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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected just about every aspect of life in Northeastern Pennsylvania and across the country.
				And life at the Luzerne Foundation is no different as the organization&rsquo;s annual Nonprofit Forum is changing due to the pandemic.
				&ldquo;This year&rsquo;s (event) is different,&rdquo; said Diane Dutko, the foundation&rsquo;s chief operating officer. &ldquo;We are doing it virtual.&rdquo;
				According to Dutko, the Luzerne Foundation is asking area charities to submit a three-minute video, making their pitch as to why they should receive a grant from the foundation.
				All submissions will be viewed by the foundation&rsquo;s grants distribution committee, which will then select 30 videos to be shown during the forum on April 20 and 21.
				The foundation will award $130,000 this year with an average grant size of $5,000
				The grants will be awarded in seven field of interest.
				&#8226; Arts and Culture
				&#8226; Health & Wellness
				&#8226; Historic Preservation & the Environment
				&#8226; Education
				&#8226; Community Development
				&#8226; Social Services
				&#8226; Youth
				The finalists will not only get their videos in front of the Luzerne Foundation but also in other area funders.
				&ldquo;We know we can&rsquo;t fund everything, but together we can fund a lot more,&rdquo; Dutko said.
				Dutko added that in past years, nonprofits have received funding by appearing at the forum from organizations other than the Luzerne Foundation.
				Even nonprofits that don&rsquo;t get selected as one of the 30 finalists will get a chance to be seen by those who may wish to help their cause.
				All the videos submitted will be hosted on a page on the Luzerne Foundation&rsquo;s website, which Dutko called the &ldquo;grant wish book.&rdquo;
				To assist the nonprofits, the Luzerne Foundation will hold three Zoom sessions that will provide a sort of &ldquo;toolkit&rdquo; in preparing the videos. According to the foundation, the zoom sessions will offer ideas &ldquo;on format, ways to maximize video time and more.&rdquo;
				The Zoom sessions will also be taped and be available for download to anyone who requests them. The sessions are scheduled to be held at 2 p.m. on Feb. 24, March 3 and March 10.
				The deadline for nonprofits to submit their application and video is March 12. The finalists will be notified on April 12. Nonprofits must be a 501(c)(3) public charity that serves residents of Luzerne County to participate.
				For more information, go to the Luzerne Foundation&rsquo;s website at www.luzfdn.org.

Luzerne Foundation’s Nonprofit Forum going virtual