SAC was created in 1990 and fully staffed in 1996 to implement and facilitate the projects approved by the Southern Alleghenies Resource Conservation and Development Council. SAC staffing consists of an executive director, project manager, administrative assistant, and an executive assistant. A technical service engineer is retained by SAC for specific design oriented projects.

SAC performs this service by providing three (3) essential functions. Through its administration capacity SAC provides grant and payroll processing and accounting that enables local groups to be unencumbered by the intimidating and time consuming requirements of funding a project. Because of SAC's ability smaller groups do not have to incorporate or puruse other time consuming tasks. Instead they are able to focus their often limited energy on achieving their ultimate goal of implementing the projects and seeing the results of their labor take shape. SAC also assists through its publishing capability of producing newsletters, brochures, and other periodicals for organizations that once again do not have the facilities to do it themselves.

SAC's land trust capability provides an opportunity to preserve and protect tracts of land through outright ownership or easements. SAC then provides the stewardship that promotes the best conservation measures so that these resources will be able to provide for future generations. SAC's land trust capability has also provided for the facilitation of hazardous waste clean up sites and has protected forested river corridors that bestow benefits to many miles of water and acres of land far beyond the boundaries of the Southern Alleghenies region.

The technical service component of SAC, which works in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the PA Mountain Service Corps (AmeriCorps) enable projects that require survey and design to move forward. Without a professional design projects such as ANID treatment systems, wetland mitigation and enhancement, community parks and hiking and biking trails may never move from the conceptual to the implementation stage. Without a design the opportunity for funding of a project is also severely limited. SAC's technical team has supplied much needed additional technical capability within the region which has put more projects on the ground sooner than would have otherwise been possible.

In order to continue these innovative services SAC requires resources of its own to maintain its operation. SAC is not funded by tax dollars. Instead, SAC must be self sufficient and generate its own operating revenue. Operating capital comes primarily from funded projects, memberships, and philanthropic donations. SAC projects are normally determined by need. However, increasing financial obligations and costs force SAC to examine each project from a sound economic standpoint. Projects must cover SAC costs in order for SAC services to be rendered.

Although SAC also sells and promotes memberships, which provides a small but growing source of income, philanthropic investments are essential to SAC's continued operation. Project as well as membership income is sporadic at best. Unfortunately bills and costs of operations are a constant. Gaps, created by time lag between completion of a project and membership renewals and income derived from them, create short falls of cash all too frequently. SAC staff and board are often over occupied with Conservancy bills and payroll instead of directing needed attention to projects.

SAC has established an endowment fund through the Community Foundation serving Bedford, Cambria and Somerset counties. This funding mechanism is designed to create long term security. However, the short term concern will be addressed with the formation of a fundraising advisory board consisting of representatives from each county who will focus entirely on fundraising. This board is charged with identifying sources of potential financial assistance which will come from entities that have a vested interest and current investment in the region.