Tri-County 7th- and 8th-Graders Encouraged to Apply No Later Than Monday, Dec. 2
WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation has extended the deadline for seventh- and eighth-graders to enter the 2019-2020 Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge. Completed applications must be received or postmarked by Monday, Dec. 2.
The challenge seeks to engage seventh- and eighth-grade students in exploring their communities as they compete for an opportunity to award a local nonprofit a $500 grant.
This is the third year of the program, which is made possible by generous donors to the Community Foundation’s Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund and a gift from Community Bank, N.A., which supported the program in 2018 as well.
Students presently attending 7th and 8th grades in Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence counties are eligible to compete for a share of $10,000 in total grant awards. Twenty students will be selected to each present a $500 grant to a charitable organization of their choice. The initiative aims to have students explore their view of “community” and select a charitable organization for a grant award that makes their community a great place to live. To enter in the competition, students must complete an essay-based application in writing.
In its first two years, 43 students have been selected to present grants totaling $20,000 to 39 different
nonprofit organizations that serve tri-county residents.
Applications are available online at nnycf.org/givingchallenge, at local schools, or at the Northern New York Community Foundation, 131 Washington St., Watertown. Students selected to award grants in previous years are not eligible to enter.
Entries must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the Community Foundation no later than Monday, Dec. 2, 2019. A grant review committee will judge all entries and determine 20 winning entries for grant awards. Eligible recipient organizations must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence counties.
An announcement of the winning submissions and grant awards will be made in early January after students return from the holiday break. A Community Foundation representative will then contact winning students to schedule them to personally visit their chosen organization and present a grant award.
Contact the Community Foundation, 315-782-7110, or info@nnycf.org, to learn more about the Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge.
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 strategic partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the community. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving 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.