A Vibrant Region with Opportunity for All
Driven by our vision, the Community Foundation’s mission is to Engage, Invest, and Lead to strengthen Herkimer and Oneida counties.
Our Foundation
Build, Enhance & Sustain the Community
Our experienced staff and dedicated trustees are committed to matching donor support with community need through innovative, solution-based community investments aimed at positive impact.
For 70 years, we have grown and stewarded community resources to ensure greater capacity for future needs and unexpected challenges.
Our Mission

Engage
We partner with donors and community organizations to determine funding solutions to residents' needs, advancing and enhancing community development.

Invest
We maximize donor impact through long-term stewardship, and commit funds and resources to nonprofit partner organizations for the greatest possible community impact.

Lead
We provide leadership to bring community partners together for collaborative impact, acting as a trusted advocate that can bridge differences and build meaningful coalitions.
Annual Figures as of December 31, 2021
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$198M+Total Assets
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$14MDonations
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725Donors
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475Active Funds
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$11MCommunity Investments
Strengthening Our Community Together

We Are Here to Better Our Community
Through nonprofit partnerships we work to strengthen our community, enhancing neighborhood vibrancy, creating jobs, educating, and addressing racial equity and social justice challenges.

In Their Own Words
More to Explore...

The Alexandra G. Kogut Memorial Fund was created by Becky and Mark Kogut in honor of their daughter, Alexandra, to support community organizations that share her passion and kindness. Each year, several grants are awarded through this donor-advised fund of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, allowing Alexandra’s spirit to live on. Grants are awarded to programs and organizations that reflect Alexandra’s interests, including swimming and her love for children.

Hero Fund America Fund (HFA), a field-of-interest fund of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, today announced $15,000 in awards for first-responder organizations across the country. Each year the fund helps meet the education, training, lifesaving equipment and mental health needs of fire, emergency medical services (EMS), and law enforcement agencies in New York and other states.

A local government-nonprofit collaborative has announced the completion of a Herkimer County-wide community development plan that will address the county’s longstanding challenges and future growth opportunities. Under the plan, a nonprofit called Herkimer County Community Development Partnership will be created to formalize collaborative efforts needed to address economic challenges, while connecting and encouraging innovation in thriving but disconnected points of growth county-wide.

A panel of independent judges have selected Hender Hernandez Caba, a rising senior at Thomas R. Proctor High School, as the winner of the annual Give Back to Utica essay contest and recipient of a paid summer internship at the Utica Public Library.