80th Anniversary

In 1944, Michael and Sarah Benedum established the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation in honor of their only child who died as a young man during the 1918 influenza epidemic. Michael and Sarah took great care in launching the Foundation and hand selecting grants that were anchored in their values and meeting the needs of the times. As the foundation evolved, Trustees and later, staff, were engaged in grantmaking grounded in the language of Michael Benedum’s will in the Fifth Codicil. Michael Benedum recognized the importance of fostering opportunity for promising people and places noting that “we know not where seed may sprout.” Over the past 80 years, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation has partnered with extraordinary people in place-based grantmaking throughout West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. As the Foundation enters its ninth decade, it remains committed to advancing the Benedum family’s vision, listening to grant partners throughout the region, and looking forward to the future.

Click on an image below to scroll through the gallery of photos from the 80th Anniversary Event.