The Community Foundation for South Central New York
Connecting Donors who Care with Causes that Matter
In the earliest days of COVID-19, James Mullen would sit in his office at the Norwich Family YMCA and hear near-silence. Like all “non-essential” organizations in New York at that time, the Y had halted its programs in mid-March and shut its doors. One service stayed open, though. “We offered child care for emergency and Read more
Black entrepreneurship was a major theme in the 2021 grant cycle of the Community Foundation’s Racial Justice and Equity Fund. Support Black Business 607 (SBB607) received $10,000 from the fund, primarily to help it sponsor events that promote and empower Black-owned businesses. Another $10,000 grant will help the Southern Tier High Technology Incubator (STHTI) offer Read more
In 2002, when the Women’s Fund opened for donations, its first goal was to raise $100,000. Women quickly stepped up, singly or in collaborative groups, to write $1,000 checks to reach that sum. As the Women’s Fund nears its 20th anniversary in 2022, women who have supported its work since the start say they’re amazed Read more
The world of animal rescue has made big strides in the past ten years. “An incredible amount of research and information has come out about animal shelters and ways we can better care for animals,” said Stacie Haynes, executive director at the Susquehanna SPCA. Putting some of that knowledge to work, in 2021 the Susquehanna Read more
Once they heard that New York State would allow overnight summer camping in 2021, staff at 4-H Camp Shankitunk in Delhi started thinking about Swiss cheese. The cheese was a metaphor for steps the camp would take to protect campers and staff from COVID-19, said Corrine Tompkins, 4-H camp director at Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Read more
For people of modest or moderate means, it’s often hard to find safe, healthy, affordable housing. One group trying to right that wrong is the Southern Door Community Land Trust (SDCLT), a nonprofit organization devoted to housing justice and community engagement. Formed in 2019 as the Broome County Land Trust, SDCLT changed its name in Read more
In her career as a financial advisor and manager, Jill Packard helped many people open funds to meet their charitable goals. She has also devoted herself as a volunteer to nonprofit organizations. Given her insider’s view of the mechanics and impact of philanthropy, it was natural that Packard would find her own way to support Read more
Looking inward and outward in 2020, the Community Foundation expanded its work to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), both in our practices and in the region we serve. Those efforts build on work we started more than two years ago, when we conducted a preliminary assessment of our Board and staff and updated language Read more
In 2020, women held 26 percent of the seats in the U.S. Senate and 23.2 percent of seats in the House. Across the nation, 29.3 percent of state legislators were women, according to the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Those numbers are better than they used to be. (In 1981, just 12.1 percent Read more
The first message came at 1 in the morning: “Jen, it’s all gone.” Next thing Jennifer O’Brien knew, her phone was blowing up with texts. The news was heartbreaking. Our Space Park, a playground in Binghamton’s Recreation Park, designed as an accessible place of joy for people of all ages and abilities, had burned to Read more
While other nonprofits struggled to provide essential services during the pandemic, many arts organizations—theaters, museums, orchestras, dance schools, galleries, and more—simply had to close. That shutdown spurred a financial emergency. In Broome County, for example, arts organizations lost about $1 million in revenues and missed fundraising opportunities, said Nancy Barno Reynolds, executive director of the Read more
The intent of the Park Committee was to establish a fund for the long term preservation of the park, and as we approach the 10th anniversary we have acted on this intent in partnership with the Community Foundation.
The intent of the Park Committee was to establish a fund for the long term preservation of the park, and as we approach the 10th anniversary we have acted on this intent in partnership with the Community Foundation.
Created in 2009, to enhance the educational experience of students in the Windsor Central School District Community, the Black Knight Funds allow donors to make a lasting impact on the Windsor Central School educational experience.
The Black Knight Legacy Fund is an endowed fund; ensuring that the donations will continue to grow and meet the needs of our school community well into the future.
Six organizations received a total of $35,984 from the Women’s Fund in 2019 to support programs that help women and girls. Three of those awards went to programs focused on employment. For example, an $8,000 grant to Catholic Charities of Broome County funded emergency assistance to help women fuel their cars, buy work uniforms, reserve Read more
School districts invent new ways to serve their students and the broader community. The services that schools provide these days go way beyond the traditional “three Rs”. They also reach deep into our communities. One example is the Whitney Point Central School District’s Early Eagles initiative, a pre-literacy program for families of infants and toddlers. Read more
Mini-grants help agricultural businesses root out conditions that cause sickness and injury. A few years ago, experts at the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) identified a flaw in their efforts to keep people who work on farms healthy and safe. NYCAMH would send a specialist to walk through a farm and Read more
Several recent grants support programs based on a simple principle: no one should go hungry. Too many people lack reliable access to nutritious food. Luckily, many community groups are working hard to meet this essential need. Take the Unatego Central School District’s backpack program, which gives students in need healthy food to take home. The Read more
Grant helps rural ambulance service attract more first responders with advanced skills. With a staff of just 18, the Hancock Ambulance Service stands ready to save lives every day, around the clock, across 164 square miles of Delaware County plus a sliver of Pennsylvania. This extremely rural region is many miles from the nearest trauma Read more
The intent of the Park Committee was to establish a fund for the long term preservation of the park, and as we approach the 10th anniversary we have acted on this intent in partnership with the Community Foundation.
The Cibo Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
Established in 2020, donations to this fund will support the general operating expenses of Camp Shankitunk, a 4-H Camp of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, facility maintenance, and capital improvements.
The Emergency Animal Care Response Fund was created by concerned animal welfare organizations in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis. It was clear at the time that animal companions would be affected by the disruption caused by the pandemic, and emergency funding would be needed to support the shelters and foster families that would be caring for them immediately and under similar emergency circumstances in the future.
The purpose of the Greater Oxford Community Fund is to provide financial support for community enterprises.
The Harriet Ford Dickenson Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Healthy Gardens Norwich Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The James A. and Loretta J. Carrigg Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Jonas Kilmer Mansion Restoration and Preservation Fund was established in 2019 to support the preservation and restoration of the historic Jonas Kilmer Mansion in Binghamton NY.
A small town can play a big role in a region’s cultural life. That’s surely true of Norwich, Oxford and Oneonta, each of which hosts a musical series or venue that draws fans from miles around. Recent grants from the Community Foundation have helped small, volunteer-powered organizations in these places enrich the local arts scene Read more
Otsego Rural Housing Assistance (ORHA) helps homeowners of modest means stay in their homes and keep those dwellings comfortable and safe. Although Otsego County is small—with only about 60,000 people—the need for housing assistance there seems almost limitless, says Timothy Peters, executive director of ORHA, in Cooperstown. Beyond Cooperstown and Oneonta, Otsego is largely an Read more
Since its Greek yogurt first went on sale in 2007, Chobani has become a powerful force in the economy of Central New York. The company’s philanthropic arm, the Chobani Foundation, has grown along with the brand, supporting efforts to strengthen communities and improve wellness and childhood nutrition. One of the Chobani Foundation’s newest programs is Read more
The Lillian Briggs Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Lisanne P. Bobby Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Lukensmith Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Our Space Fund, opened in 2014 to support OurSpace at RecPark, is a collaborative project of Life is Washable, the City of Binghamton Parks and Recreation Department and the Binghamton University School of Management PricewaterhouseCooper Scholars Program.
The Owego Rotary Arthur B. Stiles Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Paul G. and Miriam B. Mattern Fund supports projects that enrich the cultural life and/or the social well-being in its broadest sense, of the residents of the village and township of Walton, New York and welcomes proposals from non-profit organizations.
The Edward L. Rose Conservancy was founded in 1986 to protect land, preserve natural habitat and increase public awareness through education, research and outreach programs. Your donations support priority land conservation projects as well as environmental programs for youth and families in the Southern Tier.
Established in loving memory of (Edward) Decker Ayers III, this scholarship will enable Cooperstown High School students an opportunity to pursue a college degree in history.
David Emerson, Tom Emerson and Neil Bartle grew up together in Oxford, where their families have lived for generations. “All three of us love our little community,” says David. Two years ago they put some formal philanthropic power behind that love, working with the Community Foundation to form the Greater Oxford Community Fund. David and Read more
The Robert and Dorothy Wells Memorial Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The mission of the David P. Beere Family Fund is to provide scholarship support for one Owego Free Academy graduating senior entering the armed services or a service academy. This fund is one of a number of sub-funds within the Selrahc Ah-Wa-Ga Legacy Fund. For more details about this family of funds please visit the Selrahc Ah-Wa_Ga Read more
The George and Sally Akel Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Charles Hibberd Bassett Senior Citizen Fund was established in 2014 by James Thomas (Tom) Bassett and his wife Silvia de la Garza. Their intent was to recognize the special interest of Charles Hibberd Bassett in the welfare of senior citizens of the Village of Owego and surrounding Tioga County communities.
The Binghamton Police K-9 Fund allows donors to direct gifts for the support and operation of the current canine unit (as well as retired dogs) for purchase of food, medication, veterinary bills, training, equipment, and new service dogs.
The Black Knight Legacy Fund is dedicated to providing as many scholarships as possible to graduating seniors of Windsor Central High School, and to to help with their pursuit of college or trade-school education.
This fund, established in loving memory of Sally Brooks, will assist a junior or senior high school student with financial need obtain a bachelor’s degree in an English related major from a public or private university in New York state.
The Glenda Blake and Leo Cotnoir Fund for Art Empowerment is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
This fund was established in memory of Wanda Gallup Busharis (1924-2014), Oneonta High School Class of 1941 and is intended for a student from Oneonta High School who intends to pursue higher education in a health-related field.
Established in 2005, the Phelps Mansion Preservation Fund allows donors to direct gifts that will support preservation of the Phelps Mansion and its historic contents.
The Edward L. Rose Conservancy was founded in 1986 to protect land, preserve natural habitat and increase public awareness through education, research and outreach programs. Your donations support priority land conservation projects as well as environmental programs for youth and families in the Southern Tier.
The Edward L. Rose Conservancy was founded in 1986 to protect land, preserve natural habitat and increase public awareness through education, research and outreach programs. Your donations support priority land conservation projects as well as environmental programs for youth and families in the Southern Tier.
The Barbara H. Chaffee, MD, MPH Educational Fund was created in 2010 to honor and recognize over two decades of Dr. Chaffee’s service to people with HIV/AIDS and the health care professionals who care for them. It allows donors to make a lasting impact on the delivery of health care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Greater Binghamton area and honors the work and life of Dr. Chaffee.
The Catholic Schools of Broome County Scholarship Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Edwin A. and Marion Clayton Link Scholarship Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Chobani Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Chobani, the number 1-selling Greek Yogurt brand in America. As an expansion of its community wellness efforts, the Foundation has established a Community Impact Fund with the strategic goal of strengthening the region where Chobani employees live and work.
The Joseph D. and Julia V. Coughlin Scholarship Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Community Foundation Arts & Culture Fund supports and promotes the needs of various art and cultural entities within the Foundation’s five county region.
The Community Foundation Library Fund allows donors to direct gifts that will support public libraries for library services, programming, exhibits and historical exhibitions in conjunction with public libraries in the region served by the Community Foundation for South Central New York.
The Couper Family Scholarship Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Joyce and David Barber Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Endowment for Visual Arts in the Communities is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Peter Cronk Scholarship fund will provide a $1,000 scholarship to a Binghamton High School student attending a two or four year college in Fine Arts or English.
An artist’s grant from the Community Foundation changed Glenda Blake’s life. That gift inspired Glenda and her husband to give back, establishing the Glenda Blake and Leo Cotnoir Fund in 2016, to support artists and community arts activities. Sadly, Glenda passed away in May of 2020, but her legacy will live on with her fund Read more
As young professionals raising a family, Gene and Judy Peckham couldn’t devote much money to community causes. But that didn’t stop them from devoting themselves. The Peckhams discovered the pleasure of public service as Peace Corps volunteers in Peru in the 1960s. “We learned more there than we ever taught anybody,” Judy says. Back in Read more
The Esther Couper Family Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Gerald Di Giusto Scholarship Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Selrahc Ah-Wa-Ga Legacy Fund was established in 2012 and focuses on support of Tioga county communities through a number of sub-funds.
Established in loving memory of Naomi Dyer, this fund will provide scholarship funds for a graduating senior from the Harpursville New York School District with financial need, who plans to obtain a degree in a STEM-related field, or elementary education at SUNY Oneonta or Binghamton University.
The Goodall-Komar Family Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The John Eisch Scholarship Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Janicki Family Animal Welfare Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Mary Frances Farrell Renaissance Memorial Endowment Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Edward L. Rose Conservancy was founded in 1986 to protect land, preserve natural habitat and increase public awareness through education, research and outreach programs. Your donations support priority land conservation projects as well as environmental programs for youth and families in the Southern Tier.
The Mighty Max “Just Because” Fund is established in celebration of the life of Max Gabriel Edell Kranbuhl, known to many of his family and friends as “Mighty Max”. Although challenged by a developmental disability and moderate autism, Max was enthusiastically involved in areas that held his interest. His humor, honesty and grit attracted many to him especially during the last years of his young life spent in treatment for a rare cancer. This Fund is dedicated to bringing simple joys and opportunities to children dealing with challenges, and to assisting parents who need support and guidance during heart-wrenching times.
The Stephen J. and Betty E. Purtell Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.
The Greene Community Scholarship Fund was established to provide scholarships to graduating seniors of Greene Central High School, assist in their pursuit of college or trade-school education, and to offer non-traditional scholarship opportunities to adults seeking continuing education.
The Racial Justice and Equity Fund was established in August of 2020 with a $100,000 grant made to the fund by the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation.
The David and Linda Barton Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation. For more information on all our funds please refer to our full funds list.