The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation Board of Governors recently approved the awarding of the 2013 - '14 discretionary grants to 22 non-profit organizations that were awarded $147,000.

Discretionary grants were awarded in three of the foundation's six areas of grant-making: arts, culture and heritage, education and environment.

Included in the grants awarded were proactive grants totaling $25,000.

The first of these grants is a $20,000 grant to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center for a multi-year collaborative opportunity which will provide funding for multiple conservation projects in the Lehigh Valley. The grant to the Nature Center was awarded as a result of an invitation-only application process and is the first of five annual grants totaling $100,000.

Three grants totaling $5,000 will be made to support the purchase of music and art supplies by teachers. These grants were awarded to the Allentown School District Foundation ($2,000), The Bethlehem Area Education Foundation ($2,000) and the Foundation for Easton Schools ($1,000). A portion of the funding for the proactive grants to benefit these three school districts was made possible by the Raymond Cryder Donor-Advised Fund.

Discretionary grants awarded in support of arts, culture and heritage include: $3,000 to the Allentown Band, Inc. for Youth Outreach Initiatives; $7,500 to the Allentown Symphony Association for the El Sistema Lehigh Valley program; and $7,500 to the Baum School of Art for the Inner-City Neighborhood program;

Also, $5,000 to the Community Music School for student scholarships; $15,000 to the Moravian Historical Society for an ADA compliant entry to the Whitefield House Museum; $5,500 to the Museum of Indian Culture for the Roasting Ears of Corn Festival;

And $7,500 to the Pennsylvania Youth Theatre for Literature-Based Theater for School Children program; $5,000 to the Repertory Dance Theatre for educational outreach programs; $10,000 to the State Theatre Center for the Arts for the 2014 Freddy awards; and $2,500 to WDIY for "Lehigh Valley Arts Salon."

Discretionary grants awarded in support of education include: $2,000 to the Allentown School District Foundation for music and arts supplies; $2,000 to the Bethlehem Area Education Foundation for music and arts supplies; $7,000 to Communities in Schools for the Art for Relaxation program;

Also, $4,000 to Community Bike Works for the Earn a Bike program; $7,500 to Community Services for Children for the Donley Family Infant Center; $1,000 to the Foundation for Easton Schools for music and arts supplies; $5,000 to Judith's Reading Room for the Birth-2-Five Initiative;

And $5,000 to the Literacy Center for the Advanced Transitional ESL program; $10,000 to Mercy Special Learning Center for transportation for the Work Experience program; and $5,000 to the Weller Health Education Center for the Habits for a Healthy You program.

Discretionary grants awarded in support of environment include: $10,000 to the Lehigh Valley Zoological Society for the Reptile and Amphibian Discovery Center and $20,000 to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center for the Lehigh River Watershed Collaborative Conservation Landscaping Project.

In addition to the approval of the discretionary grants, the foundation board also approved the Neusch Committee's recommendations for grants from the Erwin J. & Gertrude K. Neusch Fund.

Grants awarded include: $3,000 to the Bucks County Housing Group for the Milford Square Supportive Housing Program; $3,250 to Heritage Conservancy for the Fuller Preserve & American Chestnut Nursery educational project; $1,000 to the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts for arts education for Upper Bucks students;

Also, $1,000 to Miller-Keystone Blood Center for the "My Blood, Your Blood" program; $1,000 to Palisades Community Chorus for the Winter Concert 2014: Latina American Baroque; $1,000 to Pennsylvania State University Lehigh Valley Campus for IDEA: Inter-District Experience in the Arts;

Also, $2,512 to Phoebe Richland Health Care Center for "Memories in the Making;" $1,500 to the Quakertown Band for the "Music of Willow Grove Park" CD and DVD; $2,600 to Riegelsville Public Library for the Art in the Library program;

And $6,500 to the United Friends School of the Lehigh Valley for the UFS STEAM program; $5,000 to the Upper Bucks YMCA for the Teen Fusion program; and $1,000 to the Valley Choral Society for choral music concerts in Upper Bucks County.

The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation is one of the largest public grant-making organizations in the Lehigh Valley. In the past fiscal year, the foundation provided more than $2 million in grants to non-profits in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding communities.

In 2014, the foundation's discretionary grant-making will be focused on: community development, health care and human services. Grant applications will be available on the foundation's website beginning April 1, 2014.

For more information about grant opportunities or the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation: Bernie Story, President & CEO, 610-266-4284.