Berks County Community Foundation has announced a major new gift that will support the community. The late Marian S. Snyder left a total of $17.1 million to the Community Foundation, one of the largest gifts the foundation has ever received.
Mrs. Snyder died in 2018, but the final portion of the estate was received last month.
In fiscal year 2026, the Community Foundation distributed $680,400 from the Marian S. Snyder Fund to six organizations, bringing the total amount granted from the fund to $4,564,206.50. The following provides a breakdown of the grants made:
- $60,000 to American Cancer Society for the Philadelphia Hope Lodge to provide lodging, transportation, and support services to Berks County patients receiving care in the greater Philadelphia area.
- $100,000 to Humane Pennsylvania for the support of the Healthy Pets Initiative and Pet Food Pantry.
- $90,000 to Tower Health at Home for the purchase of 5G-enabled iPads to implement Comfort, the hospice component of Epic HER software.
- $250,000 to Foundation for the Reading Public Museum for continued improvements to the museum.
- $135,400 to Animal Rescue League of Berks County for staff development, facility upgrades, expanded veterinary services, modern equipment, and targeted community outreach.
- $45,000 to Vision Resource Center of Berks County for the installation of a security system and support of marketing.
Since it was established in 2018, the Marian S. Snyder Fund of Berks County Community Foundation has made a seismic impact on the designated organizations listed above.
“Marian Snyder’s estate expressed her wishes for the foundation to make distributions to one or more of the organizations identified, so long as they apply the funding toward creating a more sustainable and effective business model,” says Cindy Milian, Health and Human Services Program Officer.
“The grants made from this fund have a profound impact on vital institutions of Berks County—and therefore help improve quality of life for local residents.”
To learn more about Marian S. Snyder, her fund, and the organizations to whom grants have been distributed, visit https://bccf.org/marian-snyder-grantmaking/.
