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Community Foundation Launches Next Step Education
Program to Help Tri-County Residents
Published: April 21, 2025 at
08:00 a.m.
By: Press Release
from NNY Community Foundation
Community Foundation Launches Next Step Education
Program to Help Tri-County Residents
Students, Working Professionals Seeking Educational Growth are Encouraged to Apply
 WATERTOWN — The Northern New
York Community Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of its Next
Step Education Program to support students and working professionals
pursuing career advancement and educational growth.
Thanks to the
generous support of many Community Foundation donors, the Next Step
Education Program aims to help individuals as they pursue postsecondary
education and training.
“This builds upon
the Community Foundation’s history and heritage of supporting local
students in whatever paths they choose and is an opportunity to be more
responsive to diversification of career paths we are seeing,” Community
Foundation Executive Director Rande S. Richardson said. “At the same time,
this allows us to provide greater options for donors who have an interest
in inspiring those who are looking to better themselves and our communities
in a variety of ways.”
The expanded
educational program is designed to assist students of all ages, including
recent high school graduates, adult learners, working professionals, and
nontraditional students, as they work to earn degrees, certifications, or
technical credentials that will advance their professional goals.
The Next Step
Education Program provides financial support to individuals who reside in
Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties and are seeking to advance
their education in various ways. Ideal applicants include people who have
put their education on hold or need to boost their skills to secure a new
or better job.
Whether enrolling
in an accredited college, university, technical, or trade school or gaining
industry-recognized certifications, the Next Step Education Program aims to
help individuals achieve lasting success.
This opportunity
is made possible by the generosity of donors who believe in the power of
lifelong education. Their support ensures that more people in our community
have access to the training and education they need to reach their goals.
The Next Step
Education Program supports a wide range of educational and professional
development pathways, including:
§ Micro-credentials
and professional certifications to strengthen skills or secure employment
§ Courses or
programs that lead to a degree
§ Technical and
trade school training for hands-on, high-demand careers
§ Enhanced skills
programs for career advancement or to help obtain new employment, such as Microsoft
Office programs and more
§ Programs at local
BOCES campuses
§ Professional
licensing programs, including CDL and other industry-specific
certifications
§ Award amounts are
up to $2,000, and may be used for tuition, books, and course-related
expenses
Applications to
the Next Step Education Program are accepted on a rolling basis throughout
the calendar year and are reviewed every 30 days for funding decisions.
Individuals are encouraged to apply through the Community Foundation’s
online application portal at bit.ly/Next-Step-Program.
Email Mary
Perrine, scholarship and program manager, maryp@nnycf.org, or Tara
Hess, scholarship and program associate, tara@nnycf.org,
or call 315-782-7110 with questions about the Next Step
Education Program or to learn more.
The Community
Foundation has a decades-long history of partnering with donors to provide
educational aid to tri-county students through an extensive scholarship
program that supports high school seniors and nontraditional
students, and working professionals.
Since 1980, the
Community Foundation has awarded more than $26 million in scholarships to
students who live in the tri-county region. In addition to its own
scholarship awards, the Community Foundation annually administers nearly
500 scholarships established by individual donors, business, and
organizations as well as scholarship funds on behalf of 32 school districts
across the three counties.
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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