Nonprofit News

A generous donation from a Lehigh Valley native and others funds free swim lessons for children and adults in the River Crossing YMCA's Safety Around Water, or SAW, swim education program.

Heritage Day in Easton is set for July 12. But in order to pull it off, the Greater Easton Development Partnership will need a little help from volunteers.

Next year marks 250 years since the colonists produced a bold declaration of freedom and self-governance that still echoes today. It will be an occasion celebrated and recognized across the land — and we at Lehigh Valley Public Media are no exception.

National Public Radio's CEO and representatives for several Eastern Pennsylvania public media organizations joined a forum in Bethlehem on Thursday hosted by Lehigh Valley Public Media. The officials said a looming clawback of federal funding could force meaningful cuts.

"A Community Conversation: Broadcast in the Balance" examines funding cuts under consideration in Congress to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The cuts would result in the defunding of more than $1 billion over two years to public media outlets across the country.

Easton City Council approved $1 million in grant applications for community organizations and city programs, though the potential for the CDBG program to disappear remains an ever-present threat.

The city of Allentown is set to get $1.9 million, while dozens of nonprofits — including food banks — and other groups will split $3.8 million from the trust's annual disbursement.

If Congress adopts a measure clawing back $1.1 billion allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Bethlehem community radio station WDIY would need to come up with $200,000 dollars in new funding. "It's money I don't have," the nonprofit's executive director said Tuesday.

The Keystone Media Awards recognize excellence in journalism and the news media. Lehigh Valley Public Media captured awards in digital news, radio broadcast and television production.

Alumni celebrated the PBS39 quiz show's 50-year run at the Iacocca Conference Center at Lehigh University on Friday. The celebration continued Saturday with a screening of a documentary at the Univest Public Media Center on the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem.

Lehigh Valley Public Media presents the Good Neighbor Awards to recognize community leaders and pay tribute to PBS icon Fred Rogers and his ideals of kindness. This is the ninth year for the awards, to be held May 21, 2025, at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem.

Ashley L. Coleman joined Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center as executive director in January 2023. Her resignation comes as the board of directors expresses uncertainty as funding declines and the political landscape shifts.

The eighth annual Bob Price Memorial Turkey Drive was held at Coca-Cola Park on Friday. More than 2,000 turkeys were donated by area businesses and residents to help feed those in need in the Lehigh Valley.

Community Action Lehigh Valley celebrated its 60th anniversary of assisting low-income folks on Wednesday.

The Kutztown Folk Festival, known as the oldest continuously operated folk festival in America, is no more.

The warm weather, albeit part of a drought, gave more visitors more time to visit Lehigh Valley Zoo and learn about its purpose in 2024. Nearly 185,000 guests visited. The 11th annual Winter Light Spectacular opened this weekend.

More than 20,000 items will be on the shelves at very affordable price points.

Almost 400 students at Washington Elementary School in Allentown received new winter coats for free thanks to the nonprofit organization Operation Warm, in partnership with PPL and Accenture.

The nonprofit school based in Allentown received funds through Educational Improvement Tax Credits for the 2024-25 school year. A total of $66,000 will go toward helping low-income children.

The 28th annual Lights in the Parkway, an Allentown holiday tradition, will be held on the Lehigh Parkway from Friday, Nov. 29 through Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. Visitors can drive through more than a mile of enchanting holiday displays featuring between 175,000-200,000 LED lights.

A partnership between Second Harvest Food Bank and the GIANT Company will make sure a thousand families have a Thanksgiving dinner.

ArtsQuest on Friday released an image of its official 2025 Musikfest poster that features mixed media art techniques by Banana Factory teaching artist Mallory Zondag.