Deadline to Submit Proposals for Funding Consideration is Friday, Nov. 7
WATERTOWN — The Safe Schools Endeavor, in partnership with the Northern New York Community Foundation, encourages all schools in Jefferson and Lewis counties to apply for 2025-2026 grant funding. Projects, programs, and initiatives that seek to strengthen school safety and improve student and campus culture are eligible for funding consideration.
School officials and representatives should complete applications no later than Friday, Nov. 7. All applications must be completed through the Community Foundation’s online grant portal, which may be accessed at bit.ly/grant-portal. Grant awards will be determined in December, and applicants will be notified with a funding decision no later than early January.
Since 2018, $129,116 in grant funding has been awarded to 16 school districts and Jeff-Lewis BOCES to support 71 projects across the two counties. Public and private schools are welcome to apply.
Grants are made possible thanks to the generous gifts of many individuals, businesses, and organizations in Jefferson and Lewis counties who support the Safe Schools Endeavor and its mission to help keep all children safe while they are at school.
“Keeping our schools safe is something we can all help promote, and this partnership has been valuable in providing additional resources toward that goal,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “We are grateful that many continue to lead this effort with generous gifts from the heart that have an immediate impact on our children.”
The Safe Schools Endeavor will consider applications submitted by students, teachers, faculty, staff, and parents. Any individual or group with an idea to improve safety within their Jefferson or Lewis County school should discuss the concept with their respective school administrator to gather their support. Proposals that are student-led or involve close collaboration with students may receive additional weight as funding is considered.
“The work we do together with support from donors is needed now as much as ever. When we started this effort in 2018, we never envisioned that school tragedies would continue at such a frequency. Our goal was to make a difference in our community in the short-term while long-term solutions were developed at a national level,” Safe Schools Endeavor Steering Committee Chair Erika Flint said. “We sincerely appreciate the many local businesses, organizations, and individuals who have consistently give so generously to ensure these grants are possible. None of this would be possible without the exceptional school personnel in Jefferson and Lewis County schools who not only support SSE fundraising but continue to implement meaningful and life-saving projects to ensure the safety of our children.”
Proposals can include student or parent programming, equipment, faculty and staff training, or anything else that an individual or group within the school community believes would enhance the overall safety of the school and its members.
The Safe Schools Endeavor stresses awareness, empowerment, and action within school communities, and grant proposals will be evaluated based upon the degree to which they embody these desired outcomes. A scoring rubric is also available for review at bit.ly/sserubric. Email Mrs. Flint at eflint@fdrhpo.org, with any questions.
Individuals and groups may request any amount, but typical grants will fall in the range of $1,000 to $2,500. All projects or programs must begin or occur in the 2025-2026 school year with support from the respective school district. Funding for programs or projects that have already occurred are not eligible as the Safe Schools Endeavor is not a source for reimbursement of expenses.
To stay informed about the Safe Schools Endeavor and its progress in our schools, like it on Facebook at Facebook.com/SafeSchoolsEndeavor and follow it in Instagram at Instagram.com/safeschoolsendeavor.
For the 2024-2025 school year, 16 projects were awarded grant funding in 14 school districts totaling $28,290. Schools and projects receiving support were:
- Beaver River Central School District, $2,500 to continue installation of window glazing in all building entrances.
- South Lewis Central School District, $2,090 to help purchase 10 handheld radios to enhance emergency communication.
- Alexandria Central School District, Lyme Central School District, Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida BOCES, General Brown Central School District, and South Jefferson Central School District, $2,000 each to support the Emergency 911 Radio Project, which the Jefferson County Emergency Management Office is leading.
- Augustinian Academy, Carthage, $2,000 to help address the social and emotional needs of an increasing number of students, especially among military families with a series of two assemblies focused on anti-bullying and building respect.
- Adirondack Central School District, $1,900 to help combat the negative effects of social media on children’s social skills and mental wellness.
- Watertown City School District, $1,500 to launch “The Buddy Walk” project to improve the safety and well-being of pre-k and kindergarten students by reducing instances of elopement and ensuring secure
transitions between locations. - Lowville Academy and Central School, $1,500 to help address a growing mental health crisis among students. Funding will help bring speakers to the school to present age-appropriate content and promote healthy life choices.
- South Jefferson Central School District, $1,500 to help South Jefferson Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) enhance school safety and foster a culture of respect, responsible decision-making, and mental wellness.
- Carthage Central School District, $1,500 to support anti-bullying presentations for elementary and middle school students.
- Sackets Harbor Central School District, $1,500 to help provide bullying prevention, suicide prevention, and education on digital citizenship.
- Watertown City School District, $1,300 to help increase student awareness of human and sex trafficking through a schoolwide assembly.
- Copenhagen Central School District, $1,000 to help purchase an AED for the elementary school wing.
About the Safe Schools Endeavor
In the days that followed the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that left 14 students and three staff members dead, and 17 others wounded, a group of North Country
residents were called to act in their own communities in Jefferson and Lewis counties.
While school safety leads many discussions across the country, the Safe Schools Endeavor was created to encourage change at a very local level. Its founding members believe our children are our most precious resource and should never worry for their safety at school.
With generous support from the Northern New York Community Foundation, a $20,000 matching grant for all gifts made in support of the initiative was announced and a focused effort to seek donations soon began. The movement struck a chord with many Northern New Yorkers who quickly gave to the effort and met the matching challenge, confirming a guiding philosophy that together “A Few Can Make a Difference.”
A 15-member, all-volunteer Steering Committee leads the Safe Schools Endeavor. Committee members are parents, school officials, nonprofit executives, and retirees. They include:
Erika Flint, executive director, Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, and Safe Schools Endeavor Steering Committee chairwoman; Jessica Bowline, president, Indigo Inkwell; Sarah Colligan, chief human resources officer, Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County; Andrianna Crawford, counselor, Lowville Academy and Central School; Brittney Fults, teacher, Carthage Central; Brigitte Gillette, counselor, Copenhagen Central; Marjorie LaVere, administrative assistant, Jefferson County Public Defender’s Office; Todd Lighthall, executive director, Camp Oswegatchie, and Beaver River Central School Board of Education member; Angela Matthews, LCSW, behavioral health consultant, Guthrie Ambulatory Health Clinic, Fort Drum; Rebecca Paté-Johnson, Head Start family advocate, Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County; Officer Shane Ryan, Watertown City Schools school resource officer, Watertown City Police Department; Kylie Simpson, probation officer, Lewis County Probation Department; Stephen Todd, superintendent, Jeff-Lewis BOCES; Skyler Tuttle, school safety officer, Lowville Academy and Central School; and Talitha Workman, preschool teacher and advancement director, Augustinian Academy.
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.