About Gebbie Foundation
The Gebbie Foundation focuses its giving tightly on Jamestown-area civic and cultural revitalization, prioritizing large capital and operating investments that drive downtown redevelopment and cultural tourism. Grants are aimed at sustaining anchor institutions and public facilities—especially an ice arena and the National Comedy Center—while supporting neighborhood improvement programs that advance local economic development. The foundation typically provides substantial, repeat support to a small number of local organizations rather than broad, diffuse grantmaking.
Focus Areas
Downtown redevelopment and municipal/civic infrastructure in Jamestown (e.g., arena operations and expansion)Cultural tourism and destination institutions (e.g., National Comedy Center operating support and debt service)Local community development and neighborhood revitalization programs (e.g., Jamestown Renaissance initiatives)
Who They Fund
local community organizations and nonprofitsarts and cultural institutions and artistsmunicipal / civic infrastructure projectssmall businesses and local entrepreneurs (pop-up retail)
About Gebbie Foundation
A defining pattern at Gebbie Foundation Inc is its repeated support for Jamestown’s ice arena, including a $2,181,036 grant in 2025 for operations, capital improvements, sinking fund support, taxable refunding bonds, and the arena expansion project. That scale and specificity show a funder focused on a few local civic assets rather than broad, dispersed philanthropy. The foundation’s recent grant history also centers on the National Comedy Center, where it backed operating and marketing needs alongside debt service, and on Jamestown Renaissance Corp, which received support for operating costs, programs, and the Potters Terrace reconstruction. These grants sit within a wider emphasis on downtown Jamestown revitalization, public gathering places, and cultural tourism. The foundation’s giving is tightly local, with all recent grants landing in New York and a strong concentration in Jamestown. Its portfolio points to a sustained role in maintaining anchor institutions, financing downtown development efforts, and supporting organizations that shape the city’s civic and cultural life.
What Gebbie Foundation Funds
Downtown redevelopment is a core theme. Gebbie Foundation Inc gave $120,000 to Chautauqua Region Industrial Development Corp for the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan, and later another $80,000 for the same purpose, tying its support to riverfront and downtown planning. In urban design and placemaking, it awarded $101,465 to Dream It Do It Western New York Inc for urban design and community events, and $70,000 to the City of Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency for urban design. The foundation also backs small-business activation and public-facing activity. The Resource Center received $95,000 for a pop up shop and $58,750 for another pop up shop, while Roger Tory Institute received $50,000 for a phase I mural. Arts and cultural infrastructure appears as well, including $25,000 to Reg Lenna Center for the Arts for theatre sound, rigging, and lighting.
How Gebbie Foundation Gives
Gebbie Foundation Inc’s typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $74,300 at the median, and $120,000 at the 75th percentile, showing a mix of smaller project grants and much larger anchor commitments. The recent record also shows repeated support across years, especially for Jamestown Center City Development Corp, National Comedy Center Inc, Jamestown Renaissance Corp, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County, and Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it funds individuals. Its grantmaking is competitive in several active programs, and those programs accept unsolicited requests.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3M
Total Assets
$79.2M
Total Revenue
$3.9M
Total Expenses
$4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $120K, with a median of $74K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$74K
75th Percentile
$120K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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