The Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF) is pleased to announce grant awards from their 2021 Fall Community Benefit Grants Program. The program awards grants biannually to organizations seeking funds to improve and strengthen the northern Chautauqua County region. NCCF's Board of Directors recently approved these grants, totaling $117,287 and benefitting the following 22 local organizations:
· Camp Gross, for a water line replacement to restore water to four cabins;
· Campus and Community Children’s Center, for equipment for the newly established Infant/Toddler Room at the Dunkirk School 4 Campus;
· Cassadaga Lakes Association, for the installment of a surveillance system at Cassadaga Beach;
· Chautauqua Children’s Safety Village, for virtual health and safety trainings for north county schools;
· Chautauqua County Historical Society, for the restoration of porches at the McClurg Museum;
· Chautauqua County Hometown Heroes, for Veterans Memorial display panels and bricks;
· Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, for a conservation campaign to support the purchase of 14 acres along Chautauqua Creek and Lake Erie;
· Dunkirk Historical Society, for the installation of waterproof basement flooring to protect the Railroad Display archives;
· Dunkirk Public Library, for the Children’s Room ADA compliant ramp installation;
· Evergreen Lawn Cemetery, for cemetery tree maintenance;
· Forestville Wesleyan Church Neighbor To Neighbor Program, for a Community Care Coordinator;
· GLYS of Western New York, to support the creation of Drop-In Centers in Chautauqua County;
· Junior Achievement, for north county student programming;
· Literacy Volunteers, for educational books and materials;
· Mental Health Association, to support north county program expansion;
· Northern Chautauqua Canine Rescue, for Lake Erie K9 Dog trainings;
· The Resource Center, to establish an employee retention program;
· Revitalize Dunkirk, for trash/recycling receptacles;
· Sheridan Fire Department, for a Stryker Powered pro-XT ambulance stretcher;
· Sinclairville Free Library, to support a community engagement project;
· And the YWCA of Jamestown, to support the Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Program.
NCCF will award the next round of Community Benefit Grants in the Spring. Organizations interested in applying should submit a letter of interest by March 1st, 2022, to be reviewed by the Grants Committee. Current Grants Committee members include Nancy Adams (NCCF President), Jill Casey (committee chair), Ann Eckman, Jody Falkner, Margaret Ferris, Alex Murphy, Rich Ryan, and Kurt Warmbrodt.