News

(WEST CHESTER, PA – June 16, 2026): The Chester County Community Foundation is honoring Outgoing Board Chair Zebulun Davenport Ed.D. and welcoming Incoming Chair Erik Gudmundson at Leadership Succession Reception on Friday, June 26. The Foundation is also celebrating outgoing CEO Karen Simmons and introducing Incoming CEO Kate Wickersham. Guests are invited to align.Space to enjoy delicious food, wine and beer, downtown West Chester, and wonderful company, while also celebrating Community Foundation board and CEO leadership transitions. Zebulun serves as the Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs at West Chester University. Davenport is a leader and strategist and… Read More »

(Coatesville, PA – May 28, 2026) – More than 60 nonprofit leaders, board members, staff, educators, and community volunteers from across Chester County gathered on May 13 for Leadership Labs: Building Cultures of Belonging and Excellence — a full-day professional development experience designed to strengthen leadership capacity and organizational impact throughout the nonprofit sector. Hosted at Gateway Church in Parkesburg, the event was presented by the Educational Equity Alliance (EEA) in partnership with the Newlin Foundation. The Leadership Labs focused on helping organizations cultivate stronger, more equitable workplace cultures where leaders, staff, and volunteers can thrive. Sessions explored practical strategies… Read More »

West Chester, PA – May 12, 2026 – Change is in the air at the Chester County Community Foundation.  President/CEO Karen Simmons will retire this summer after 25 years of transformative service, and Kate Wickersham CFRE has been chosen to lead the Foundation next. Since 2001, Simmons has been instrumental in shaping the Foundation into a vibrant, community-centered philanthropic institution. Under her leadership, the Foundation has grown from 130 entrusted funds at $8 million to more than 335 entrusted funds at $141 million, with annual grantmaking now averaging $6.5 million. Simmons championed legacy philanthropy, strengthened nonprofit capacity, and deepened donor… Read More »

Photo: Neil Joines with Asta, 1992.  WEST CHESTER, PA – May 5, 2026: The Neil Joines Fund of the Chester County Community Foundation is pleased to award $26,500 in grants to 13 nonprofits for arts, culture and heritage programming. A community entrepreneur who loved traveling the world, Joines was passionate about arts, culture and latino heritage. When he passed in 1992, Joines’ philanthropic interests were outlined in his will, so that grants perpetually reflect the values set forth by Neil Joines himself: 1) to expose the Kennett community area to a diverse array of cultural opportunities, 2) to ensure that piano,… Read More »