Black Business Owners Get a Double Boost


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

Housing as a Matter of Justice


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

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion


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

Help Her Run


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

Our Space, Reborn


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

Restart the Arts


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

ACA Memorial Fund


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.

Black Knight Funds


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.

New Tools for Schools


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

Good Food


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

Emergency Animal Care Response Fund


Couple at home with their pet dog sitting on their laps

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.

Our Space Fund


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.

Binghamton Police K-9 Fund


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.

Black Knight Scholarship Fund


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.

The Barbara H. Chaffee, MD, MPH Educational Fund


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.

Naomi L. Dyer Memorial Scholarship Fund


Portrait: Naomi L Dyer

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.

Selrahc Scholarship Fund


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.

Katie Titus Early Literacy Fund


The Katie Titus Early Literacy Fund was established in 2019 in loving memory of Katie Titus, to support early literacy projects, programs, and organizations in the Broome County New York community that provide early literacy services to families and children.

Young Professionals Advisory Committee Fund


Started in 2019 by an initial gift of $1,500 and further funded by an investment of $15,000 from the board of the Community Foundation, the Young Professionals Advisory Committee Fund will award grants for projects, programs, and organizations that support, develop and/or expand the skill set of young professionals in our region and/or increase their involvement in the community.

The Tina Fund


The Tina Fund was established in loving memory of Tina Turner, who lost her battle to breast cancer in 2013. The fund will provide grants to individuals and families in Broome and Chenango Counties who struggle with costs related to breast cancer diagnosis.