The Community Foundation is dedicated to supporting Lehigh Valley youth and families by managing funds focused on providing comprehensive approaches for engaging youth and their families in pursuing meaningful life aspirations. This involves flexible funding for organizations aimed at early childhood and other critical developmental periods, recognizing the importance of quality childcare for a vibrant, healthy economy while addressing the existing early childcare education crisis.
The Area-of-Interest Funds at the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation are designed to support programs and initiatives across a variety of sectors selected by the donors, such as environmental protection, camperships, and no-kill animal shelters. These funds aim to bring together resources from donors with similar interests to maximize the impact of their contributions. The foundation directs awards based on community committee recommendations for specific initiatives. A specific example is The William C. Rybak Fund for Persons with Disabilities, initiated to support disabled children and adults in the Bethlehem area, focusing on providing assistance to people with disabilities in the Greater Bethlehem Area through equipment, programs, training, and services.