Three School Districts Earn a Share of $5,000 in Grant Funding for Increasing Student Participation in Scholarship Program

     WATERTOWN — Three school districts across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties were recently named winners of the Community Foundation’s Class of 2026 Scholarship Challenge and earned a share of $5,000 in grant funding.

     The school districts — one in each county the Community Foundation serves — each received a $1,000 grant. One of the three $1,000 winners also was awarded the top Scholarship Challenge grant of $2,000.

     Jefferson County’s Sackets Harbor School District is the top grant winner with 71.4 percent, or 20, of its 28 seniors submitting scholarship applications. Sackets also won a $1,000 Scholarship Challenge grant during this year’s first round of awards.

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Applications for 2026 Grant Support Now Open to Qualified Organizations Serving St. Lawrence County Residents 

     WATERTOWN — The Rock Charitable Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation welcomes representatives from qualified charitable organizations, houses of worship, cemeteries, or municipal and governmental entities that serve St. Lawrence County residents to attend one of four grant application workshops in June.

     Applications for 2026 grant support ar enow being accepted. At least $150,000 in competitive funding is available this year. Completed applications are due Friday, September 4, 2026.

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Up to $100,000 in grant funding available this calendar year

     WATERTOWN — The Community Foundation’s CAR-FRESHNER Corporation Charitable Fund welcomes applications for second-quarter grant support. The deadline to apply for second-quarter consideration is Friday, May 29.

     The CAR-FRESHNER Corporation Charitable Fund is designed to support community programs, projects and initiatives that broadly strengthen communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. Up to $100,000 in funding is available for 2026. Organizations receiving funding in 2025 are not eligible to reapply this year.

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Nearly 80 Seventh-, Eighth-, and Ningh-Grade Students Across Three Counties Participate in Ninth Annual Challenge

     WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation is pleased to announce $20,000 in Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge grants to 20 nonprofit organizations that serve Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.

     Now in its ninth year, the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge was open to all tri-county seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade students. This year’s program committee reviewed 79 entries from seventh and eighth graders in 20 different school districts who recommended grants to nearly 70 different organizations that serve residents across the three counties.

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More than 3,300 Food and Hygiene Items Collected to Reduce Food Insecurity

     WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Council is pleased to announce the winners of the fourth “Canstruction for Northern New York” competition to help reduce food insecurity across the region.

     Five participating teams combined to collect more than 3,300 canned goods and other nonperishable food items or hygiene products that will help restock school-based backpack programs and community food pantries in Jefferson and Lewis counties. Additionally, the winning teams will share $1,500 in grant awards to present to two different school-based backpack programs that participants selected.

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