The Community Foundation for South Central New York
Connecting Donors who Care with Causes that Matter
Victims of domestic violence face many obstacles that keep them from escaping danger. There’s one challenge that might not have occurred to you, but Karen Matson knows it well. “We often hear about people who won’t leave bad situations because they don’t want their animals to be left behind,” says Matson, executive director at the Read more
To you, the Harris Memorial Library might be simply a building full of books. Library director Anne Ohman sees things differently: to her, it’s “a place full of sparks.” People come to the library, in the Village of Otego, because of the sparks they have inside—a question someone wants answered, a book someone wants to Read more
Summer in the Village of Hancock has gained a new source of excitement since 2015, when the nonprofit Hancock Partners launched “Summer Nights on the Square,” a series of Friday night performances running from June to September. Locals and tourists, plus day-trippers from as far away as Binghamton, flock to the Hancock Town Square to Read more
Otsego was the last of the five counties to join the Community Foundation’s service area. We added it in 2007 because a potential donor there wanted to start a fund, and Otsego had no community foundation to serve that need. Since then, we’ve supported a broad range of projects in Otsego County, focused on history, Read more
The largest of our counties geographically, Delaware County is made up of small towns and villages mostly linked by rural roads, with no dominant population center. But far-flung though they may be, the people of Delaware County keep us busy with terrific grant proposals. In Walton, for example, the Paul G. and Miriam B. Mattern Read more
When the Community Foundation decided to tackle workforce development, Chenango County emerged as the perfect venue for that effort. A mostly rural county, Chenango is home to many low-income households. But it’s also home to some strong employers, such as the Raymond Corporation, Chobani and UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital. Chenango County suffers from a disconnect Read more
The Community Foundation was born in Broome County, but we’ve always pursued a multi-county mission. In 1997, the board of directors of the Hoyt Foundation and its executive director, Judith Peckham, conceived the Community Foundation as a way to expand Hoyt’s reach into counties around Broome that had no community foundations of their own. Challenged Read more
In Tioga County, community spirit goes a long way. For a prime illustration, consider how some of the county’s human services agencies interweave their separate social safety nets to make a bigger, stronger one. “People come to us for food and then they tell us they need a furnace. We’re able to make that happen Read more
Since its earliest days, the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation has made grants to support and empower not only adult women, but also the rising generation of girls. Some of the programs we fund help girls gain skills and knowledge they will need to build successful futures, whether in careers or in their personal Read more
One of the best ways to forge connections is to sit people down to discuss a compelling topic. That’s why the Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund has gotten into the business of sponsoring salons. Bringing women together to gain new insights and exchange ideas, these events provide a chance to meet like-minded people and maybe make Read more
Some of the most alarming facts to emerge from the Community Foundation’s Regional Needs Assessment concern childhood poverty. In Broome County, for example, more than 25 percent of children live below the poverty line. While poverty may leave children malnourished, poorly housed and poorly clothed, the harm doesn’t stop there. For low-income families, education doesn’t Read more
As the Foundation’s Needs Assessment notes, admissions for treatment of heroin addiction have soared in our region in recent years. Concerned community members have launched numerous programs to fight this epidemic, and their progress is encouraging. The Community Foundation joined the battle from the start, participating on the Broome Opioid Abuse Council (BOAC) and funding Read more
Some Delaware County residents look at the Delaware River and think of the trout that abound in its waters. Others think of the money that visitors spend when they arrive for aquatic recreation. Some think of the costly havoc the river and its tributaries wreak when they overflow their banks. But many residents agree that Read more
The vision of Broome County Habitat for Humanity is simple: help local families achieve home ownership while also helping to maintain safe, stable neighborhoods. Habitat assembles volunteers from local churches, nonprofit organizations, schools and businesses to rehabilitate existing homes and build new ones. To qualify for a Habitat house, a family must complete an 18-page Read more
Its goal is to preserve and interpret the past, but the Newark Valley Historical Society (NVHS) also plays a vital role in the present-day life of northern Tioga County. The NVHS offers more than 70 events a year, held mainly at its Bement-Billings Farmstead Museum and the Train Depot Museum. Local residents use parts of Read more
When you open a special fund with the Community Foundation, you chart your own course as a philanthropist. You might create the fund to honor someone you have loved or admired. You’ll focus your support on an issue that speaks to your heart, and you’ll build for the long term, assured that the good you Read more