On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, community members, nonprofit partners, and local leaders gathered together for the highly anticipated Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of the newly reintroduced Cornhill Empowerment Center. The event, held at 230 James Street in Utica, marked an exciting new chapter for the neighborhood and was a major success. 

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties hosted a successful Community Dinner on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 bringing together community leaders, residents, and stakeholders to discuss a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing neighborhood investment and community engagement.

A new fund at the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is supporting workforce and community development initiatives within the Mohawk Valley, honoring the memory of one of Oneida County’s strongest advocates for regional economic development, Steve DiMeo.

Oneida County, the City of Utica, and the Community Foundation announced a partnership to conduct an urban planning study of the West Street and James Street corridors where two anticipated impact centers will serve as the anchors of the $74M Cornhill Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. 

In recent years, the Community Foundation has redefined its role in the community, moving beyond traditional grantmaking to become a dynamic leader and partner by spearheading innovative solutions for sustainable change. 

Two local foundations—the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties and UpMobility Foundation (UMF) — are partnering to co-host the third annual 24-hour online day of community giving, “Mohawk Valley Gives.” This collaboration will expand the reach and impact of the event, while also opening the door to exploration and growth opportunities in the future related to the giving day. 

The Impact Centers will have basketball courts, but for this community they will mean much more. To borrow a basketball phrase, they're game-changers. 

A detailed look at the grants, investments, scholarships and other community programs/initiatives made by the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties in 2023. 

The Community Foundation has spent the past 10 years — and even to this day — learning, listening, and having ongoing dialogue with neighborhood residents, stakeholders, and partners to collectively turn challenges into progress. We have been asking our residents directly what they want their neighborhood to be in the future, and we are listening.