The Board of Directors of the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF) recently approved awards totaling $76,752 through two grantmaking programs.
The Community Benefit Grants Program awarded a total of $70,029 to 19 organizations. This program awards grants on a biannual basis for projects that address northern Chautauqua’s current needs and opportunities.
Community Benefit Grants
WCA Home for a Bathroom Renovation Project; Sinclairville 76’ers for a Food Delivery Van; Lutheran Foster Grandparent Program for a Dunkirk Volunteer Recognition Event; Greystone Nature Preservefor a Water Purification System; Brocton Tri-Church Parish for the “Feed Our Children” Program Expansion; City of Dunkirk for the Dunkirk 2017 Great Lakes Experience Festival; Audubon Community Nature for North County Programming; Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County for Teen Activity Nights; Fredonia Chamber of Commerce for a Historic Walking Tour; Chautauqua County Rural Ministry for a Food Panty Database System; Westfield Community Kitchen for a Kitchen Flooring Replacement Project; Westfield Memorial Hospital Foundation to support the Emergency Department Capital Campaign; Dunkirk Historical Lighthousefora Television and Speaker System; Literacy Volunteers for Tutoring Supplies; Chautauqua Adult Day Care for a Wheelchair Van Lift; Cassadaga Lakes Association for an Event Board and Signage; Lakeshore Humane Society for a Memory GardenBench; Lake Shore Family Center for a Quality Stars NY Project; Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy for the Upper Cassadaga Lake Nature Park Project.
The Community Pride Program awarded a total of $6,723 to 5 organizations. Grants are awarded through this program biennially for projects that promote community pride and volunteerism.
Community Pride Grants
Brad Anderson Recognition Committee for a Pedestal Sign Purchase; Citizens for a Better Cassadaga for the Cassadaga Beautification Project; Chautauqua County Rural Ministry for the Herbert Star Raised Bed Garden Project; Silver Creek Hanover Garden Club for a Neighborhood Sign Project; and Mary E. Seymour Library for a Library Landscaping Project.
A volunteer committee of community representatives thoroughly reviews all applications submitted for funding. As a part of the review process, site visits are often conducted to meet the organization’s personnel, hear their story first hand, and review pertinent documents as necessary. The committee then prepares and presents their recommendations to the NCCF Board of Directors. Current Grants Committee members include Helen Baran, Jody Briggs, Jill Casey, Mac Crowe, Marcey Denardo, Ann Eckman, Virginia Harper, James Holton, JoAnn Kaufman, Alex Moss, Alberto Rey, Peter Ryan, Rich Ryan and Kurt Warmbrodt. Peter Ryan serves as chairman of the committee and Kathy Brinkman, NCCF President, also serves on the committee.
Letters of Interest for the next round of funding for the Community Grants Program are due September 1, 2017. The Community Pride Program will be offered again in the spring of 2019. For more information on the NCCF grant programs visit www.nccfoundation.org/grants-programs or contact Eileen Dunn, Program Coordinator at 716-366-4892 or by e-mail at edunn@nccfoundation.org.
The NCCF, incorporated in 1986, is a tax-exempt charitable organization. Since its establishment, the NCCF has distributed more than $12.9 million in the community through its various grant programs. It is an organization inherently committed to enriching the northern Chautauqua community and encouraging local philanthropy. For more information on the NCCF, visit www.nccfoundation.org or call 716-366-4892.