Scranton Area Community Foundation Announces Flood Relief Grant Program to Lackawanna County Residents

In response to the severe storms that struck Lackawanna County in September, the Scranton Area Community Foundation is in the process of establishing a flood relief grants program aimed at supporting individuals and community organizations directly affected by these recent flood events and which are experiencing hardship as a result.  

There will be two grant programs aimed at flood relief hardship issues—the Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund and a grants program in partnership with the City of Scranton. Specific eligibility and application process parameters for the flood relief grants programs will be provided when the process opens the week of October 23rd. 

The first program, The Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund, has been established by the Scranton Area Community Foundation to support community organizations and small businesses in the Lackawanna County area experiencing hardship from being directly affected by flood events. 

The second grants program, developed in partnership with the City of Scranton, will support individuals residing in the City of Scranton experiencing hardship from having been affected by flood events. This flood relief grants program will provide support to eligible recipients through resources available from Scranton’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Additional details on both grant programs, which will be forthcoming, will include eligibility information, areas covered under the grant programs, and how to apply.

The Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund was created with seed money from the Scranton Area Community Foundation. Generous individual donors, foundations, and organizations, including The Moses Taylor Foundation, Pennsylvania American Water, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and PS Bank, have provided additional support to the Fund. These donations will directly support grants made from the Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund as funds are available. The Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund will continue soliciting additional charitable donations from other organizations and individuals to respond effectively to the incoming needs. The Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund will aim to meet the greatest array of needs of the organizations and communities disproportionately impacted by flood events in Lackawanna County.

“In critical situations like this, we know the needs are great, so as a Community Foundation, we are preparing for how best to serve those who need assistance. We understand the importance of listening to the communities we serve and responding to these needs,” said Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. “We are fortunate to have a very generous community, who we believe will continue to step up and support this very important cause.” 

The Lackawanna County Flood Relief Fund is currently accepting charitable donations, 100% of which will go toward supporting those affected in Lackawanna County. Contributions to the Fund can be made online at https://scranton.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4598. Donations can also be mailed via check to The Scranton Area Foundation, 615 Jefferson Ave., Suite 102, Scranton, PA 18510, and made payable to “Scranton Area Foundation” with “LC Flood Fund” in the memo line. 

For more information about the flood relief grant programs, please contact Frank Caputo, Grants & Communications Coordinator at the Scranton Area Community Foundation at grants@safdn.org.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) OF 2021: ARPA is a $1.9 trillion federal economic stimulus bill. The City of Scranton received $68.7 million in ARPA funds to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its economic impacts. The mission of Scranton’s ARPA program is to give people access to resources, rebuild the infrastructure systems that impact their everyday lives, and foster equitable wealth generation that targets the needs of Scranton residents.