Centre Gives Kicks Off on Tuesday; Downtown Celebration Planned for Final 4 Hours

The 36 hours of Centre Gives gets underway on Tuesday, and for the first time this year’s philanthropic event will include an in-person celebration in downtown State College.

Now in its 11th year, Centre Foundation’s online giving event gives community members an opportunity to provide much needed support numerous local nonprofit organizations.

Centre Gives begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday at CentreGives.org and concludes at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

New this year, Centre Gives Fest will take place during the final four hours, 5-9 p.m. on Wednesday, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza on South Fraser Street in State College.

The event will include music, giving stations, photo opportunities and more.

“Centre Gives Fest is a chance for the community to come together and celebrate the best fundraising event in Centre County,” according to a statement from Centre Foundation.

Since its inception in 2012, has raised more than $12.5 million for nonprofits working in areas such as arts, animals, education, environment, health and social services.

The Centre County community has come through in a big way each year, setting a new fundraising record by the conclusion of each Centre Gives. Last year’s event raised $2,238,995 through 16,624 donations to more than 190 nonprofit organizations.

This year, participants can choose from a list of 200 nonprofits to support with a gift of $10 or more at CentreGives.org.

During Centre Gives, those gifts go further.

The Centre Gives stretch pool will once again be $300,000. The more money a nonprofit raises, the greater its share of the pool.

Stretch pool funding is provided by Centre Foundation and the Hamer Foundation, which for the sixth consecutive year has contributed $100,000.

Donors also can help organizations compete for $40,000 in additional prize money throughout the event. Fourteen power hour prizes will be awarded throughout Centre Gives based on unique donors during a specific hour, and dozens of other prizes will be given out during and at the conclusion of the event.

“Due to the stretch pool and prizes, we are able to give back even more to local nonprofits and make a difference for our community,” Molly Kunkel, executive director at Centre Foundation, said. “It is because of the generosity from Hamer Foundation and all of our sponsors that Centre Gives has such a meaningful impact in providing this added support.”