Our Mission, Vision, & Values and Our Strategic Plan Goals Plus Our Grant Making Philosophy

Our Grant Making Philosophy

Our Community Foundation makes grants that address community needs and bring about positive change. We strive to make grants that adhere to our values and principles.

Our Values

Community
Engagement
Integrity
Racial Equity
Relationships
Social Justice

Values Aligned Philanthropy Statement

As a community foundation, it is our obligation to you to respond to the growing concern about the issue of funding hate and extremism. Part of our responsibility is to provide all donors with opportunities to gain experience and to practice philanthropy which prevents support of hate and activities which increase suffering, especially in marginalized communities surviving from generations of compounded trauma.

To this end, we honor the fundamental value and dignity of all members of our community and will not support, fund, or engage with organizations (through donor-advised recommendations or any other grantmaking processes) that attack or dehumanize people and communities based on race, color, religion, gender, immigration status, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation (this list is non-exhaustive). These activities are contrary to our mission. CLICK the Values Aligned Philanthropy Statement heading above to read the full statement.

Grant Agreement Attestations

In order to receive any grant, all grantees must confirm that they can attest to a variety of requirements including Attribution, Tax Exempt Status, and Grant Purpose among many.

Each grantee must be able to agree to the following statement:

My organization does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of
race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry),
disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or
operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection
of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Grant Making By Fund Type

Our philosophy guides all of our grant making from all fund types. This includes our Tompkins Today and Tomorrow Fund as well as from our Field of Interest Funds such as the Women’s Fund and Children & Youth Fund.

Grant making from donor advised funds reflects the charitable goals of individual donor advisors and represent both donor advisor initiated grants as well as their responses to grant cycle applications.

Grant making from field of interest funds reflects the specific topic for which the fund was created and may also reflect the guidance of field of interest fund community volunteers as well as our Community Impact Committee.

Grant making from agency/designated funds reflects the beneficiary organizations named at the time of fund creation.

Our Grant Making Commitments

1. Our grant-making priorities reflect our analysis and evaluation of information gained from Listening & Learning sessions and feedback from grantees and community members.

2. We are committed to active and ongoing collaborative relationships with grant applicants and Tompkins County funders.

3. Our grant review process engages diverse groups of community members in thoughtful discussions leading to funding decisions.

Our active participation in the Tompkins County Funders Group and the NY Funders Alliance uniquely position us to be of service to grant seekers and to donors alike. We continually seek to expand our role as a locally based, well-informed, professionally accredited supporter of the community by adding our knowledge to donor values and intent for grant making with maximum beneficial impact.