Community Foundation Awards Over $2.5 Million to Nonprofits, Opens 15 New Funds

The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties announced more than $2.5 million in community investments during the first half of 2021 to organizations and initiatives primarily in the areas of equity, economic development, education, and pandemic relief. This total includes more than $377,00 in awards through the organization’s competitive grants process as well as activity of its 120+ donor-advised funds. Also included in that total is support from the Mohawk Valley COVID-19 Response Fund to 30 local nonprofit organizations.

The following competitive grants were awarded:

• B Sharp Music Club – $600 for the voice competition scholarship
• Black Leadership Coalition – $40,500 to support its capacity building project
• CAP-21 – $10,000 to hire a Community Development Specialist
• Central New York Health Home Network – $5,000 to support its mentoring program
• Community Rehab Project – $10,000 to promote independent living through therapy wellness, fall prevention and home modifications for underserved community members
• Johnson Park Center – $1,000 for a grant writer
• Kelberman Center – $1,000 to provide scholarships for Kamp Connections
• Kirkland Art Center – $5,000 to support its culinary arts program
• Mercy Flight Central – $1,500 to purchase cardiac monitors for aircrafts
• Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency – $12,800 to support its 2021 City Center Recreation Program
• Mohawk Valley Community College – $160,000 towards the MVCC Tech Corps program
• Mohawk Valley Economic Development District – $55,000 in support of the Rural Broadband Assessment
• NAACP – Rome Chapter – $6,000 to support a short film on the history of the Rome NAACP
• Parkway Center – $9,500 to restore the Second Chance Tool Store
• Utica Dollars for Scholars – $40,000 for scholarships for graduates of the Young Scholars program at Utica College  
• Utica Monday Nite Corporation – $500 to support the Levitt AMP music series

In addition to these grants, the Community Foundation’s donor-advised funds awarded 243 grants in the first and second quarter of 2021 totaling more than $2 million to 176 organizations. Recipients include:

• 4PetSake Food Pantry
• Albany Law School
• Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorder Association - CNY Chapter
• American Heart Association - Mohawk Valley
• American Red Cross - Central and Northern New York Chapter
• Angels Among Us Food Pantry
• Animal Alliance of Greater Syracuse
• Animal Care Sanctuary
• Anita's Stevens Swan Humane Society
• Artis-Naples
• Ayres Memorial Animal Shelter
• Bethel Baptist Church
• Blue Mountain Lake Association
• Boy Scouts of America Leatherstocking Council
• Bread of Life Community Center
• Broome County Humane Society and Relief Association
• Brothertown Scholarship Fund
• Bubba's Beds for Shelter Friends
• Camden Area Food Pantry
• Camp Kesem
• Campus Crusade for Christ
• CAP-21
• Cato Institute
• Cazenovia Preservation Foundation
• CB Avalanche Center
• Center for Leadership Excellence
• Central Association for the Blind Fund
• Central New York Conservancy
• Central New York Health Home Network
• Central New York Quest
• Central New York Spay Neuter Assistance Program
• Chemung County Humane Society & SPCA
• Chenango County SPCA
• Church of the Holy Family
• Clinton Youth Foundation
• CNY Cat Coalition
• CNY Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• Country Pantry
• CPV Rescue & Sanctuary
• Crested Butte Land Trust
• Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association
• Dartmouth College
• Delaware Valley Humane Society
• Dolgeville Area Food Pantry
• Dolgeville Forward
• Earth University Foundation
• EdChoice
• Episcopal Relief & Development
• Every Dog's Dream Rescue
• Feed Our Veterans
• Fenimore Art Museum
• Foothills Rural Community Ministry
• Fort Schuyler Club Historic Preservation Fund
• Frankfort Ilion Food Pantry
• Friends of Second Chance Shelter
• Fulton Chain of Lakes Performing Arts Council
• Fulton County Regional SPCA
• Fur Babies Rescue and Referral
• Glimmerglass Opera
• Gunnison Country Food Pantry
• Gunnison Trails
• Gunnison Valley Health Foundation
• Hamilton College
• Helping Animals Live Organization
• Helping Hands Food Pantry
• Helping Hounds Dog Rescue
• Herkimer 9 Foundation
• Herkimer County Humane Society
• Hillsdale College
• Hope House
• Hospice & Palliative Care
• House of Paws Rescue
• House of the Good Shepherd
• Humane Association of Central NY
• Humane Society of Rome
• Humane Society of Schuyler County
• ICAN
• Independent Baptist Church
• Institute for Humane Studies
• International Thyroid Oncology Group
• Johnson Park Center
• Kindred Spirits Greyhound Adoption
• Kuyahoora Valley Food Pantry
• Landmarks Society of Greater Utica
• Leadership Institute
• Lewis County Humane Society
• Little Falls Community Outreach
• Mars Hill Network
• Masonic Medical Research Laboratory
• Mayo Clinic
• Midtown Utica Community Center
• Mohawk Valley Church Food Pantry
• Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency
• Mohawk Valley Community College Foundation
• Mohawk Valley Frontiers Club
• Mohawk Valley Health System Foundation
• Mother Marianne's West Side Kitchen
• Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children - NY/MV Chapter
• New Hartford Central School District Foundation
• New York State Animal Protection Federation Education Fund
• Niccolls Memorial Presbyterian Church
• North Country Pet Adoption Services
• Notre Dame Jr./Sr. High School
• Ohio River Foundation
• Old Forge Library
• Old Forge Volunteer Ambulance Corps
• On Point For College
• Oneida Community Mansion House
• Oneida County History Center
• Oneida County Sheriff Law Enforcement Foundation
• Parkway Center
• Pause 4 All Paws
• Players of Utica
• Plymouth Bethesda United Church
• Pomfret School
• Presbyterian Homes Foundation
• Project Hope of Gunnison Valley
• Rescue Dogs Rescue Soldiers
• Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse
• Rescue Mission of Utica
• Rome Cat Assistance TLC Society
• Rome Rescue Mission
• Rome Youth Hockey Association
• Rosemont College
• Salvation Army of Herkimer
• Salvation Army of Rome, NY
• Salvation Army Utica Citadel Corps
• Seeds of Hope Food Pantry
• Seventh Heaven Rescue
• Smithsonian Institution
• Spay and Neuter Syracuse
• St. Bartholomew's Food Pantry
• St. John the Evangelist Church
• St. John's Outreach Food Pantry
• St. Joseph's Church Pantry
• St. Peter's Episcopal Church
• Stanley Center for the Arts
• Sunshine Horses
• Super Heroes in Ripped Jeans
• Susquehanna SPCA
• Temple Beth El
• The ALS Association
• The Haven at Skanda
• The Heritage Foundation
• The Kia Foundation
• Thea Bowman House
• Town of Verona Food Pantry
• Trout Power
• Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust
• U.S. Naval Academy Foundation
• Union Theological Seminary
• United Friends of Homeless Animals
• United Service Organization
• United Way of the Mohawk Valley
• Uptown Theatre for Creative Arts
• Utica College
• Utica Dollars For Scholars
• Utica Food Pantry
• Utica Monday Nite Corporation
• Utica Public Library
• Utica Zoological Society
• Van Hornesville/Jordanville Food Pantry
• Vera House
• Village of Boonville
• Wanderers' Rest Humane Association
• Waterville Food Pantry
• Wayward Paws
• WCNY
• West Winfield Food Pantry
• Westminster Moriah Olivet Pantry
• Women's Fund of Herkimer & Oneida Counties
• Woodhaven Wildlife Center
• YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley
• YWCA of the Mohawk Valley

These investments are made possible through the generosity of donors and organizations that create funds at the Community Foundation. The following new funds were recently created to benefit residents of Herkimer and Oneida counties for years to come:

• 4 Elements Studio Capital and Foundation Funds – Agency funds established by 4 Elements Studio, a community arts center dedicated to engaging and educating the community through a range of artistic experiences and programming.
• Anita A. Vitullo Fund for Mohawk Valley Health System – A designated fund established by Mohawk Valley Health System, an integrated healthcare delivery system serving Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties, to administer a new gift from Anita A. Vitullo.
• Anita A. Vitullo Fund for Susquehanna SPCA – A designated fund established by Susquehanna SPCA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating the suffering of animals throughout Otsego County, to administer a new gift from Anita A. Vitullo.
• Anita's Stevens-Swan Humane Society Fund – A designated fund established by Stevens-Swan Humane Society, a nonprofit organization committed to finding homes for abandoned and abused companion animals from Oneida County and to reduce that animal population through spay and neuter programs, to administer a new gift from Anita A. Vitullo.
• Ann and David Harden Fund – A field-of-interest fund established by Ann M. and David E. Harden Foundation, Inc. to support nonprofit organizations that provide for the basic needs of residents of Camden and McConnellsville, New York, and immediate surrounding counties.
• COVID-19 Community Navigator Program Fund – A field-of-interest fund established through a lead gift by the Cuccaro Family Fund to support the COVID-19 Community Navigator Program, an outreach program that promotes awareness and access to COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Empowered Pathways WERC/RISE Fund – An agency fund to benefit Empowered Pathways, a nonprofit organization with a focus on providing employment, mediation and advocacy services to women, youth, and families in the area.
• Hope Bradbury Fund – A donor-advised fund established by Jane Bradbury in memory of her mother, Hope Bradbury, for general charitable purposes.
• John and Deanna Sammon Young Scholars Scholarship Fund – A scholarship fund established by John and Deanna Sammon to provide scholarships to graduates of the Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program.
• Kirkland Art Center Campaign Fund – An agency fund established by Kirkland Art Center, an active multi-arts center in Clinton offering classes, exhibitions, films, concerts and lectures.
• Linda and Sarah Cohen Fund for Mohawk Valley Health System – A designated fund established by Linda and Sarah Cohen to benefit Mohawk Valley Health System, an integrated healthcare delivery system serving Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties.
• Lotis B. Howland Fund to Benefit New Hartford Public Library – A designated fund established by the estate of Lotis B. Howland to provide support for the New Hartford Public Library.
• Partnership for Equity in the Performing Arts Funds – Endowed and expendable donor-advised funds established by the Mohawk Valley Junior Frontiers Club that focus on promoting racial equity in the arts.
• Pet Wellness Fund– A donor-advised fund established for general charitable purposes.
• Reverend John L. Gallagher Memorial Fund – A discretionary fund established in memory of Reverend John L. Gallagher for general charitable purposes.
• Stanley Theatre Charitable Fund– An agency fund established by the Stanley Theatre to support fundraising activities.