Tag Archive for "Adirondack Foundation"

Adirondack Foundation this year awarded a record $900,000 in Generous Acts grants to meet pressing needs and drive positive change in local communities across the Adirondack region. This represents an eightfold increase in Generous Acts grant dollars from five years ago.

Of the 110 grant recipients, 60 percent are serving people who are living at or below the federal poverty level. Three-quarters of the successful applicants indicate that receiving a Generous Acts grant will help them leverage additional funds for their work.

Committees made up of Adirondack Foundation board members, community members and staff reviewed and evaluated the applications.

“It is clear that our local communities are still addressing fallout from the pandemic,” said Nancy Monette, Adirondack Foundation trustee and grants committee chair. “We saw lots of applications related to mental health counseling, food assistance, summer programs for teens to reconnect with their peers, as well as heightened emphasis on vital community connections and hubs.”

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Adirondack Birth to Three Alliance addresses health, wellbeing of infants/toddlers in the Adirondacks

A new report shines a spotlight on the health and wellbeing of young children and their families in the Adirondack region. The Adirondack Birth to Three Alliance, hosted by Adirondack Foundation, today unveiled the study, “The Wellbeing of Infants and Toddlers in the Adirondacks,” which provides a comprehensive analysis across the three categories: Strong Families, Healthy Children and High-Quality Early Learning.

This pioneering study, now in its second edition, emphasizes that the first 1,000 days are the most influential in a child’s development. Moreover, the data reveals that early experiences influence children’s brain development, overall health and their long-term success in school and life. The Adirondack Birth to Three Alliance asserts that investing in the early education sector, healthcare systems and other service providers will help ensure that children and families thrive both socially and economically.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

2022 marks Adirondack Foundation’s 25th anniversary

The Adirondack Foundation’s President & CEO, Cali Brooks, shared the following message to the foundation’s supporters, partners and friends as foundation staff celebrate their 25th anniversary this year.

“2022 marks The Adirondack Foundation’s 25th anniversary,” Brooks said. “As we celebrate and reflect on a quarter century of enhancing the lives of people in the Adirondacks through philanthropy, we are thankful for all of you – our supporters, partners, and grantees who have helped to make our work possible. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating this milestone throughout the year. Stay tuned for more and be sure to hold Friday, August 12th for our summer celebration of community at Heaven Hill Farm in Lake Placid. As we look back, we also look ahead to our next 25 years of working toward our vision for a thriving Adirondacks – one where communities are strong, just, and inclusive; family wellbeing is supported through quality healthcare and education; economic vitality is supported through workforce training and entrepreneurship; nature is protected and cared for; and arts and cultural opportunities are available to all. How can we set the stage for this next chapter in our history?

By working alongside our amazing partners to drive equitable prosperity in communities where our neighbors live, work, and raise their families. By constantly adapting to the evolving needs and opportunities of the region we serve. By being nimble and innovative day in and day out to ensure families have the tools and resources they need to overcome income, housing, and other barriers. And by bridging our knowledge, networks, and experience with the generosity of our neighbors to amplify community needs and accelerate change. As your community foundation, we play a unique role across the region. We hope you will join us in setting the stage for the years ahead.”

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Generous Acts grants available

Tuesday. January 11 – Online Event via Zoom

Generous Acts at Adirondack Foundation is now accepting applications.

Interested nonprofits, schools, and communities working to promote basic needs, educational pathways, and economic vitality + civic engagement in the Adirondack region are welcome and encouraged to apply. The application will remain open and available online until 5 pm on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.
Start Your Application Here

Not sure how to get started? Looking for tips? We’re here to help!

We’ll be hosting the following virtual information session to provide the opportunity to ask questions and learn about this year’s application. RSVP and find out more information by clicking the link:

Can’t make it to our information session?
Check out the application instructions and FAQs on our website. If you have additional questions, please feel free to call the office at 518.523.9904 or contact us via email at the link below to learn more about Generous Acts and whether your work may be a fit.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Essex resident lauded for lifetime of community service

ESSEX — Longtime Essex volunteer Ron Jackson received the Francisca Irwin Award for Community Service at an Aug. 24 ceremony. The award, named for Francisca “Frisky” Paine Irwin, was presented to Jackson by the Essex Community Fund at Adirondack Foundation.

Jackson was recognized for over seven decades of selfless service to his community. As part of the award, he was given $1,000 from the Essex Community Fund to donate to a charity of his choosing — the Essex Volunteer Fire Department.

“I caught community service from my family,” Jackson said, “and it has stuck.”

Over 60 of Jackson’s friends and neighbors joined him for the reception, hosted at the CFES Brilliant Pathways Center in Essex. He is the third recipient of the Irwin Community Service Award since it was established in 2019; Donna Sonnett and Sally Johnson are previous recipients.

Sunday, October 31, 2021

New staff added to Adirondack nonprofits

Here’s a round up of recent new hires at nonprofits around the Adirondack region:

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Smart Philanthropy in 2021: Strategic Giving as Tax Rules Change

Philanthropy drives so much good in the Adirondack region. Join Adirondack Foundation on Thursday, November 4 at 10 am for “Smart Philanthropy in 2021,” a special webinar that will highlight charitable giving strategies and expected tax law changes ahead. During the session, you’ll hear from the following experts:

Lea Paine Highet, Adirondack Foundation Trustee, CFP® professional and Principal, Douglas Winthrop Advisors, LLC
Jeff Hamond, Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates, a government relations practice focused on philanthropy
Jill Beier, Attorney, Founder of Beier and Associates – Estate Planning, Tax Matters, Charitable Giving

Here are three reasons to attend:

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Spirit of Generosity: Let’s Show Our Community Support

The Adirondack region embodies the Spirit of Generosity. From volunteering to making gifts that empower nonprofit organizations to do their best work, it’s clear community is what makes this a special place.

Saturday, September 11, 2021

Spirit of Generosity: Great Futures

“Your future is created by what you do today.”

This simple message appears in the entryway of the Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club — it’s also a through-line of our summer-long Spirit of Generosity series: making the decision to give back, even in a small way, has ripple effects that can last for generations.

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Spirit of Generosity: Lesser-Known Nonprofits Have a Big Impact

The Adirondack region is fortunate to have a robust nonprofit sector that focuses on a range of issues and needs, from environmental protection and education to support for the business sector, social services, and much more. Many of these organizations are well-known, but we must not overlook the big impact that some of the more off-the-radar groups have in strengthening their communities and maintaining and improving quality of life for all. These community organizations embody the Spirit of Generosity, working in a smaller geographic area or with a more targeted demographic to serve the unique needs of individuals or families. They tend to be the kind of organizations that people don’t know about until they have a reason to find them.

The North Country Association for the Visually Impaired (NCAVI), for example, provides free assistance to people of all ages who suffer from a visual impairment. And while the needs of the people they serve may be more targeted, their scope is broad, reaching more than 200 people per year across a 7,550 square mile territory that includes Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and St. Lawrence counties.

Saturday, August 28, 2021

Spirit of Generosity: Giving for the Greater Good

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For some folks, the Spirit of Generosity means supporting the things that matter to them in the present, and making sure their communities continue to have support in perpetuity.

Janice Marchut Conrad and Dr. Peter Conrad, retired scientists and plant biologists who live in Beekmantown, spent much of their lives and distinguished careers on university campuses across the country – from New Hampshire and Massachusetts to Wisconsin and Texas, before returning to the Northeast for positions at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Along the way, they’ve served their country and community in a variety of ways: Peter in the United States Army, and both through higher education and research, as well as stints on zoning boards and nonprofit boards, including Mountain Lake PBS and Literacy Volunteers, and volunteering at local animal shelters.

Saturday, August 21, 2021

Spirit of Generosity: Helping Seniors Age in Place

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Earlier this summer, we highlighted the ways in which the Spirit of Generosity is working to uplift early child care services across the Adirondack region — it’s also helping aging adults improve physical and social health outcomes.

There’s good work happening in senior care everywhere, but in particular the Sleeping Giants program — established in Minerva in 1969 — provides meaningful connections for seniors living in this remote town with a population of approximately 800.

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Spirit of Generosity: Doing Business, for Good

Nancy Monette. Photo by Erika Bailey, provided by Adirondack Foundation

For Malone residents Bruce and Nancy Monette, their businesses are inextricably tied to the people in the Adirondack region who they have had long connections to as neighbors, employees, or customers. With their business growth came their Spirit of Generosity.

Nancy — who, in the interest of full disclosure, is a trustee of Adirondack Foundation — always finds time for a visit at her Malone office, a tiny command center tucked into a corner of one of her family’s businesses, a Mountain Mart gas station, Dunkin’ Donuts franchise, and convenience store on Route 11. The store happens to be on what was once the site of the Monette dairy farm owned by Bruce’s family. Entrepreneurial and community oriented, she and Bruce have developed with his brothers a multifaceted company that started with Adirondack Energy, a fuel oil delivery business Bruce began in the late 1980s.

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Spirit of Generosity: Investing in Our Food Systems

Steven Googin and Ashlee Kleinhammer of North Country Creamery in Keeseville. Erika Bailey photo, provided by Adirondack Foundation

It started with Emergency Food Packages spearheaded by AdkAction. These packages, filled with local food – including organic yogurt, apples, granola, carrots, greens, eggs, and more – were assembled at Hub on the Hill in Essex and delivered to the doorsteps of people who were experiencing economic hardship as far away as Tupper Lake and Malone. The packages came at a time when local farmers were losing wholesale business revenue as schools and restaurants paused for health and safety reasons.The quantities needed for the packages compensated for these losses and helped to keep farmers in business.

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Spirit of Generosity: Supporting Child Care

Katie Falzetta and her family. Photo by Erika Bailey, provided by Adirondack Foundation

Across the Adirondack region, individuals, businesses, organizations, and communities have continuously demonstrated their Spirit of Generosity by investing in one of our most pressing needs: early childhood education. But there’s still much to be done.

Finding affordable child care is a challenge for nearly everyone, but especially so for single-parent households and working families with mid to low-wage jobs. Adirondack Foundation, through its Birth to Three Alliance, has heard countless stories of parents who struggle to balance work with raising their children — and in many cases, the two things are inseparable.