John Ben Snow Foundation

About John Ben Snow Foundation

A recurring pattern stands out in The John Ben Snow Foundation Inc’s recent grants: they back small, practical projects in central New York that combine direct services with education. One year that meant $30,000 to the Downtown Syracuse YMCA for the Power Scholars Academy, and another it meant the same amount to A Tiny Home for Good for partial salary coverage for a project manager. Those awards point to a funder that supports both program delivery and the staffing needed to run it. The foundation’s recent grants also show a strong interest in youth-facing work. It has funded after-school, mentoring, peer leadership, and summer-learning efforts, along with projects that connect education to arts, access, and community services. Syracuse-area organizations appear frequently, but the range of purposes is broader than a single program model. Grants have supported a museum’s youth programming, a university research program with participant support, and a housing-related nonprofit’s operational work. That mix suggests a local grantmaker that favors concrete, bounded projects over large open-ended awards. The foundation’s support often lands at the level needed to cover a coordinator, a service upgrade, or a defined program component rather than a full institutional budget.

What John Ben Snow Foundation Funds

Youth development is a clear theme. The foundation gave $20,000 to the Erie Canal Museum for a youth program coordinator, showing support for staff who can run educational programming, not just for activities themselves. It also awarded $10,000 to Restore Cny for a hub after-school drop-in program and $10,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Syracuse for safe spaces for children. Arts and education appear together in multiple grants. Syracuse Stage received $10,000 for Backstory and another $10,000 for Commanding Space - The Story of Annie Easley, while La Casita Cultural Center - Syracuse University received $10,000 for Mi Música. The Milton J Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology also received $10,000 for a digital theatre and planetarium upgrade. The foundation also funds pathways tied to housing, access, and mobility. Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse received $10,000 for washer and dryer replacement at the Kiesewetter Emergency Shelter, and Refugee & Immigrant Self-empowerment Inc. received $10,000 for employment and bridging case management services.

How John Ben Snow Foundation Gives