients or provide a service that will benefit the community at large.

Just in the past 13 years, Centre County Council for Human Services Seed Grants awarded well over $45,000 to Centre County nonprofit programs that directly benefited Centre County residents.

All applicants must be individual or organizational members of the CCCHS or be sponsored by a council member. Sponsorship may be obtained by attaching a letter from a council member, which states the member’s recognition of the applicant’s desire to receive council seed money. The applicant(s) main office may be located outside Centre County, however the grant request must serve the Centre County community and its residents.

Requests may come from individual agencies, groups, or as a joint proposal from several agencies/groups — at least one of which must be a council member. All applicants must be a nonprofit organization.

Applications and how to apply are available by visiting the CCCHS website at Seed Grant | CCCHS (theccchs.org). For questions about the grant process, deadline, etc. contact Natalie Depto-Vesey, seed grant committee chairperson, at nvesey@homenursingagency.com

The deadline for submitting applications is midnight, Sept. 30.

CCCHS is a 501(c)3 membership organization that supports agencies and individuals working toward the support and betterment of individuals and families in the community. The CCCHS believes that meeting human service needs requires an interdisciplinary knowledge base, collaboration and a commitment to improving the overall quality of life for our shared community.

The CCCHS is comprised of human service agencies, business, school systems, government entities and interested individuals promoting communication and relationships among human service agencies and other organizations throughout and the community.