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Community Needs Assessment
The Foundation partnered with Ignite Philanthropy to conduct the needs assessment over the past 9 months. The results not only identify areas of focus where philanthropy can make an impact, but also outline specific suggestions about the role of the Foundation and of charitable giving in facilitating solutions. In education, for example, the Foundation’s Lakota Fund can be further developed to help address the achievement gap in K-3 literacy at Lakota Local Schools by funding programs and partnerships to focus specially on this issue. While transportation on the broader scale can be best addressed by the public sector, philanthropy can drive initiatives for walking/biking trails to help connect citizens with local services and amenities while also promoting community health. And by partnering with local business leaders to anticipate future workforce needs, the Foundation can fund training programs to ensure career opportunities are not missed and businesses recognize this area as having a skilled workforce.
The Community Needs Assessment will provide a framework for the Foundation over the next 5 years, guiding our funding and allowing us to think strategically about the ways in which we can best help the West Chester/Liberty community to continue to be a vibrant and thriving community.