The Erie Community Foundation

The Erie Community Foundation

The Erie Community Foundation was established in 1935 by Elisha H. Mack. Karen Bilowith currently serves as President and CEO while Thomas A. Tupitza chairs the board. The structure includes six affiliate foundations that extend grantmaking into surrounding communities. Asset allocation includes a 15.81 percent position in private equity alongside public equities, fixed income, and real estate. Confirmed holdings comprise Accolade Partners Growth I, Arctaris Impact Fund, Hartman Innovation Fund, and Erie Downtown Equity Fund. Geographic reach centers on Erie, Pennsylvania, with additional exposure across the United States through pooled vehicles managed with Cambridge Associates. The foundation also maintains an art acquisition fund for the Erie Art Museum and interests in charitable remainder unit trusts. The organization employs 26 professionals at its headquarters. It maintains memberships in the Pennsylvania Association of Community Foundations and The Nonprofit Partnership. Recent activity includes sponsorship of the Erie Gives event in August 2025. Service providers include PNC Bank as custodian and Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett as legal counsel. The foundation operates through a community foundation model that separates donor-advised funds and affinity vehicles such as the Erie Women's Fund and LGBT Fund from core endowment assets. This architecture allows targeted collective giving while preserving centralized investment oversight via external advisors.