Dear Friends,

At the Scranton Area Community Foundation, we are proud to serve as a charitable partner, a grantmaker, and a catalyst and convener around issues that matter to our region.

As a community convener, we regularly lead critical regional conversations on important issues—aimed at building collaboration and seeking solutions to common challenges. The Scranton Area Community Foundation Board of Governors and Staff believe that access to information about challenges facing our communities is critical in helping to proactively address those challenges. This report is a summary of what we heard in December 2022, when the Scranton Area Community Foundation partnered with the City of Scranton to bring community leaders and stakeholders from various organizations together to identify the current community needs throughout the Lackawanna County region. Through the forums, the Foundation addressed critical topics from the City’s Strategic Economic Development Plan, and other issues involving emergency services.

We are grateful to the organizations who shared their knowledge during the forums. This knowledge, gained by doing critical work in our community, is helping the Scranton Area Community Foundation focus funding efforts on the pressing issues facing our region. With the release of this report, other foundations, donors, and service providers may be similarly guided by information gathered at the forums. We hope the report serves as an important resource for those working to appropriately meet the needs of our diverse communities.

With Appreciation,

President and CEO, Scranton Area Community Foundation