Greater Pike awards $135K in Snyder grants

The Richard L. Snyder Fund at Greater Pike Community Foundation has awarded 31 area nonprofits a total of $135,400, the largest amount ever distributed from this fund. The organizations will use the money to stage music, dance, and theatrical performances; to launch programs promoting mental and physical health; and for a wealth of community beautification efforts.

“Dick Snyder believed in showing up for the people and places around him. This year’s grants do just that, funding the organizations doing important work every day, whether it’s preserving a local landmark, producing free concerts, or providing a meal for a family in need,” said Carol Witschel, chair of Greater Pike’s Grants Committee. “Greater Pike is honored to be able to support this work and honor Dick’s legacy.”

This open grant program, named for the late Milford businessman and philanthropist, makes awards annually in three categories: arts and culture, historic preservation and beautification, and health and wellbeing. The 2026 total exceeds the $130,000 awarded in grant the year before. Many of the recipients are repeat winners that the fund has long supported, but several newcomers with fresh projects and ideas have made the list in each of the three categories.

Arts and culture

First-time grant recipients in the arts and culture category include Outdoor Nurture in Greeley, a nonprofit providing education in natural farming, gardening, and environmental education through hands-on experiences and Rob Stuart Media Futures Fund at Wayne County Community Foundation, which promotes community-based journalism.

The Milford Readers and Writers Festival, Milford Music Festival, Pike Opera, and Tri-State Chorale are among the 13 cultural programs chosen for that this year’s grants. The funds will support Tri-State Chorale’s two upcoming free concerts: “Our Heart, Soul, and Heritage,” which celebrates the spirit of America through spirituals, folk songs, and choral masterworks, on Aug. 13 and “A Tradition of Carols” in December.

Other recipients in the performing arts include Kindred Spirits Arts Programs, Delaware Valley Choral Society, Delaware Dancers/Hanna Q Dance Company, Dingmans Ferry Theatre, Peters Valley School of Craft and Pike Autism Support Services.

Beautification, preservation

In the category of community beautification and historic preservation, the Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation will use its award toward the preservation of Lock House 16 of the D&H Canal, on the Lackawaxen River.

In Milford Borough, the grant will pay for restoration of a historic fence on Ann Street. The Pike County Historical Society and the Historic Preservation Trust of Pike County, meanwhile, will use their grants for ongoing programs and the care and restoration of their properties.

Health, medical, well-being

A dozen organizations have received grants in the category of health and wellness. Three of them are working to address food insecurity: the Ecumenical Food Pantry of Pike County, Bushkill Outreach, and Meals on Wheels of Pike County.

Other recipients in this category include the Central Volunteer Fire Department in Hawley, the Westfall Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Delaware Valley School District, and the Center for Developmental Disabilities of Pike County.

About the fund

Richard L. Snyder, who died in 2014, was a Milford businessman known for his civic engagement and generosity. The grant program established in his name at Greater Pike has awarded over $1,062,000 to local organizations since 2015.

Online donations to the Snyder fund or any other fund administered by Greater Pike can be made at www.greaterpike.org/funds. Scroll down to the fund name for the link.

Greater Pike offers individuals, families, and local businesses an opportunity to provide a permanent and personal way to give back to the community. For more information about opening a fund or contributing to an existing fund, contact Rick Little, Executive Director, at (570) 832-4686, ricklittle@greaterpike.org, or visit www.greaterpike.org, www.facebook.com/greaterpike, or www.instagram.com/greaterpikecf.