First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania

The foundation invests almost entirely through external managers — buyout funds and fund-of-funds vehicles make up the core of the portfolio alongside a secondaries book. Principal oversight sits with President and CEO Jennifer D. Wilson and the board’s finance committee, which includes operators from Fish Real Estate and T-Ross Brothers Construction. The foundation also holds direct real estate and natural-resource royalties, so part of the sourcing is simply stewardship of legacy assets in Lycoming County.

The diversified pool is invested for return — the buyout and secondaries positions operate at market rates — but the corpus is dedicated entirely to charitable programs. Income and gains flow into grantmaking, scholarships, and community events like the annual “Raise the Region” giving day, run with major backing from the Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships. Surplus is reinvested; no distribution goes to private beneficiaries.

All activity concentrates in north central Pennsylvania, primarily Lycoming County and the surrounding region. Rider Park, the Philanthropy Center in downtown Williamsport, and both the James B. Graham Fund and Plunketts Creek Township Foundation Fund are all situated within roughly a thirty-mile radius. The foundation does not pursue out-of-area grantmaking.

Jennifer D. Wilson holds the top executive role as President and CEO and serves on the boards of the Lycoming County Authority and the Pennsylvania Association of Community Foundations. Investment decisions are approved through the board, chaired by Davie Jane Gilmour. The board’s composition — real-estate principals, a car-dealership family, Little League International’s deputy general counsel — reflects a deliberate mix of local commercial and institutional experience.

Yes. Sub-entities include the James B. Graham Fund and the Plunketts Creek Township Foundation Fund, both structured as donor-advised or field-of-interest pools. The foundation also controls FCFPA Properties, Inc., a real-estate holding vehicle tied to the Philanthropy Center, and it manages the Rider Park land parcel directly.

The connection is governance-based, not programmatic. Board member Brian Bluth serves as Deputy General Counsel for Little League International, which is headquartered in Williamsport. The foundation’s grants do not flow directly to Little League, but the board overlap reflects the tight network of institutions in the region.

Direct holdings include the FCFP Philanthropy Center at 201 West Fourth Street, a three-story hand-blown glass chandelier valued as a cultural asset, and Rider Park. Oil-and-gas royalties provide an unconventional cash-flow stream that sits alongside the more traditional buyout and fund-of-funds commitments. These assets are held for income and community use rather than as a standalone real-estate strategy.