$10,000 Allocated for Efforts Led by WPBS-TV, Jeff-Lewis BOCES
WATERTOWN — The Jefferson Economic Development Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation recently awarded $10,000 in grant support to two community projects.
A $6,000 award to WPBS-TV will support its GPS For Success initiative, which is an online resource that provides educational information to encourage local career exploration by Northern New York students and adult learners. The website offers a wide range of research, data, and videos highlighting 16 professional careers relevant to the North Country. In collaboration with other local partners, WPBS is building a platform to feature soft skills such as résumé writing and entrepreneurship. This grant will support a module focused on critical interview fundamentals, while also helping to develop complementary materials for students and teachers.
A $4,000 grant will be awarded to Jefferson-Lewis BOCES to purchase equipment to produce a student-driven video series highlighting features of career and technical education. Educators and staff will work with students to generate creative, online content that explains local vocational and trade professions to the broader community. Technical centers in the two counties will share the equipment.
“We are pleased to see the recently established fund deploying resources that make investments that have the potential to continue to build strength and capacity for the workforce of the future and invest in programs that can help increase the awareness of career paths right here in our local communities,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director.
The Jefferson Economic Development Fund was established at the Community Foundation to support programs, projects and efforts that help stimulate economic development and promote general welfare in Jefferson County. The fund was originally created and administered by the Jefferson County Chambers of Commerce in 1958. A group of regional business leaders created the nonprofit entity to help encourage economic development and growth. The Community Foundation now stewards the charitable fund.
The Foundation encourages Jefferson County nonprofits each year to consider this funding opportunity if your organization’s mission and work may include, but is not limited to: Workforce development, initiatives that aim to improve the general health and economic well-being of residents, strengthening access to arts, culture, educational experiences, social impact, community leadership, and more.
Contact the Community Foundation, 315-782-7110, or visit nnycf.org to learn more about the Jefferson Economic Development.
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.