Elderwell - Erik Brunetti Foundation for the Arts

The Elderwell Estate Initiative

The Elderwell Estate Initiative is a cornerstone program of the Erik Brunetti Foundation for the Arts, designed to transform a historic 1.5-acre property in Easton, Pennsylvania into a multi-platform cultural infrastructure. The Initiative activates the grounds, architecture, and ecological context of the site to serve educational, historical, and environmental public benefit.

The Initiative includes two formal nonprofit programs: The Dr. Porter W. Shimer House Preservation Program & The Elderwell Wildlife Sanctuary & Native Garden.

Together, these programs advance cultural and ecological preservation work typically unsupported by municipal or state institutions. They form a living proof-of-concept for how private foundations can maintain, restore, and program heritage property without state reliance.

The Initiative operates under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and meets the structural requirements of Pennsylvania’s Institutions of Purely Public Charity Act.

Operates pursuant to the statutory criteria set forth in Pennsylvania’s Institutions of Purely Public Charity Act (10 P.S. § 371 et seq.).