To grow philanthropy, steward charitable funds and make grants and scholarships that strengthen communities across Central New York.
A defining feature of Central New York Community Foundation Inc is its mix of large community investments and scholarship support across Central New York. Recent grants include $2,462,750 to Manlius Pebble Hill School for general and program/project support, $1,500,000 to Onondaga County Department of Child & Family Services for scholarship support, and $1,061,350 to the Skaneateles Lake Association for general support, project support, and sponsorship support. The foundation also backs higher education, healthcare, literacy, arts, housing, and community organizations through a broad set of operating, project, capital, and student awards. Its grantmaking reaches institutions as well as direct student support. Examples in the recent grants list include Syracuse University, St Joseph's College of Nursing, Le Moyne College Office of Advancement, and Bryant & Stratton College. The foundation also funds place-based community work through groups such as United Way of Central New York, Home Headquarters, Redhouse Arts Center, and The Reading League. The organization’s public charity structure, scholarship administration, and affiliate funds point to a community foundation model that combines donor stewardship with local grantmaking. Its stated purpose is to grow philanthropy, steward charitable funds, and make grants and scholarships that strengthen communities across Central New York.
Education and student aid are a major part of the foundation’s work. It gave $587,762 to St Joseph's College of Nursing for student support, $304,245 to Bryant & Stratton College for student support, and $202,882 to University at Buffalo for scholarship support. Literacy is another visible focus. The foundation awarded $396,307 to United Way of CNY with support for literacy included in the purpose text, and $303,700 to The Reading League for general support and staff support. A separate 2025 grant of $245,800 to The Reading League supported a program/project. Health and human services also appear in the recent grants list. Upstate Foundation received $249,859 for student support, program/project support, staff support, sponsorship support, and healthcare support. Interfaith Works of Central New York received $215,690 for staff support, general support, event support, sponsorship support, and program/project support. Housing and lead-related work show up as well through Home Headquarters, which received $463,614 for lead support and project support, plus a later $246,372 capital and program/project grant.
$23.6M
$458.3M
$50.7M
$31M
Most grants fall between $9K and $37K, with a median of $14K.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$14K
75th Percentile
$37K
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Typical grants are mid-sized: the 25th percentile is $9,000, the median is $13,950, and the 75th percentile is $37,438. The recent list also shows a long tail of much larger awards, especially for schools, hospitals, and community institutions. This is a public charity with a community foundation structure, and the data also shows it makes program-related investments. Grantmaking is not limited to one-off awards: several recipients appear more than once across 2023 and 2025, including Manlius Pebble Hill School, Syracuse University Advancement & External Affairs, Onondaga County Department of Child & Family Services, Home Headquarters, and The Reading League. Unsolicited applications are accepted in several active programs, including Community Grants, scholarships, partner grants, and affiliate funds.
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in New York, with 83% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. The recipient-country data is entirely U.S.-based. Syracuse appears most often among recipient cities, with grants also landing in Skaneateles, Cortland, Auburn, and Buffalo. Outside the immediate Syracuse area, the list includes Sarasota, Florida, for one grant to The Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Affiliate and community programs are local to Central New York, including Cayuga County and Syracuse neighborhoods.
The recent grants list shows general support, program/project support, capital support, scholarship support, student support, event support, sponsorship support, staff support, healthcare support, and literacy support. Active programs also include affiliate grants, scholarships, neighborhood greening mini-grants, and strategic partner grants.
Yes. Scholarship and student support are prominent in both the program list and recent grants. Examples in the data include $1,500,000 to Onondaga County Department of Child & Family Services for scholarship support, $587,762 to St Joseph's College of Nursing for student support, and $202,882 to University at Buffalo for scholarship support.
Education, literacy, healthcare, equity, housing, and community development all appear. The foundation’s active programs also include Black Equity & Excellence, LeadSafeCNY, local literacy, participatory budgeting, disaster relief, women and girls funding, and community grants.
The grant-size distribution is centered at $9,000 for the 25th percentile, $13,950 at the median, and $37,438 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list also includes several awards in the hundreds of thousands and above, showing a wide range of grant sizes.
It is highly local. The foundation describes its geographic scope as local, and 83% of grants go to recipients in New York. Recent grants are concentrated in Syracuse and nearby Central New York communities such as Skaneateles, Cortland, Auburn, and Cayuga County.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Central New York Community Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations eligible to receive community grants through the foundation's grantmaking process; specific criteria are not visible in the provided content.
Deadline: Grant deadlines are posted in the Grant Deadlines Calendar.
Who can apply: Not visible in the provided content; grant application is available for qualifying applicants.
Deadline: See program/application page for deadlines; not specified in the scraped content.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MANLIUS PEBBLE HILL SCHOOL | SYRACUSE, NY | $2,462,750 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| ONONDAGA COUNTYDEPARTMENT OF CHILD & FAMILY SERVICES | SYRACUSE, NY | $1,500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SKANEATELES LAKE ASSOCIATION | SKANEATELES, NY | $1,061,350 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT |
| CORTLAND MEMORIAL FOUNDATION INC | CORTLAND, NY | $1,005,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK | SYRACUSE, NY | $661,300 | 2025 | CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; |
| ST JOSEPH'S COLLEGE OF NURSING | SYRACUSE, NY | $587,762 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT |
| EVERSON MUSEUM OF ART | SYRACUSE, NY | $542,188 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; EVENT SUPPORT; STUDENT SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT |
| ST MARY'S CHURCH OF AUBURN | AUBURN, NY | $450,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM/ PROJECT SUPPORT |
| ROAD TO EMMAUS MINISTRY | SYRACUSE, NY | $427,800 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| SYRACUSE UNIVERSITYADVANCEMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS | SYRACUSE, NY | $348,247 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; STUDENT SUPPORT; LITERACY SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| ED23 FOUNDATION | SYRACUSE, NY | $330,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LE MOYNE COLLEGEOFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT | SYRACUSE, NY | $321,950 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE | SYRACUSE, NY | $304,245 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT |
| THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SARASOTA COUNTY INC | SARASOTA, FL | $280,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UPSTATE FOUNDATION | SYRACUSE, NY | $249,859 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; STAFF SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; HEALTHCARE SUPPORT; |
| HOME HEADQUARTERS INC | SYRACUSE, NY | $246,372 | 2025 | CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/ PROJECT SUPPORT |
| THE READING LEAGUE | SYRACUSE, NY | $245,800 | 2025 | PROGRAM/ PROJECT SUPPORT |
| CENTRAL CURRENT | SYRACUSE, NY | $220,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; STAFF SUPPORT |
| INTERFAITH WORKS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK | SYRACUSE, NY | $215,690 | 2025 | STAFF SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT; EVENT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| STS MARY & MARTHA PARISH | AUBURN, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM/ PROJECT SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN POMEROY HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL ASSOCIATION INC | SYRACUSE, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | SYRACUSE, NY | $198,210 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT |
| ON POINT FOR COLLEGE INC | SYRACUSE, NY | $194,895 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; STUDENT SUPPORT; LITERACY SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; EQUITY SUPPORT |
| SYRACUSE STAGE | SYRACUSE, NY | $193,204 | 2025 | CAPITAL SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FINGER LAKES LAND TRUST | ITHACA, NY | $180,200 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| SOUTH SIDE COMMUNITY GROWTH FOUNDATION | SYRACUSE, NY | $180,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CAPITAL DISTRICT YMCA | ALBANY, NY | $165,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE | SYRACUSE, NY | $158,464 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO | BUFFALO, NY | $140,485 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT |
| CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY | SYRACUSE, NY | $131,382 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; STUDENT SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SYRACUSE | SYRACUSE, NY | $124,669 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| STONE QUARRY HILL ART PARK INC | CAZENOVIA, NY | $118,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| BRADY COLLABORATIVE | SYRACUSE, NY | $115,549 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT |
| CORNELL UNIVERSITYDIVISION OF ALUMNI AFFAIRS & DEVELOPMENT | ITHACA, NY | $112,720 | 2025 | PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| FRANCIS HOUSE INC | SYRACUSE, NY | $111,915 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; EVENT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| SKANEATELES LIBRARY ASSOCIATION | SKANEATELES, NY | $110,250 | 2025 | CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JOSEPH'S HOUSE FOR WOMEN INC | SYRACUSE, NY | $108,500 | 2025 | CAPITAL SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COLBY COLLEGE | WATERVILLE, ME | $103,000 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT |
| GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH | FAYETTEVILLE, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NORTHWOOD SCHOOL | LAKE PLACID, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| OUR LADY OF THE SNOW | AUBURN, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| AURORA OF CNY | SYRACUSE, NY | $94,331 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; HEALTHCARE SUPPORT |
| SUNY OSWEGO | OSWEGO, NY | $94,061 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY | ALBANY, NY | $94,023 | 2025 | STUDENT SUPPORT |
| SALVATION ARMY OF SYRACUSE | SYRACUSE, NY | $89,789 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN NEW YORK | ROCHESTER, NY | $88,905 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT |
| RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY OF PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $88,375 | 2025 | HEALTHCARE SUPPORT |
| SAMARITAN CENTER INC | SYRACUSE, NY | $86,380 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| FRIENDS OF THE ROSAMOND GIFFORD ZOO AT BURNET PARK | SYRACUSE, NY | $81,300 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
| GOOD LIFE YOUTH FOUNDATION | SYRACUSE, NY | $81,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT; STAFF SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT |
ONONDAGA COUNTYDEPARTMENT OF CHILD & FAMILY SERVICES
$1,500,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SKANEATELES LAKE ASSOCIATION
$1,061,350GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT
CORTLAND MEMORIAL FOUNDATION INC
$1,005,000PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK
$661,300CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT;
ST JOSEPH'S COLLEGE OF NURSING
STUDENT SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT; EVENT SUPPORT; STUDENT SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT
ST MARY'S CHURCH OF AUBURN
$450,000PROGRAM/ PROJECT SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT; STUDENT SUPPORT; LITERACY SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
ED23 FOUNDATION
$330,500GENERAL SUPPORT
LE MOYNE COLLEGEOFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT
$321,950STUDENT SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT
BRYANT & STRATTON COLLEGE
$304,245STUDENT SUPPORT
STUDENT SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; STAFF SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; HEALTHCARE SUPPORT;
THE READING LEAGUE
$245,800PROGRAM/ PROJECT SUPPORT
STAFF SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT; EVENT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
STS MARY & MARTHA PARISH
$200,000PROGRAM/ PROJECT SUPPORT
AMERICAN POMEROY HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL ASSOCIATION INC
$200,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
$198,210GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT; STUDENT SUPPORT; LITERACY SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; EQUITY SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
SOUTH SIDE COMMUNITY GROWTH FOUNDATION
$180,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ONONDAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$158,464STUDENT SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
$140,485STUDENT SUPPORT
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY
$131,382GENERAL SUPPORT; STUDENT SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SYRACUSE
$124,669GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
STONE QUARRY HILL ART PARK INC
$118,000GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
BRADY COLLABORATIVE
$115,549GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT
PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT; EVENT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
SKANEATELES LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
$110,250CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT
CAPITAL SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; GENERAL SUPPORT
GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NORTHWOOD SCHOOL
$100,000PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
OUR LADY OF THE SNOW
$100,000PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
AURORA OF CNY
$94,331GENERAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; HEALTHCARE SUPPORT
SUNY OSWEGO
$94,061STUDENT SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
$94,023STUDENT SUPPORT
SALVATION ARMY OF SYRACUSE
$89,789GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT
RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY OF PITTSBURGH
$88,375HEALTHCARE SUPPORT
SAMARITAN CENTER INC
$86,380GENERAL SUPPORT; CAMPAIGN SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT; CAPITAL SUPPORT; SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT
GOOD LIFE YOUTH FOUNDATION
$81,000GENERAL SUPPORT; STAFF SUPPORT; PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT