Helping Hands

For almost 60 years, and with millions of pounds of food, the Commission on Economic Opportunity has been addressing community poverty in Northeast Pennsylvania. The Commission on Economic Opportunity’s motto is People Helping People. The saying is found again and...

The Power of People

A letter from board member Daniel McGowan Hello All, As we kick off 2024, I thought that it might be nice to take a moment to reflect on why the Fund does what it does, as well as the people that make it possible for us to do this wonderful work. When we are our most...

Reaching Above and Beyond

An interview with David J. Laughlin, president of Rockhurst High School. Could you please tell me a little bit about the history of the Rockhurst High School? Since the beginning, back when we opened in 1914, our mission was to take the vehicle of education and help...

Rise to the Top

Will you tell me a little about how you joined the McGowan team and RISE? In October of 2021, I helped with the public launch of NEPA RISE. Throughout that time, I was still on the marketing side, really trying to grow the awareness of this wonderful program because...

A Lasting Impact

Juan Peña, cofounder and chief innovation officer at CrossPurpose, discusses the connection, community, and care that drives his organization’s work. Will you tell us a little of your story? I’m an immigrant from Colombia. For my dad, when he was 11 years old in...

By the Numbers

A letter from Interim Executive Director Brian Peckrill and Board Treasurer Brian McGowan. “As we’ve continued transitioning into a new era at the McGowan Fund, I’ve found myself reflecting on what it is we do and why we do it. There is no one better suited to answer...

Next Gen Is on Board

We are pleased to announce that Megan McGowan and Patrick McGowan were elected to the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund board in July 2023. These new additions represent the third generation to carry on the legacy begun by William G. McGowan in 1993, something...

Continuing Our Impact

A letter from Interim Executive Director Brian Peckrill Dear Friends, Impacting lives today. Creating sustainable change. Empowering future generations to achieve their greatest potential. This is the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund’s vision and the prism in which...

Giving with Love

A letter from Chief Executive Officer Diana Spencer Dear Friends, As we continue to strive for excellence in our work, I am proud to say that we are nearing completion of an 18-month strategic planning process, details of which I will be revealing in the coming weeks....

Teach Your Children Well

The future of education is already here. Meet Thomas Arnett, a leader in educational research. Thomas Arnett didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming an educational researcher. For a while, he thought he might follow in his father’s footsteps and become an engineer. He...

Be Safe, Be True, Be Aware

How do nonprofits safeguard their missions and the integrity of their work? Three leaders speak.   Running a nonprofit is a juggling act. It’s two jobs—or more—in one. You must care for the community you’re serving and the organization you’re leading. You...

Fresh Air from Young Leaders

There’s hope in the attitudes of newly minted leaders. It’s easy to feel discouraged. By one measure, fraud increased 61 percent globally in 2021, and the documentaries about bad leadership and unethical behavior just keep coming. “I have seen firsthand how unethical...

The 100 Percent Solution

It takes time—and support—to build a sustainable life. When Claudia came to Colorado-based BeyondHome, the odds of becoming self-sufficient looked daunting. She was fleeing abuse. She had a sixth-grade education. Three low-paying jobs. Five kids, three in diapers....

Making Better Lives

According to McGowan’s Ethical Leader of the Year, ethics are good for both the bottom line and society. Anything but linear. That’s how Prudential’s chairman and CEO Charles F. Lowrey describes his career, an unexpected path from founding an architecture firm to...

The Art of Partnering

What makes a nonprofit grow like a tech startup? The right partners—and more. Turner House, once a small clinic in Wyandotte County, Kansas, knows a bit about growth. In 2017, the clinic served 5,000 patients in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Five years later, the number...

How to Be Part of Something Bigger

Community foundations often lead projects involving several nonprofits. Here’s what they look for.  Every partnership is unique but here’s one thing that they all share: the belief that working together will jump-start success. Partnering, at its core, is a leap of...

A Key to Character and More

Teaching kids to think critically can and should top the education agenda—an interview with William Hughes William Hughes is a leader with a deep background in education and strong beliefs. “I believe in a science of thinking,” is one of them, he says. Others include:...

The Landscape They See

Trained in principled leadership, our Fellows face plenty of opportunity—and fraud. In 300 BCE, a sea merchant named Hegestratos secretly planned the world’s first fraud. It involved a shipment of corn. When his crew found out, they rebelled, and he drowned trying to...

Sustainable Mobility

For single mothers making multiple transfers a day on public transportation, there’s hope. There was a time when Dan Georgopulos led an effort in help single mothers repair their homes, hence the name of the Denver-area organization he founded: Hands of The Carpenter....

Encircle and Empower

A dangerous neighborhood prompts a pre-school program to build something really big. It’s hard to learn in Austin, Chicago’s largest neighborhood. Austin is thick with barriers—poverty, domestic abuse, street violence. In fact, it’s so hard to attend classes and stay...