SHARE Grants Committee
Current Members
- Michelle Layton - Chairman
- Kelly Winchester - Treasurer
- Barb Steele - Secretary
- Amber Meyers - Outreach/ Social Media Coordinator
- Carla Johns - Member
- Stefanie Keiffer - Member
- Maura Cowan - Member
- Bruce Dunlavy - Member
- Sue Reyna - Member
- Liz Glaston - Member
- Chris Gaston - Member
The SHARE Grants Committee is always looking for new members to assist with outreach, grant coordination, and planning. If you have an interest in learning more or would like to attend a meeting, please contact Michelle Layton at MsMichelleLayton@gmail.com or send an email to grants@sharefest.org Voting Membership is obtained by attending at least two committee meetings prior to the Award Evaluation Session
2023 Project Grant Awards:
Hello Lovely SHARE Family!
Our SHARE Grants Committee is very excited to announce our grant recipients for the 2023 Project Grant season, we were able to award close to $10,000 in project grants this year! Not too shabby for our first season back post-pandemic:- Upper Adams Intermediate School - Field trip to King's Gap Environmental Center
- Tuscarora Wildlife Education Center - Bee keeping installation
- HICO - Camping trip to Ricketts Glen for students
- Penn State Ext Master Stewards and Watershed Alliance of York - Street 2 Creek Project
- Lower Susquehanna Riverkeepers Association- Bacteria analysis for river water
- Manada Conservancy - 2023 education programs
- Little Buffalo Festival - children's art with environmental focus
- Perry County Council of the Arts - Bower art workshops
- The Lebanon Valley Conservancy - Environmental education
- Heritage Creek Farm - Expanding farm-to-table program
Grant applications, overview and other documents can be found here
Project Grant Criteria:
- Environmental education for adults and/or children
- Creating a culture of conservation; good stewardship of the Earth
- Art and music with an environmental focus
- Environmental Activism: working towards societal or institutional change that is specific to the environment
- Preservation and conservation of natural resources or habitats
2023 SHARE the Funds Awards:
In addition to our annual project grants and educational grants, SHARE sponsors six organizations each year (three in Spring and three in Fall) to be voted upon by our general membership! We want to know where YOU want YOUR money to go! Each group will receiving funding, but on a tiered system depending on how much we have available in our budget. As you check in at Greeters, you will be handed a ticket and asked to vote for your choice of organization. At the end of the weekend, the results will be announced and the awards will be completed at the following board meeting. If you would like to recommend an organization to be sponsored, please send an email to grants@sharefest.org explaining who they are, what they do, and how they promote the values of SHARE. Below are the results from our Spring 2023 Reunion:
- $500 Red Creek Wildlife Center
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- Red Creek offers a second chance to distressed PA wildlife through rescue and rehabilitation, public education, and by providing training for wildlife rehabilitators
- $300 Mountain Creek Trout Club and Conservation Society
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- Works with PA Fish and Boat Commission and local colleges to improve the water quality and recreational fishing opportunities of the Mountain Creek.
- $200 Friends of Wildwood
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- Non-profit organization that supports programs, enhancements, and additions to Wildwood Park and the Benjamin Olewine III Nature Center through Environmental Education programs.
Educational Grants:
SHARE is committed to promoting the environmental education of our current and future generations' encourage anyone seeking to educate themselves about environmental conservation, preservation, and sustainability to apply for a grant of up to $500 in support of their tuition or book expenses. Simply complete a SHARE Educational Grant Application and submit via email or through the mail; educational grants are considered on a rolling basis, year-round as our budget allows! We do require proof of enrollment (tuition bill, book receipt etc.) and ask that you submit a report or conduct a workshop at festival highlighting your new skills. These grants were put on hold as of 2020 due to the pandemic. We will update when they are available.
Special Funds:
Throughout the year, we are often made aware of causes, events, and organizations that hold special meaning to members of the SHARE community but fall outside the realm of educational or project grants. We consider recommendations for special funding year-round as our budget allows. Criteria for these special funds are more relaxed than those for other grants but the cause must still exemplify the values of SHARE. Our Special Funds budget was put on hold as of 2020 due to the pandemic. We will update when it is available.
2019 Project Grant Awards:
| Applications | Type | Amount requested | SHARE decision |
| Perry County Council of the Arts | Volunteer | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Amethyst Retreat Center - Earth Love Retreat | 501(c)(3) | $3,000.00 | $750.00 |
| HICO | Volunteer | $2,500.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Penn Hill Shade Tree Commission | Volunteer | $1,000.00 | $700.00 |
| Biglerville High School | School | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Sea Love - Beach Clean up | Volunteer | $2,050.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Mercersburg Beautification Committee | Volunteer | $2,450.00 | $700.00 |
| Heritage Creek Farm | Farm | $1,200.00 | $1,200.00 |
| Overbrook School for the Blind | School | $2,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Peffer St. Garden | Volunteer | $1,500.00 | $500.00 |
| Crestview manor Civic Association | Volunteer | $3,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Assoc. | Volunteer | $2,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| S. 6th St. Playground Assoc. | Volunteer | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Manada Conservancy | Volunteer | $1,150.00 | $1,150.00 |
| LondonDerry - Woodland Garden | School | $2,000.00 | $500.00 |
| LondonDerry - Tree house | School | $3,000.00 | $500.00 |
| Tri County Community Action | Volunteer | $1,429.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Roller Education Foundation | Volunteer | $3,500.00 | $1,500.00 |
| St. 2 Creek Partnership- Watershed Alliance/York | Volunteer | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Little Buffalo | Volunteer | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Soul Propietary - 3rd St. Garden | Volunteer | $1,485.00 | $500.00 |
| Soul Propietary - BerryHill | Volunteer | $1,350.00 | $500.00 |
| GUI - 3rd st. garden | Volunteer | $2,000.00 | $500.00 |
| GUI - Atlas St. Garden | Volunteer | $1,800.00 | $500.00 |
| GUI - Marion St. Garden | Volunteer | $1,359.00 | $500.00 |
| GUI - Wesley St. Garden | Volunteer | $1,400.00 | $500.00 |
| Environment Club - East Penn | School | $1,891.81 | $1,000.00 |
| Ephrata Library | Volunteer | $2,739.95 | $1,000.00 |
| Park Forest Elementary | School | $1,425.00 | $1,000.00 |
2019 SHARE the Funds Awards:
In addition to our annual project grants and educational grants, SHARE sponsors six organizations each year (three in Spring and three in Fall) to be voted upon by our general membership! We want to know where YOU want YOUR money to go! Each group will receiving funding, but on a tiered system depending on how much we have available in our budget. As you check in at Greeters, you will be handed a ticket and asked to vote for your choice of organization. At the end of the weekend, the results will be announced and the awards will be completed at the following board meeting. If you would like to recommend an organization to be sponsored, please send an email to grants@sharefest.org explaining who they are, what they do, and how they promote the values of SHARE. Below are the results from our Spring and Fall 2019 Reunions:
SPRING 2019
- $500 Oatland Island Wildlife Center
- $300 Berks Nature Place
- $200 Brandywine Red Clay Alliance
- $500 National Association of the Bahamas
- $300 Conodoguinet Creek Watershed
- $200 Trailblazer Foundation
Special Funds:
Throughout the year, we are often made aware of causes, events, and organizations that hold special meaning to members of the SHARE community but fall outside the realm of educational or project grants. We consider recommendations for special funding year-round as our budget allows. Criteria for these special funds are more relaxed than those for other grants but the cause must still exemplify the values of SHARE. Our Special Funds project of 2019:
- $350 Harrisburg Tree Commission