In lieu of starting its own private foundation, the Palmerton Area School District has elected to partner with the Carbon County Community Foundation to establish the “Palmerton Area School District Fund” under CCCF’s umbrella.

The fund, which is set up to receive all manner of gifts from any donor, will supplement and enhance Palmerton students’ needs beyond the basics of what the district is required or able to provide. With these funds, existing programs can be enhanced, and new initiatives can be launched to benefit students.

The Palmerton Area School District Fund will help:

• Provide access to various learning opportunities such as field trips, summer programs, or after-school clubs and activities;

• Purchase curriculum enhancing equipment and materials;

• Provide temporary emergency assistance to students in dire need due to poverty and food or housing insecurity;

• and more.

Interested community members can contribute to the Palmerton Area School District Fund in several ways.

In addition to traditional cash donations, the Community Foundation is equipped to accept gifts of stock or other real property, charitable distributions from IRAs (for those 70½ years or older), and charitable gift annuities or trusts. Donors may opt for recognition or anonymity and can arrange to make a gift now or beyond their lifetime as part of a will or estate plan.

“By joining forces with the Carbon County Community Foundation, the Palmerton Area School District will be able to provide supplemental funding to support various student programs and activities,” said Dr. Jodi Frankelli, superintendent.

“The foundation provides a wonderful opportunity for local businesses and community members to make donations that will directly impact district students. I am proud of this partnership and look forward to seeing how it flourishes in the future to help enrich the lives of our students.”

Districts across the commonwealth are welcome to create their own foundations as a means to attract private donations to enhance programs and activities.

However, that requires setting up a separate 501(c)(3), in addition to all the administrative requirements of running a nonprofit organization, such as annual tax filings, bylaws, board meetings, etc. By partnering with the Carbon County Community Foundation, who will handle all those requirements, the Palmerton Area School District will save time and overhead they would have spent on maintaining a new and separate identity.

“We are thrilled to partner Palmerton Area School District and its students,” said Sharon Alexander, CCCF president. “By allowing the Community Foundation to handle all the administrative overhead related to the Fund, the school district staff can focus on what they do best - enriching students’ lives through education.

We are proud to support Palmerton’s efforts by doing what we do best - connecting donors with the causes in Carbon County that matter most, like the Palmerton Area School District Fund. I am looking forward to seeing what we accomplish together through this Fund.”

Contact the Carbon County Community Foundation at 1-866-545-1311 or info@cccfoundpa.org to discuss how you can support the Palmerton Area School District Fund or any other school district, organization, or charitable cause of your choice.

The Carbon County Community Foundation was formed in 2015 with the mission to improve the quality of life for residents of the Carbon County region, now and forever. The foundation exists to simultaneously be a philanthropic leader, a community resource and a financial steward.

Learn more about CCCF at cccfoundpa.org or by calling 855-545-1311.