Wyomissing Foundation is a private foundation

Foundation (United States law)

A foundation in the United States is a type of charitable organization. However, the Internal Revenue Code distinguishes between private foundations and public charities...

 in Wyomissing

Wyomissing, Pennsylvania

Wyomissing is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, established on July 2, 1906. The population was 8,587 at the 2000 census, but after the January, 2002 merger with neighboring Wyomissing Hills, the combined 2000 Census estimate was 11,155 making it the most populous borough in...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, United States. It was established in 1928 by three local businesspeople who had founded hosiery manufacturing company Berkshire Knitting Mills, later known as Wyomissing Industries. Grants from the foundation helped establish the Berks County Community Foundation

Berks County Community Foundation

Berks County Community Foundation is a public benefit organization located in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. The Foundation's mission is to promote philanthropy and improve the quality of life for the residents of Berks County, Pennsylvania....

, which was founded in 1994. In 2001, the Wyomissing Foundation donated a copy of Saving Pennsylvania, a video about the dangers of urban sprawl

Urban sprawl

Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

, to every public library in Pennsylvania. In 2008, the Foundation also helped support development of the Berks County Citizens Academy, a project to educate potential volunteer members of county and municipal advisory boards and authorities about local and county government issues.

The foundation's offices are located in a renovated historic mill. Earlier grants by the foundation included one in the early 1930s to help pay for a memorial in Krefeld

Krefeld

Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, to early German settlers in what is now the United States and, in 1953, financial support for an exhibit of 90 American paintings in Germany.