How Centre Foundation helps turn local generosity into lasting impact
When Centre Foundation launched its inaugural Centre Gives campaign in 2012, Nathaniel Rasmussen was settling into his first decade of employment with the Schlow Centre Region Library. As an information technology expert, Rasmussen tapped into his expertise that year to help outfit the library’s website for Centre Foundation’s new venture.
The State College resident recalls linking the campaign to the library’s website back then, hoping to drive donations Schlow’s way. That year, the library finished the campaign as a prize winner for the sheer number of donations it secured. Rasmussen’s interactions with Centre Foundation over the years became more frequent as he progressed in his role at the library. Those dealings included working with the foundation on initiatives that served thegreater good of the community.
Just over a year ago, Rasmussen’s Centre Foundation experience came full circle when he left Schlow after three decades to become the foundation’s community impact director.
“It’s been really exciting,” Rasmussen says of his experience since accepting the position. “I love developing relationships with all of the different organizations and seeing their passion. It’s very inspiring every day to interact with people who are doing things not necessarily out of motivation for getting rich, but for making a difference.”
April is nonprofit month, and for nearly 45 years, Centre Foundation has been a cornerstone nonprofit in the Centre Region for donors with diverse financial backgrounds wanting to invest their capital in noble causes.
Centre Foundation’s red-brick office is tucked just off Blue Course Drive in Ferguson Township.
It houses Rasmussen along with nine other full-time employees. The organization was founded in 1981 by Judge R. Paul Campbell as the Centre County Community Foundation. The R. Paul and Ora M. Campbell Fund continues to honor the Campbells’ legacy, as does the Youth Services Bureau, which he founded in the late 1960s.
“Since our inception, Centre Foundation has raised nearly $95 million in gift support, some of which has been directed by donors into permanent endowments from which we only spend a portion of the income,” says Centre Foundation President and CEO Dave Lieb. “The true impact of that support over the years, however, is better measured in the nearly $55 million that has been granted out to nonprofit partners throughout the region since our founding.”
Wholly subsidized by the generosity of philanthropic-minded residents, Centre Foundation, at its core, provides financial backing to nonprofits, religious, and academic organizations that aspire to make a lasting and significant impact in the community. Over the years, its role and influence in the community have only grown. To say that the foundation has its hand in myriad realms throughout the region would be a gross understatement.
Take, for example, Centre Foundation’s annual banner event: Centre Gives. A cursory look at area groups that benefited from the 2025 fundraiser reveals Centre County PAWS, Centre Safe, Park Forest Preschool, and the Jana Marie Foundation, among scores of others.
Those larger-scale outfits, however, weren’t the only beneficiaries.
Smaller yet significant nonprofits such as Nittany Beagle Rescue, State College Area Roller Derby, Dyslexia Reading Center, and Happy Valley Animals In Need received substantial aid during Centre Gives one year ago.
This year, Centre Gives starts at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, and concludes at 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 7. Over those 36 hours, donors are encouraged to visit CentreGives.org to donate to their chosen nonprofits. A $10 minimum donation is required.
Centre Foundation and its Centre Gives partners have implemented ways to sprinkle in a bit of friendly competition.
Organizations with the most unique donors for the event receive a $500 bonus. Another $500 incentive is awarded to organizations that attract the most unique donors over a specific timeframe. Financial inducements are also given to the organization that receives the first donation of the event, the organization that pushes all money raised during Centre Gives over the $1 million threshold, and for other benchmarks that are met.
“We had 233 participate in Centre Gives last year,” Rasmussen says. “It’s a very broad roster of organizations that do everything from teaching yoga classes to seniors, to paying medical bills, to feeding folks, to building them homes.”
Centre Foundation Development and Stewardship Director Kerry Tolton is in her seventh year with the organization. Before she arrived at Centre Foundation, she worked in higher education for just over a decade, focusing on development and donor relations at Penn State University.
“I loved working for my alma mater, but when I heard about Centre Foundation and what they do for the community, I really wanted to be part of that,” Tolton says. “I really wanted to be part of making a difference in the place where I live, where I’ve built my life post-graduation, and where I’m raising my family.”
While Tolton’s targeted base no longer consists solely of alumni, her experience in fundraising and relationship-building closely aligns with her role at Centre Foundation. She’s tasked with building and nurturing relationships with the foundation’s donors, as well as managing stewardship programs and donor development. Working to find prospective donors and matching them with one of Centre Foundation’s funds congruent with their interests also falls under Tolton’s responsibilities.
“My job is one of the easier jobs,” she says with a laugh. “I just get to talk to donors and talk to people I know, go out in the community and connect with people, and find out what they really love. And then set something up that will be there forever to support that great initiative.”
When Centre Foundation was established, it existed to connect donors to open endowed funds — a place where one’s invested assets would be perpetually available to support their selected causes. Scholarship funds remain a popular option.
“Ultimately, the best gift is that legacy gift, where the donor says, ‘After my lifetime and forever and ever, my contribution, my wealth, part of all of my estate goes toward this cause that I love, and the foundation is who I’m going to trust to support that cause,’” she says.
That permanence, Tolton says, is what distinguishes Centre Foundation from other organizations. While events like Centre Gives and its $10 minimum donation allow individuals of different financial backgrounds to donate and highlight the area’s many organizations, Centre Foundation also provides a vehicle for those who want their impact to continue eternally.
“We are positioned to take all of those types of planned gifts and so many different assets,” she says. “It’s not just giving your cash. It’s not a transaction and disposable income. It’s someone saying, ‘I want to turn over to you my legacy. I want you to steward it.’”
Centre Foundation’s relevance has been further highlighted over the past year as organizations across the nation have experienced widespread cutbacks in federal funding. That loss of federal backing has underscored the importance of having a robust donor base to step in to help fill the void. According to data compiled by Cause IQ, the State College area boasts approximately 1,155 nonprofits.
Last November, Lieb joined Centre Foundation after the departure of longtime Centre Foundation executive Molly Kunkel. Like Tolton, Lieb boasts a background in higher education. His final two years at Penn State were spent serving as interim vice president for development and alumni relations. He also held the title of senior associate vice president for development during his time with the university.
“When the opportunity came to lead the Centre Foundation, there was a close alignment with my personal interest in continuing to focus my skills and background toward helping other people,” Lieb says. “The Centre Foundation, through our collaboration with literally hundreds of nonprofit partners in the region, does incredible work to help our neighbors and contribute to the overall quality of life that we enjoy here throughout Happy Valley.”
Lieb certainly knows the challenges that come with relying on funding. And while he is eternally grateful for and aware of the sacrifices many in the community have made to help fill the void left by federal funding, he offered a call to action for others who might wonder what they can do to join in and support area nonprofits and organizations that are feeling the crunch.
“As much as some would like to believe otherwise, philanthropy and the work we do at Centre Foundation can’t replace federal funding,” Lieb explains. “That said, we certainly empathize with those organizations that have been hit particularly hard. To that point, if community members want to help and are interested in assisting organizations which may have been negatively affected by such cuts, they can support those nonprofits directly or make a gift to the Centre Foundation and either designate their contribution to a specific organization or simply ask that their gift be directed to those nonprofits which they hope to help during these challenging times.” T&G
Elton Hayes is a freelance writer in State College.
