Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley
/OVERVIEW: The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley supports animal welfare, arts and culture, community development, education, food systems and health Dutchess, Putnam, and Ulster Counties in New York.
IP TAKE: This community funder streamlines the applicaton process for its community and donor-advised grants through a single portal, but guidelines and due dates vary by program, so be sure to review program pages carefully before submitting materials. Grants serve a broad range of organizations throughout the Hudson Valley region. Recent areas of strong interest include local arts and culture and sustainable food systems. Its Farm Fresh Food initiative has awarded several multi-year grants to farm cooperatives and distribution programs. This funder is also a great source of small grants for local public schools to fund classroom projects and fieldtrips.
PROFILE: The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley (CFHV) is a community foundation based in Poughkeepsie and Kingston, New York. It helps organizations and individuals establish and administer funds to support local causes under the governance of a board of trustees comprised of local leaders. CFHV aims to “address current and emerging community needs through effective grantmaking to improve the quality of life for all.” The funder supports local community development, animal welfare, arts and culture, education, farm fresh food, and health and medicine efforts.
Grants for Early Childhood and K-12 Education
Education is one of CFHV’s largest areas of giving, with several grantmaking opportunities available to local schools and programs for both early childhood and K-12 education. Many education grants stem from the foundation’s Community Grants program, which prioritize education and youth development programs for "people who are from historically marginalized and under-funded communities or populations based on their race, ethnicity, age, gender/gender identity, socioeconomic status, health status, abilities or geographic location. Community grants are awarded in amounts of up to $5,000 to organizations serving students and young people in Dutchess, Putnam and Ulster Counties. Recent grants have gone to Kingston’s Center for Creative Education, the Rosendale Theatre’s Teen Advisory Group and Ramapo for Children, which runs summer recreation programs.
The Jeannette Schoback Fund supports educational programs as part of its mandate to fund “residents of Dutchess County, New York who are impacted by poverty.” The fund does not name specific goals for education grants, but has recently given to the Harriet Tubman Academic Skills Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Newburgh.
In Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties, Nuvance Health makes grants through CFHV for science education at the K-12 level. Grants are awarded in amounts of up to $1,000 have gone mainly to public middle and high schools in the designated counties.
Another of the foundation’s donor-advised funds, the Ann and Abe Effron Fund, supports education and arts education programs in Dutchess County that emphasize the participation of young people in events and programs. Recent grants from this source have supported the Bardavon 1869 Opera House and the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, among others.
Some smaller, localized grantmaking opportunities for K-12 education exist via the foundation’s Field Trip Grants, Excellence in Education Teacher Grants, and Kingston School District Mini Grants programs.
Grants for Arts and Culture and Arts Education
CFHV makes a significant number of grants to arts and cultural organizations and programs each year. The Community Grants program does not name goals for arts and culture giving beyond the prioritization of underserved communities. Community Grants are generally unrestricted but may provide support for specific purposes including program implementation, equipment or technology purchases or communications. Recent arts and culture grantees include Arm-of-the-Sea Theater, the Center for Performing arts at Rhinebeck and the Northern Dutchess Sympony Orchestra.
The foundation also makes arts and culture grants through the Ann and Abe Effron Fund, which prioritizes access to arts and culture for both young and elderly people, as well as the Leah Ryan Fund, which runs the Leah, an international awards program for “women, trans and non-binary playwrights who consider themselves emerging.”
Grants for Public Health and Diseases
CFHV’s Community Grants program names health as an area of grantmaking interest, prioritizing access to quality care and services for underserved areas and communities. Other sources of grants for public health and diseases include John T. Sloper Fund, which supports emergency medical services, and the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Fund, which funds preventative, educational and support programs for women and families affected by breast cancer in several Hudson Valley counties. Health grants have recently supported organizations including Planned Parenthood of the Mid-Hudson Valley, the Greater Hudson Valley Family Health Center and the Cancer Support Team, Inc.
Grants for Animals and Wildlife Conservation
Grants for animal welfare are the focus of CFHV’s Cleopatra Fund, which supports organizations that prioritize cats, dogs and retired circus or farm animals. Grants of up to $2,000 have been awarded to area organizations including the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, the Dutchess SPCA, Lucky Orphans Horse Rescue and Pets Alive.
Grants for Food Systems
CFHV names the distribution of Farm Fresh Food to Hudson Valley residents who lack access to or cannot afford to purchase quality food as a main priority of its giving. Grants are generally awarded for a period of three years and a maximum amount of $20,000 and often support food programs that have educational or social justice components. Grantees have included Hillside Food Outreach, the Kingston YMCA Farm Project, Angel Food East and the Rondout Valley Food Pantry.
Grantmaking for domestic pets has also come from the foundation’s Jeannette Schoback Fund, which helps families in poverty pay for veterinary and other pet-related expenses.
Grants for Housing, Work and Opportunity, Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights
Housing, economic opportunity and racial equity are named as areas of interest of this funder’s Community Grants program, although they appear to be smaller areas of giving in recent years. A recent grant supported the work of Rebuilding Together Dutchess County, which helps low-income homeowners restore aging homes. Other grants have gone to the Resource Center for Accessible Living, the Ulster Literacy Association and the Community Action Partnership for Dutchess County.
Grants for Jewish Causes
CFHV makes grants for Jewish cuases via the Irving and Gloria Schlossberg Family Fund, which aims to “preserve and strengthen Jewish culture and Jewish institutions in Dutchess County.” This fund had recently given to Temple Beth-El in Poughkeepsie and the Beacon Hebrew Alliance.
Important Grant Details
This funder made over $9 million in grants in a recent year. Grants mainly ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, with only a few exceptions. This funder works broadly in Dutchess, Putnam and Ulster Counties, but serves some other Hudson Valley communities as well. Education, health, arts and culture and food systems are its largest areas of giving, but some of its donor-advised funds support more specific causes, including animal welfare, playwrights and Jewish culture. Information about past grants is availabe at the foundation’s financials page.
This funder accepts applications for most of its grantmaking programs and streamlines the process by using as single application portal for all grant opportunties. However, eligibility, guidelines and due dates vary by program; grantseekers should familiarize themselvs with what’s available by review individual program pages. Submit general inquiries via the foundation’s contact page.
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