Community Foundation of Tompkins County announces Howland & Community Foundation Grants

      The Community Foundation of Tompkins County is pleased to announce 14 grants totaling over $48,300 of 2010 Helen Thomas Howland Foundation awards to benefit Tompkins and Broome Counties. Six additional requests were selected by Community Foundation donor advisors for grants from the resources of the Community Foundation.

      As administrative agent for the Howland Foundation, the Community Foundation of Tompkins County reviews all applications and makes funding recommendations to the Howland Foundation trustees. The Howland Foundation supports grants in aging services, youth services, animal welfare, and the environment. Grants are limited to qualified nonprofit organizations that provide substantial benefit to these areas.

      The 2010 Howland Foundation grant recipients for aging services are Foodnet Meals on Wheels for a stand-by power generator, and the Kitchen Theatre for audio support for patrons with hearing loss.

      The 2010 grant recipients for youth services are the Tompkins County Public Library for a summer reading program, the History Center for student historians, the Child Development Council for rural transportation, the Trumansburg PTO for playground renovations, and the Trumansburg Central School District Foundation for Trumansburg Kids Explore & Discover.

      The 2010 grant recipient for animal welfare is the SPCA for enhanced spay and neuter services.

      The 2010 grant recipients for environmental programming are the Finger Lakes Land Trust for land acquisition, and WSKG for a new program, Pathways to Understanding.

      Four Howland grants represent creative ways of seeking results in multiple priority areas. They include Southern Tier Advocacy & Mitigation for a youth media collective, Finger Lakes ReUse for their computer reuse center, Growing Hope Together for the Newfield School garden, and Cooperative Extension's Primitive Pursuits for education programs and staff support.

      Community Foundation donor advised grants are awarded to Beechtree Care Center for their Dining at Home project, Family & Children's Service for its children's comprehensive care fund, Alternatives Venture Fund for financial literacy for low income students, Coddington Road Community Center for playground equipment, Cooperative Extension for childcare during parent skills training, and the Advocacy Center for its shelter's playground.

     Since its inception in 2000 the Community Foundation has facilitated more than $2.7 million in investments in the Tompkins County community and beyond from over 920 individual grants.