Deadline: 7-Feb-25
The Adirondack Foundation is currently accepting applications for its Generous Acts Grant Program to address needs and identify opportunities where philanthropic dollars can make a positive difference.
Focus Areas
- Generous Acts grants are single-year competitive awards focused on meeting pressing needs or investing in long-term change in the following areas:
- Basic Needs: Their vision for Basic Needs is that residents of all ages have equitable access to services that enable and promote a healthy quality of life. They seek to strengthen the social safety net, assist with emergency relief, ensure access to quality support networks – from home health aides to child care to financial literacy, and more.
- Educational Pathways: Their two-part vision for Educational Pathways is that all children benefit from high-quality early learning and development, and all learners have meaningful opportunities to pursue pathways to gainful employment and fulfilling lives. They seek to foster a systems-approach for cradle-to-career education, support early childhood development, invest in career-preparedness, bolster life-skills and basic literacy, and more.
- Economic Vitality: Their vision for Economic Vitality is that thriving communities provide equitable and just economic opportunity, build generational wealth, attract residents and businesses, and inspire community participation. They seek to invest in towns and villages for regional supply, support workforce development and business sustainability, retain residents and encourage people to move here, and more.
Funding Information
- Generous Acts awards both small grants that range from $2,500 – $7,500 and several larger grants that invest in long-term change and range from $10,000 – $20,000.
Expected Outcomes
- Basic Needs:
- Expand and strengthen the Social Safety Net
- Provide resources to assist with emergency relief
- Educational Pathways:
- Foster a system approach for cradle to career education
- Support early childhood development
- Invest in Career Preparedness
- Early Childhood Services and Learning
- Education to Career Support
- Economic Vitality:
- Invest in towns and villages for regional uplift
- Support workforce development and business sustainability
- Retain residents and encourage people to move here
- Workforce Housing Development
- Small Business Development
- Workforce Development to increase economic mobility
- Empower Communities for Success
Eligibility Criteria
- They are committed to partnering with nonprofit organizations, schools and municipalities located in or serving the people of the Adirondack Region, defined for this purpose as all of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton counties as well as the parts of Herkimer, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties within the Adirondack Park boundary.
Evaluation Criteria
- Applications are evaluated based on four main criteria. In addition to their evaluation criteria please review the specific priority area guidance for promising approaches that they fund in the basic needs, educational pathways, and economic vitality:
- Alignment: The degree to which the request aligns with Adirondack Foundations priority areas.
- Need: Articulation of need (e.g., working to address inequality, reaching an underserved population). The request connects with the larger problem you are trying to solve, need you are addressing, or change you’d like to affect in the community you serve.
- Impact: The degree to which the applicant leverages partnerships, community resources, and outside funding to maximize impact and the extent to which the expected outcomes and plan for measuring success are clear and feasible.
- Capacity: The applicant has the skills, capacity, and knowledge to carry out the work.
For more information, visit Adirondack Foundation.
