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Community Foundation’s LEAD Council Offers Funding
Opportunity for Tri-County Nonprofits
Published: September 09, 2025
at 03:00 p.m.
By: Press Release
from NNY Community Foundation
Community Foundation’s LEAD Council Offers Funding
Opportunity for Tri-County Nonprofits
Up to $20,000 Now Available for Initiatives Focusing
on Basic Human Needs, Mental Health, and Workforce Development
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 Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Grant
applications should address key priorities that focus on basic human needs,
mental health and wellness, and workforce development and job training in
the region. It is the Council’s goal to award a minimum of $5,000 per grant
in this year’s competitive round.
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 address
this year’s key priorities across the North Country will be strongly
considered.
In 2024, the LEAD
Council awarded grant support totaling $19,800 to seven tri-county
nonprofit organizations. Funding helped the Children’s Home of Jefferson
County (CHJC) purchase a hygiene vending machine for its behavioral health
clinic in Jefferson County; supported meal programs at the Salvation Army
of Watertown to address food insecurity and basic human needs; secured
equipment to launch a new, expanded community kitchen at the Salvation
Army of Massena; helped Encompass Recreation establish a Teen+ Club to
serve neuro-
divergent teens
and young adults; increased capacity for Canton’s GardenShare
to expand its “Bonus Bucks” program; helped the Norfolk-Raymondville Food
Pantry address food insecurity in the communities it serves helped Lyons
Falls ALIVE provide coupons for children to purchase fruits and vegetables
at a seasonal market the organization leads.
The LEAD Council
is comprised of 21 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 vice president, 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 anti-poverty 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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