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Community Foundation’s LEAD Council Offers Funding
Opportunity for Tri-County Nonprofits
Published: August 25, 2024
at 10:00 a.m.
By: Press Release from NNY Community Foundation’s
LEAD Council
Community Foundation’s LEAD Council Offers Funding
Opportunity for Tri-County Nonprofits
Up to $20,000 in Support Available Through the LEAD
Impact Grant Program
 WATERTOWN — Nonprofit
organizations serving tri-county residents are invited to apply for up to $20,000
in funding through the LEAD Impact Grant Program, an initiative of the
Northern New York Community Foundation’s LEAD Council.
The LEAD Council
is an advisory committee of young professionals empowered to make key
investments in the tri-county region through community grants and
volunteerism. Council members want to learn more about the work of
nonprofits and are accepting proposals for Impact Grant Program funding
through Friday, September 27, 2024.
The grant program
supports nonprofit programs, projects, and initiatives that will make a
positive and meaningful impact on the organization and the people it
serves. Requests that clearly demonstrate innovative approaches to service,
mission and community enhancement, and a substantive impact on the quality
of life across the North Country will be strongly considered.
“The LEAD Council
aims to identify the strategic needs of the tri-county area” Council Chair Jessica
Piatt Walczyk said. “We are eager to enhance our community by advancing
the efforts of our local nonprofits through the Impact Grant Program.”
In 2023, the LEAD
Council awarded grant support totaling $20,000 to 11 tri-county nonprofit
organizations. Funding helped the Adams Free Library introduce a mental
health awareness program; improved access to swimming lessons for Massena
children; purchased nutritious foods for a teen culinary program in
Watertown; expanded an after-school arts and summer youth program in
Clayton; increased the inventory of food and toiletries at a LaFargeville food pantry; and helped improve therapy
equipment and gross motor areas on the outdoor playground at Bright
Beginnings Early Learning Center in Watertown, among others.
The LEAD Council
is comprised of 25 young professionals who live in the tri-county area and
have an interest in enhancing the quality of life in the North Country.
LEAD is an acronym that reflects four important guiding principles tied to
the Community Foundation’s mission and values: Leadership, Engagement,
Access, and Direction.
LEAD and its
grant program are supported through the thoughtful generosity of the Hyde-Stone
Charitable Foundation of the Northern New York Community Foundation, Carthage
Savings, Morgia Wealth Management, and donors to the Friends
of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund.
The LEAD Impact
Grant Program application must be completed online through the Foundation’s
Grant Lifecycle Manager (GLM) portal at bit.ly/grant-portal. All
501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are invited to apply. Organizations
should register as a user in GLM before applying. Nonprofits already
registered with a GLM account should use existing login information to
access and start the application. Contact Max DelSignore, Community
Foundation assistant director, max@nnycf.org, or 315-782-7110,
with questions or to learn more.
Proposals will be
reviewed in October and November with grant funding decisions made in
December. Organizations selected to receive funding will be notified after
the holidays in early January. It is important to note that funding will
not be awarded as a means of reimbursement to support completed projects.
Since its
inception in 2014, the LEAD Council has led several creative initiatives
that have benefited the community and region. Strategic efforts include its
active “LEADing the Way” volunteer program, enhancements
toward child care and early childhood development
programs, hyper-local support for antipoverty initiatives, community giving
challenges, and building philanthropic values in the region’s schools through
student-led projects.
About the
Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the
Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and
enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson,
Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. Through partnerships with businesses and
organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual
donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an
endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment
to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for
generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community
philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community
Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors,
professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring
people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy
Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions
that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and
play.
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