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Northern New York Community Foundation

Northern New York Community Foundation

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  • Nonprofits
    • Apply for a Grant
    • 2023 Grant Opportunities
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  • Programs
    • Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge
    • Youth Philanthropy Council
    • LEAD Council
      • Canstruction for Northern New York

Milestones

Celebrating 90 years of Community giving in 2019

1929 – 2010

1929 Incorporated as the Watertown Foundation

In the 1930s and 1940s the Foundation grew slowly but steadily.

1930 The Foundation held its first board meeting on January 15. David M. Anderson was elected its first president and Bernard Gray, one of the original proponents of the Foundation, was appointed the executive secretary. Gray would serve in this capacity for the next 35 years.

1934 The first bequest was received from the estate of DeWitt C. Middleton. The first grant for $1,000 was made to the Watertown Community Chest.

1935 Grants were made to the Visiting Nurse Association and the local chapter of the Boy Scouts.

1937 Mercy Hospital’s Children’s Division and the Girl Scouts Association were grant recipients.

1939 An Education Loan Program was established. The first loans were made to Arthur C. Stever, Jr. ($250) and Robert J. Doran ($150).

1941 The Foundation contributed to the war effort with grants to the Jefferson County War Chest.

1944 Grants in excess of $3,000 were given to the American Red Cross.

1945 A $500 grant was made to the YMCA for rehabilitation of its building; education loans were increased to $500 each; $1,500 was pledged to the House of the Good Samaritan Building Fund.

1946 A $175 loan to Clark Hamlin was forgiven because he had been badly wounded in the war. (Mr. Hamlin went on to become clerk of the Jefferson County Board, forerunner of the County Manager’s position.)

1947-50 The Foundation’s college loan program continued to assist returning veterans with educational expenses.

1949 A trust was established under the will of Mary S. Goodale for Jefferson County Sanatorium patients.

The 1950s saw an increase in grants to medical and human service organizations.

1952 Grants were made to the Infantile Paralysis organization and the Watertown Group for Retarded Children.

1955 The first grant was made to the Jefferson County Mental Health Association.

In the 1960s total student loans reached $138,370, awarded to 126 students.

1964 The fair market value of trusts held for the Foundation was $787,864.

1972 A lead grant of $100,000 was provided for the Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library addition.

This period saw the replacement of the education loan program with one of scholarships.

1978 The Herring College Scholarship Program was established by court order; the Foundation funded the Fort Drum feasibility study.

1981 A fund was established for the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra to provide five concerts a year in the Watertown area.

1986 A grant of $100,000 helped to establish Hospice of Jefferson County.

1988 Lewis County became part of our service area and the Foundation’s name was changed to the Northern New York Community Foundation, Inc.

The 1990s marked a period of unprecedented growth.

1992 Assets were valued at $9.5 million.

During the Foundation’s sixth decade $9.7 million in gifts and bequests was received and $11.7 million in grants was spent including:

1992 $250,000 to Samaritan Medical Center for a new emergency room.

1996 100,000 to establish an internet program in area libraries (several years before Bill Gates initiated a similar program).

1997-03 The first Lewis County bequests were received from Robert F. Breeze, establishing a scholarship program for Lowville Academy graduates, and Dorothy A. Arthur, to support Lewis County charitable organizations.

$1.2 million in food was given to food pantries and soup kitchens over 5 years.

1999 $500,000, the Foundation’s largest grant, was provided to the Watertown Family YMCA for its new addition.

2001 $300,000 matching grant to establish an endowment for the Thompson Park Conservancy.

As of January 1, 2004 the Foundation’s assets were $24,682,151 and the value of outside trusts was $4,194,236.

2004 $350,000 was given to the North Country Children’s Clinic and $250,000 to Flower Memorial Library for capital campaigns, the largest amount ever granted in a single funding cycle.

2005 The Foundation received its largest gift from a living donor – $2,500,000. Foundation assets climbed to nearly $30 million.

2006 The Foundation received nearly $2.75 million from the estate of Sidney T. Cox. Scholarship awards for the academic year totaled over $525,000.

2007 The Foundation made its largest grant ever, $1.5 million, to Samaritan Medical Center. Foundation assets reached $40 million.

2008 The Foundation expanded its presence in St. Lawrence County and awarded its first scholarships to St. Lawrence County students.

Northern New York Community Foundation

131 Washington Street
Watertown, NY 13601

Phone: 315-782-7110
Fax: 315-782-0047

info@nnycf.org

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Northern New York Community Foundation

Northern New York Community Foundation

3,284

Working with donors to benefit the community through grants and scholarships since 1929.

Meet Taya Coller, an eighth grader at Edwards-Knox Central School District.

For Taya, “Community means teamwork and people helping other people. When people are a part of a community, they look out for each other and work together.”

“In my community neighbors help each other,” Taya wrote in her winning essay. “Our hospital helps people recover from injury or disease.”

As a 2021-2022 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Taya had a chance to present a grant to the St. Lawrence Health Foundation at Gouverneur Hospital, an organization she chose for its work to help those in the community who need it most. 

“Gouverneur Hospital best embodies my definition of community because it helps make the community a better place by looking out for other people,” Taya wrote. “For example, the hospital vaccinates people to try to help stop the spread of diseases like the flu, and hospital workers work together as one big team.” 

Taya met had a chance to meet Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital vice president for nursing, and present a $500 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the hospital continue its critical work. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor. 

Pictured, from left, Diane Easton, Community Bank branch manager; Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital; and Taya Coller, Edwards-Knox Central School eighth grader and Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner.

Taya is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside her community to help an organization that works to improve quality of life for its residents. The 2021-2022 Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Taya’s essay is one of 20 chosen from 193 submissions.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.

#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit

Meet Taya Coller, an eighth grader at Edwards-Knox Central School District.

For Taya, “Community means teamwork and people helping other people. When people are a part of a community, they look out for each other and work together.”

“In my community neighbors help each other,” Taya wrote in her winning essay. “Our hospital helps people recover from injury or disease.”

As a 2021-2022 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Taya had a chance to present a grant to the St. Lawrence Health Foundation at Gouverneur Hospital, an organization she chose for its work to help those in the community who need it most.

“Gouverneur Hospital best embodies my definition of community because it helps make the community a better place by looking out for other people,” Taya wrote. “For example, the hospital vaccinates people to try to help stop the spread of diseases like the flu, and hospital workers work together as one big team.”

Taya met had a chance to meet Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital vice president for nursing, and present a $500 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the hospital continue its critical work. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor.

Pictured, from left, Diane Easton, Community Bank branch manager; Christina Latta, Gouverneur Hospital; and Taya Coller, Edwards-Knox Central School eighth grader and Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner.

Taya is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside her community to help an organization that works to improve quality of life for its residents. The 2021-2022 Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Taya’s essay is one of 20 chosen from 193 submissions.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.

#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit
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Meet Aidan O’Shaughnessy, a Watertown City School District seventh grader at Case Middle School Case Middle School.

For Aidan, “A community is a group of diverse people that are brought together by where they live, as well as religion, school, and sports. People in a community care about each other and share common interests.” 

As a 2022-2023 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Aidan had a chance to present a grant to Watertown Urban Mission, an organization he chose for its work to strengthen the quality of life in the community. 

“The Urban Mission makes Watertown a better place. Some people in our community face big challenges. The winters are long and cold, and some people may not have the resources to stay warm. The people at Urban Mission help find them a warm place to sleep and provide them with housing assistance,” Aidan wrote in his winning essay. “They provide so much to the community that they need as much support as they can get.”

Aidan recently met with Urban Mission Executive Director Cherelyn VanBrocklin and presented a $1,000 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the nonprofit continue its vital work and mission. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor. 

Pictured, from left, Aidan’s mother, Colleen O’Shaughnessy; brothers Sam and William Considine; father, Matthew Considine; Case Middle School student and Youth Giving Challenge winner Aidan O’Shaughnessy; Watertown Urban Mission Executive Director Cherelyn VanBrocklin; and Community Bank representative Cheyanne Blundon.

Aidan is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside his community to recognize an organization that works to improve quality of life locally. The 2022-2023 Youth Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Aidan s essay is one of 10 chosen from 124 submissions that came from 11 different tri-county schools.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.
#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit

Meet Aidan O’Shaughnessy, a Watertown City School District seventh grader at Case Middle School Case Middle School.

For Aidan, “A community is a group of diverse people that are brought together by where they live, as well as religion, school, and sports. People in a community care about each other and share common interests.”

As a 2022-2023 Northern New York Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner, Aidan had a chance to present a grant to Watertown Urban Mission, an organization he chose for its work to strengthen the quality of life in the community.

“The Urban Mission makes Watertown a better place. Some people in our community face big challenges. The winters are long and cold, and some people may not have the resources to stay warm. The people at Urban Mission help find them a warm place to sleep and provide them with housing assistance,” Aidan wrote in his winning essay. “They provide so much to the community that they need as much support as they can get.”

Aidan recently met with Urban Mission Executive Director Cherelyn VanBrocklin and presented a $1,000 Youth Giving Challenge grant that will help the nonprofit continue its vital work and mission. The grant is supported by donors to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund, a partnership with Community Bank, N.A., and a leadership gift from an anonymous donor.

Pictured, from left, Aidan’s mother, Colleen O’Shaughnessy; brothers Sam and William Considine; father, Matthew Considine; Case Middle School student and Youth Giving Challenge winner Aidan O’Shaughnessy; Watertown Urban Mission Executive Director Cherelyn VanBrocklin; and Community Bank representative Cheyanne Blundon.

Aidan is one of dozens of thoughtful youths who looked inside his community to recognize an organization that works to improve quality of life locally. The 2022-2023 Youth Giving Challenge asked students from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties to explain in an essay what community means to them and to choose a nonprofit that embodies their definition of community. Aidan 's essay is one of 10 chosen from 124 submissions that came from 11 different tri-county schools.

Look for more photos and stories behind the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge in the coming weeks.
#NNYCF #ThoughtfulGiving #YouthGivingChallenge #CommunitySpirit
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4 days ago
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Jeannette Remp Sawyer passed away in 2015, and her husband, Kenneth V. Sawyer in 2008. This year, they will award up to $60,000 to nonprofits working to strengthen the quality of life for residents of the communities they cherished during their lifetimes.

Nonprofit organizations that serve Boonville, Constableville, and Westernville, should apply for 2023 grant support from the Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund through the Community Foundation's online Grant Lifecycle Manager portal by Friday, April 21.

Complete details: www.nnycf.org/sawyer-fund-2023-#NNYCFN#thoughtfullegaciesacies
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Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund Accepting Grant Proposals for 2023 Support

www.nnycf.org

Kenneth V. and Jeannette Remp Sawyer Community Fund Accepting Grant Proposals for 2023 Support March 22, 2023 By admin Up to $60,000 Available for Nonprofits Serving Three Communities WATERTOWN — No...
5 days ago
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