Funding Will Help Local Organizations with Wide Range of Quality-of-Life Initiatives
ADAMS — Seven nonprofit organizations serving residents of six southern Jefferson County communities will share $7,500 in grant funding to support projects and initiatives that strengthen the quality of life across the region.
The following grants were awarded:
- Henderson Historical Society — $2,000 to help restore the siding on its 184-year-old building that was once a Universalist church. Grant support will serve as catalyst funding to begin the first side of the building.
- Lorraine Volunteer Fire Company — $2,000 to secure an updated AED that is compatible with partner agency South Jefferson Rescue Squad that will support emergency calls during the year. The fire company serves two towns, more than 1,200 people and responds to a more than 80-mile radius.
- Henderson Harbor Water Sports Programs — $1,000 to support a water and boat safety and basic swimming education program for children ages 5 to 15 at its lakefront venue.
- South Jefferson Back Pack Program — $1,000 to help strengthen food inventory for South Jefferson Central School students and families in need. To date, 60 families are provided backpacks of food each weekend, impacting approximately 180 children.
- Belleville Philomathean Free Library — $500 to help expand and update second-floor space in its present location. The library envisions the space being used as a community center and meeting venue for local Boy and Girl Scouts, youth groups, Union Academy Board, and others.
- Six Town Chamber of Commerce — $500 to help deliver holiday meals to senior citizens across the Six Town area. The organization partners with the Adams American Legion, South Jefferson Central School, and US Foods to deploy approximately 500 meals each December.
- Volunteer Transportation Center Foundation — $500 to support mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers who provide essential and non-emergent medical transportation for residents in Six Town communities.
“We are pleased to support seven different organizations that work hard to improve the quality of life for Six Town residents,” said Barb Greene, Six Town Community Fund committee chair. “It is wonderful to see gifts made by people who love the Six Town area put to work in such a meaningful way. We appreciate all that our donors have done to build a permanent endowment that will forever support our communities.”
Grant awards are made possible thanks to many generous donors who continue to support the Six Town Community Fund and its efforts to strengthen southern Jefferson County’s Six Town region.
The Six Town Community Fund was established in 2013 through the generosity of many donors, matched by the Community Foundation, as a permanent, charitable resource to support organizations that serve southern Jefferson County.
The Community Foundation awarded a $30,000 matching grant to the Community Fund in 2023 to double gifts to its “Sixty for Six Town” campaign in celebration of its 10th anniversary. As of this month, the matching challenge is within 5 percent of its goal with generous gifts from individual donors, businesses, and organizations. Visit bit.ly/60-for-six-town to make a secure online gift to the Six Town Community Fund and double your impact.
Since its inception, the community fund has awarded $46,130 in grant funding to 27 nonprofit organizations to assist with 46 different community projects and programs. These have included community improvement projects, youth programs, arts and cultural events, equipment purchases, and facility upgrades. Projects are evaluated based on their overall community benefit, effective use of grant money, and the ability of the applicant to successfully implement the project.
The community fund is focused on enhancing the quality of life in the towns of Adams, Ellisburg, Henderson, Lorraine, Rodman, and Worth. The next grant application period will be made available in mid-August with proposals due Friday, Oct. 25. Contact Max DelSignore, 315-782-7110, or max@nnycf.org, to learn more about the Six Town Community Fund.
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.