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When Benjamin Franklin left 1,000 pounds in his will to the city of Boston for the “encouragement of worthy apprentice boys,” he did not know that as the needs and interests of our nation continued to change, the intent of his gift would no longer be applicable. It took more than 200 years for the courts to intervene and change his will so that his gift could again be relevant to our society (in fact, the Lancaster County Community Foundation is proud to manage a portion of this original trust).
In 1914, a new “community foundation” movement emerged that would change the way donor interests are met while adapting to changing circumstances. The Cleveland Foundation, a pioneer community trust, worked to ensure that charitable bequests live on in perpetuity, especially when original charitable purposes are no longer applicable. This innovative concept has now spread throughout the country in over 700 Community Foundations.
Our story begins in 1918 when Martin Harnish, a well respected attorney in our county, heard about this new movement. After hearing about the work at the Cleveland Foundation, he wanted to bring this exciting idea to Lancaster. After enlisting several supporters from the community and local banks, he founded the Lancaster Community Trust in 1924.
At the time, the Community Trust encouraged donors to establish trusts for “charitable, benevolent and educational purposes,” with a plan to meet the changing needs of society, to distribute the funds to the identified beneficiaries that were selected by an impartial committee which would safeguard the intent of the gift.
We soon received our first fund in 1928, which annually provided a $600 grant to a teacher selected by the Pennsylvania State Council of Education. As Lancaster continued to grow, so did our annual distributions. By 1952, the Community Trust was distributing approximately $5,000 per year to local nonprofit organizations.
Over the years, our assets continued to grow due to generous gifts and bequests, as well as positive investment performance. Our first Executive Director was hired in 2002, and we then changed our name to the Lancaster County Community Foundation to better reflect our commitment to all communities throughout Lancaster County.
Over our history, we have upheld Mr. Harnish’s original purpose while adapting over time to preserve the charitable intent of our donors and pursue the greatest opportunities on behalf of our community. We look forward to many years to come as we work to Create Extraordinary Community in Lancaster County.
Click here if you’d like to read the unabridged version of our history. | |
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