Letter From the President

October 2025

As the current president of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua Foundation, I want to let you know our plans as we begin a new year following recent Chautauqua elections.

First though, for those who are not completely sure what the Foundation does, let me explain. The Foundation is the charitable arm of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua. Its mission is to financially support the purposes and mission of the Chautauqua. Unlike the Chautauqua, the Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Thus, in addition to being tax exempt, donations to it are tax deductible by the donor.

The majority of the Foundation board is comprised of members of the Board of Managers, and the rest are residents of the Chautauqua.
Our current members are:

Sue Hostetter, Gene Brenneman, John Weaver, Tom Stone, Jeff Grimshaw, Chris Kiehne, Allan Feldman, Angie Shea, Jane Zellers, Yulia Davydovich, Collin MacLean, Sandy Moritz and Sylvia Cueto.

Many of the members have specialized skills in law, accounting and finance. The balance are committed members of the community with a good understanding of the financial needs of the Chautauqua. This results in a continuous dialogue between the Board of Managers, the Foundation and interested community members about the needs of the Chautauqua and how the Foundation can participate.

Our focus is going to be on fundraising. Each dollar donated - individually or via a corporate, foundation or government grant - can be used or invested to meet Chautauqua financial needs that otherwise would have to be met from our assessments or from Chautauqua funds. Our grants committee will continue to investigate and apply for those grants for which we appear to qualify. Anyone in the community with knowledge or experience in grant requests is encouraged to assist us in this important endeavor. Please write to me if you can assist in that area.

We are also going to be presenting a donation platform that will allow you to easily give to the Foundation to support initiatives that really matter to you, so please be on the lookout for updates on that.

While current contributions and grants are part of our efforts, we recognize that planned giving via our estates is easier for many of us to do. We have prepared a planned giving brochure, available by clicking on this link, to distribute to all residents to provide information about the ways the tax laws are designed to facilitate this form of giving. We are available to provide the information you may need to make a gift of this nature, including consulting with your legal and financial advisor.

Some projects that may appeal to you:

Tree planting
Management of the southern lands as forest and a water resource
Grounds maintenance and beautification
Playground improvement and maintenance
Hall of Philosophy or Playhouse maintenance and improvement
Summer Programs
Outdoor Art Show

If you have any questions or comments, please write to me at gilbert.feinberg@pachautauqua.org or call me at 215-805-2432, or talk with one of our current members about your interests in supporting Chautauqua projects. Together we can improve and maintain our community for the benefit of all to come after us. Thank you.

Gil Feinberg