M&T Bank Fund Awards More Than $68,000 in Grants at Quarterly Meeting

M&T Bank continues to invest locally through the M&T Bank/Partners Trust Charitable Fund (MTPT), a donor-advised fund of The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties. The fund has distributed more than $1 million in support of programs and organizations that will have a strong and lasting impact in our community.

The fund’s most recent community grants include the following recipients:

Thea Bowman House

The MTPT Fund supported the Reading Rockets program for school-aged children. This program is designed to improve literacy skills and to help children develop a love for reading. Thea Bowman House helps underprivileged, culturally diverse children and their families reach their full potential.

Utica Children’s Museum

A grant was awarded to support the first traveling exhibit in the history of the Utica Children’s Museum, “It’s a Nano World,” a nanobiology exhibit designed for children 5 to 8 years of age. MTPT also made a grant to the museum for two bookcases, including one to hold books for children to take home with them.

Utica City School District

JFK Middle School received funding for the STEM Enrichment Program, an after school program that challenges students to use science and technology in innovative ways.

Mohawk Valley Health System

The MTPT Fund made a grant to help the Mohawk Valley Health System Imaging Center acquire GE SenoClaire breast tomosynthesis imaging technology. This three-dimensional imaging will be the first in the area, bringing state of the art equipment to patients that currently have to travel to receive a 3D mammogram. The technology makes it possible to detect small cancers that digital imaging can miss. The grant will also support related education and training for medical and clinical staff.

Little Falls Micro Fund

A matching grant has been approved for the Little Falls Micro Fund, an organization that provides interest-free microloans to qualified Little Falls residents in need. The neighbor-helping-neighbor program acts as a buffer for sudden financial hardship to low income residents. The loans will assist with expenses such as car repairs, small business emergencies, one-time tuition expenses and medical costs. The MTPT Fund and The Community Foundation will match monies raised to establish the lending pool.

Insight House

The MTPT Fund has elected to support Helping Youth Through Prevention Education (HYPE), a drug and alcohol prevention program that will be available to sixth grade students at Westmoreland Central School District.

Notre Dame Schools

MTPT is funding need-based scholarships each year, for three-years, to be awarded to area students at Notre Dame Junior/Senior High School in Utica. This investment is the MTPT Fund’s first grant to Notre Dame.

“M&T Bank, through the MTPT Fund, is proud to support local education programs and nonprofit organizations, and the positive work they do for our communities. These organizations have a tremendous impact and often help shape the success of our youth. We are passionate about this and look forward to building new partnerships that strengthen this mission,” said David Manzelmann, M&T Bank Utica market president.

Potential grant opportunities are reviewed by an advisory committee, led by Manzelmann. The group of local advisors meets quarterly, awarding strategic support to programs in education and other civic causes in Herkimer and Oneida counties.

The MTPT Fund was created during the merger of M&T Bank and the former Partners Trust Bank with the goal of providing sustained and continued support for the Mohawk Valley community. The funds have been managed and distributed through The Community Foundation since 2008.

Photo Caption: Ramez Brown at Thea Bowman House’s Reading Rockets program for school-aged children.