Philanthropy Magnified - December 2017

Philanthropy Magnified Impact Report

December 2017

Opportunities Abound,

Gratitude Overflows!

AMAZING! Another $100,000 Donor

The beauty of this season is the tradition of giving. Community Foundation is proud to announce another anonymous donor has gifted $100,000 to create a new endowment that will support women's and children's projects in the local nonprofit organizations and $10,000 to existing field of interest funds.

The gift is targeted to help the most vulnerable where the need seems the most pressing, administered by Community Foundation's board of directors.

"This gift represents a great addition to our effort to build an endowment that provides focus yet is flexible and responsive to changing needs," said George Ferrari, CEO of Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

The anonymous donors said they were pretty clear they had learned a lot about the Community Foundation in short period of time and were thankful for the "great work the Foundation is doing for our community."

"We are grateful for these donors," said Randy Ehrenberg, current board chair. "Every dollar of this gift will promote the healthy development of children and enable, empower and honor women as leaders."

Celebrating 2017 and 2018 Board Members

Board Chairperson Randy Ehrenberg

We acknowledge, with gratitude those board members completing service in 2017 and we welcome with appreciation new board members joining our continuing members for 2018.

Those completing service in 2017 are Rick Banks, Fabina Colon, Jeff Dobbin, Randy Ehrenberg (Immediate Past Chairperson), Bill Murphy, and Nancy Potter.

Elected to the board for a first three year term are Nicole Eversley-Bradwell, Director, Admissions at Ithaca College, Keith McCafferty , Counsel at Hancock Estabrook, Ben Renberg , Senior Associate Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development at Cornell University, Michelle Rios-Dominguez , Associate Director, Provost and Educational Affairs at Ithaca College and Stephanie Wiles , Director of the Johnson Art Museum at Cornell University.

More board info at: Board Biographies

2018 Grants Calendar

Community Foundation offers 4 grant cycles:

1) Library Grant Cycle (Eligible applicants are the 33 libraries within the Finger Lakes Library System in Cayuga, Cortland, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins counties)

Applications Due February 1, 2018

2) Spring Grant Cycle (Serving Broome and Tompkins County with specific designations)

Applications Due March 1, 2018

3) Women's Fund Grant Cycle (Serving Women in Tompkins County)

Applications Due September 5, 2018

4) Fall Grant Cycle (A two year grant cycle in 2017 and 2018 funding from 2017 applications in Tompkins County)

No new applications in 2018

If a request does not fit with an existing grant cycle priority, consider submitting an Out of Cycle Request, which are shared with fund advisors twice annually on May 16 and October 25, 2018.

More info at: Grant Opportunities

GiveLocal with Women's Fund Grantees

photo credit: Casey Martin

Of all the positive drivers of change in the local community, it can be argued the work empowered by funds from the Community Foundation may have some of the most pronounced influence in improving the quality of people's lives right here in Tompkins County.

Considered one of the most pronounced philanthropic organizations in Tompkins County, the Community Foundation finances a plethora of other non-profits through its numerous funds and mission-based accounts in order to encourage a sort of "ripple effect" from the community's foundation (get it?) that, eventually, have very pronounced implications on the big picture.

This year, the foundation's Women's Fund - a fund specifically dedicated to groups serving women in Tompkins County - distributed more than $20,000 to seven non-profit groups whose missions directly benefit the needs of women in Tompkins County.

"The specific focus of the Women's Fund are the needs of women and girls in Tompkins County," said Stephanie Bailey, Chair of the Women's Fund Advisory Committee. "We get a lot of applications from different organizations, but all of them have this direct focus. It really ranges from all ages, from young girls to older women.