Permanent charitable resource for Potsdam will help strengthen quality of life for all
WATERTOWN — The Northern New York Community Foundation is pleased to announce the Potsdam Community Fund (PCF), a new charitable endowed fund established in partnership with donors who share a strong commitment to the Potsdam area.
The new Potsdam Community Fund is a permanent philanthropic resource that will support projects, programs, and initiatives that enhance the quality of life in the Potsdam area. The fund will provide grant support for hyper-local projects that would likely not be funded through other means.
Thanks to the generosity of founding donors and Potsdam natives David and Ellen Wagner who provided a $250,000 establishing gift, the Potsdam Community Fund will begin grantmaking this year.
“While we have lived in several college towns, we have always felt Potsdam is a very special place to have begun our journey,” David Wagner said. “For us, it is a vibrant, unique community where we are pleased to be able to be meaningfully involved. We are always proud to claim Potsdam as our hometown.”
About the founding donors
David Wagner is a 1961 graduate of Potsdam High School. He and Ellen met as sixth-grade students in Potsdam. David’s father worked in construction and his mother was a teacher while Ellen’s father was assigned to the Army ROTC unit at Clarkson University.
In their junior year, Ellen moved with her family to Germany but returned two years later to attend SUNY Potsdam, and her parents a year later when her father went to work as the bursar at Clarkson.
Two younger siblings followed them as Sandstoners and subsequently graduated from Potsdam High School. David attended Dartmouth College on a Navy ROTC scholarship and earned a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration. David and Ellen married in 1966 and he served four years in the U.S. Navy.
Together, they raised two children, daughter, Bryn, and son, Ryan, and dedicated 30 years to working at several different colleges and foundations. In 2002, they started Evanston Capital in Chicago and, 24 years later, although retired, they are still involved with the company.
In 2012, David and Ellen partnered with the Community Foundation to establish the Potsdam Educational Opportunities Fund, a community-driven initiative that continues to provide K-12 educators and staff in the Potsdam Central School District with resources to enhance learning experiences that fall outside the standard school curriculum and budget.
Community match and initial grantmaking
In this inaugural year for the Potsdam Community Fund, the Foundation is excited to announce that it has awarded an additional $100,000 as a matching grant, which means all new gifts to the fund will be doubled, dollar-for-dollar.
“It is exciting to be able to launch this new resource, which will have an enduring impact in a broadly specific way on the Potsdam area and those who call it home,” Community Foundation President and CEO Rande S. Richardson said. “Other communities where these funds have been established have shown how they can be a valuable tool to further build civic pride and enhance quality of life in deeply meaningful and lasting ways. We are very grateful that the Wagners chose to partner with us again to forever shape the future of Potsdam.”
The Potsdam Community Fund will support efforts in areas such as education, arts and culture, history, community development and beautification, health and wellness, recreation, and more. Strong consideration is given to creative and innovative opportunities to improve education at all levels. Projects should demonstrate clear local impact and align with community needs. Foundation staff and general grant guidelines will help to identify worthy projects.
It joins other geographic specific community funds at the Foundation, including the Canton Community Fund, Six Town Community Fund and Clifton-Fine Community Fund.
Grants will be awarded annually, and in this first year, up to $20,000 in competitive funding will be made available. The deadline to apply for the initial grantmaking opportunity is Friday, Aug. 14. Eligible nonprofit organizations that serve the Potsdam community may apply through the Community Foundation’s online grant portal at bit.ly/grant-portal.
In addition, to celebrate the launch of the PCF and to recognize the Wagner’s commitment to education, the Foundation is announcing a special pair of grants totaling $10,000 to support Potsdam-based educational initiatives. A $5,000 grant to the Standstoner Foundation will help it reach its current $50,000 matching challenge led by Potsdam’s Class of 1983. A second $5,000 grant to the Class of 2027 at Potsdam High School will encourage their class leadership to come together to recognize and award funding to worthy community organizations.
Potsdam Community Fund grants will be awarded following a competitive grant application process, with input from an Advisory Committee comprised of Potsdam residents. The initial committee includes Village Mayor Alexandra Jacobs Wilke and Potsdam-area residents Amanda Hitterman, Rose Rivezzi, and Mimi Van Deusen.
The Advisory Committee will make grant recommendations to the Foundation’s grants team for review and the Board of Directors for final approval. Grant awards will be announced in early October.
The Foundation will steward and support the Potsdam Community Fund. Individuals, families,
organizations, and businesses are encouraged to make charitable contributions in support of the fund and take advantage of the dollar-for-dollar matching opportunity. There are also naming opportunities available and the ability to make tribute or memorial gifts. Those who wish to join in supporting the fund may make a secure online gift at bit.ly/PotsdamCF or by mail to: Potsdam Community Fund, c/o Northern New York Community Foundation, 131 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601.
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.