All checks received from organizations or individual donors as part of Erie Gives MUST be made out to The Erie Community Foundation. Any check received not made out to The ErieCommunity Foundation will be returned to the donor or organization from which it was received.

Checks will not be accepted after the printed Check Deadline date. Checks received after the printed Check Deadline may not appear on Erie Gives leaderboards and may not be eligible for Bonus Bucks.

All organizations participating in Erie Gives must have an active EIN# and must be designated as a Section 501(c)3 nonprofit that is tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code. Nonprofit organizations that are not located within Erie County must demonstrate a case to support a sizable population within Erie County.

The Erie Community Foundation expects all Erie Gives participating organizations to comply with the Pennsylvania Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act. For more information, please visit:

Furthermore, the following MUST be listed on all Erie Gives solicitations relating to The Erie Community Foundation, and Erie Gives:

• The official registration and financial information of (insert the legal name of the charity as registered with the department) may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1 (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

Please note: this is not an exhaustive list of compliance requirements for charitable solicitations in the state of Pennsylvania. Each nonprofit is encouraged to visit the above website and review the included PDF to ensure full compliance.

Any organization found to be noncompliant with the above will be disqualified from ErieGives for the current year and until they demonstrate compliance (for a period of five years).

Erie Gives 2026

Notes for nonprofit compliance and guidance