Foundation Grants & Scholarships

2025-26 IMPACT GRANT Program

For the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2025, our Impact Grant program will make available $50,043 in matching grants to Catholic parishes and schools (K-12) within the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown for Student Retreats, Parish Renewal/Missions, Adult Catechesis/Encounter, Youth Ministry, and Leadership Training initiatives. The application deadline is 4:00 PM Thursday, May 8, 2025. Impact Grants will be announced prior to July 1, 2025 and must be spent no later than June 30, 2026.  Please download the Impact Grant Application and optional Resource Guide to begin.

In just seven grant cycles, our Impact Grant Program has awarded $297,109 in matching grants for student retreats, youth ministry, parish renewal, and many other initiatives. The “fuel” for this initiative is a million-dollar bequest from a Johnstown estate we received in 2017. The value of the bequest has grown 15% even though 30% of the original value of the gift has been awarded.

2025-26 Welge Scholarship for Blair County College Juniors and Seniors
Established in 1995 by Adelaide (Heverly) Welge’s niece and nephew-in-law to celebrate her commitment to higher education, the Welge (WELL-ghee) Scholarship Endowment Fund awards financial assistance to college juniors or seniors registered at a Blair County Catholic Parish (other than Saint Matthew Parish, Tyrone, which has its own robust endowed scholarship program).

The Welge Endowment has grown sufficiently for our selection committee to grant four $500 awards this summer. Awards will be mailed to schools as a credit on each student’s account.

Welge Scholarship applicants are: (1) members of a Blair County Catholic Parish (excluding St. Matthew); (2) junior or senior undergraduate students enrolled at any accredited college or university; and, (3) in need of financial assistance. The application deadline is 4:00 PM, Wednesday, June 18, 2025.  We will notify scholarship winners shortly thereafter.