The Innovation Fund of Berks County Community Foundation recently awarded $101,956 to local organizations for projects that will improve environmental health across Berks County. Funded projects include small-scale construction, such as community gardens, educational programs, large-scale planning efforts, and more.
The following projects received funding from the Innovation Fund:
- $8,000 to Berks Agricultural Resource Network for the 2026 Urban Agriculture Bus Tour.
- $8,000 to the Berks County Earth Day Committee of Berks Recycling Coalition for the annual Berks Earth Day event.
- $13,046 to Berks Nature for Cultivating Community: A Garden Initiative.
- $13,860 to Berks Nature for a municipal outreach initiative supporting open space protection, native plant communities, and stormwater best management practices.
- $9,050 to Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club and Wildness Park for a forest stewardship plan.
- $10,000 to GoggleWorks Center for the Arts for GoggleWorks Gardens at Laurel Park.
- $15,000 to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful for a Spanish-language environmental outreach campaign.
- $15,000 to Student Conservation Association for the 2027 Reading Conservation Corps, which will recruit, hire, and train young adults to complete conservation projects across the county while gaining job skills and certifications.
- $10,000 to Widoktadwen Center for Native Knowledge for Adventure Summer Camp, making camp possible for 25 children who might not otherwise be able to attend. The seven-week, inclusive, nature-based program centers on the Seven Grandfather Teachings of Anishinaabe tradition: Love, Respect, Bravery, Humility, Wisdom, Honesty, and Truth.
“The Innovation Fund supports creative projects that can make a meaningful impact,” said Emily Smedley, Environment and Energy Program Officer for Berks County Community Foundation. “Environmental health affects everyone. We all have a role to play and can become responsible stewards of our beautiful, biodiverse region.”
To learn more about The Innovation Fund, visit https://bccf.org/funds/the-innovation-fund/.
