County Of Chester

County Of Chester, doing business as Chester County Bar Foundation, is a U.S. local government entity (Chester County, Pennsylvania) that receives federal grants as a prime recipient to administer homelessness services, affordable housing programs, workforce development, and community services across Pennsylvania. The entity operates exclusively in the grant space — no federal contracts or contract vehicles — with 56% of recent awards held as prime recipient grants and 44% as sub-recipient awards passed through from state and federal agencies.

County Of Chester's federal footprint is heavily concentrated in homelessness and housing assistance. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development dominates at 202 awards (covering roughly 50% of total awards by count), anchored by the Continuum of Care Program (CFDA 14.267), which funds permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, supportive services, and Homeless Management Information Systems. Recent Continuum of Care awards include a $1,340,802 project grant issued May 1, 2026, running through April 30, 2027, with sub-recipients including the Housing Authority of Chester County, Community Youth & Women's Alliance, Kennett Area Community Service, and Open Hearth Inc.; a $224,920 Emergency Solutions Grant (CFDA 14.231) issued December 11, 2025, supporting street outreach and emergency shelter through December 10, 2027; a $970,876 Home Investment Partnerships Program formula grant (CFDA 14.239) issued December 11, 2025, running through September 30, 2034, for affordable housing rehabilitation and homebuyer assistance; and a Community Development Block Grant (CFDA 14.218) formula award issued January 1, 2024, running through September 1, 2031. Additional HUD recipients include multiple smaller Continuum of Care project grants in the $120 thousand to $350 thousand range issued throughout 2025 and 2026.

County Of Chester also receives significant workforce development and employment training funding routed through state agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living (66 awards) and the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (38 awards) together account for roughly 25% of awards. These include sub-awards from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging for Title III supportive services, congregate and home-delivered meals, family caregiver support, and elder abuse prevention; sub-awards from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry for adult and dislocated worker job training, youth employment programs, and skills development; and sub-awards from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services for the Employment Advancement and Retention Network (EARN) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) job training programs. The Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (13 awards) funds highway safety enforcement and outreach, with work performed locally. A smaller footprint exists in substance abuse and drug trafficking reduction — County Of Chester received High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program grants (CFDA 95.001) from the Office of the National Drug Control Policy with awards of $1,105,200 for December 2023 completion and subsequent FY 2025 project grants running through December 31, 2026.

Activity has remained relatively stable at 26 to 45 awards per year over the past five years, with ten awards facing ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. The source reflects $157 million in combined dollars obligated across all awards. County Of Chester works with a wide network of sub-recipients spanning nonprofits (Housing Authority of Chester County, Community Youth & Women's Alliance, Open Hearth Inc., Legal Aid of Southeastern PA), state departments (Pennsylvania Departments of Aging, Labor & Industry, Human Services, Community & Economic Development, Transportation, and Commission on Crime & Delinquency), and federal pass-through mechanisms. Place of performance is West Chester, Pennsylvania, with administrative coordination across Chester County.