News
July 1st, 2025
Celebrating 2025 Empowering Resilient Communities to Thrive Grant Cycle Grantees and Programs: $654,926 in 151 grants to 90 organizations
$654,926 was funded in 151 grants to 90 organizations.
Tompkins Today and Tomorrow granted $278,500 or 43%
13 Donor Advised Funds supported requests at highest level ever for a total of $176,250 or 27%
11 Field of Interest Funds were available for support this year for a total of $152,176 or 23% granted.
Howland Foundation, a private foundation whose grants are administered by Community Foundation supplied, $48,000 or 7%
Each year, our grant cycle is a powerful reminder of both the immense need in our community—and the remarkable organizations stepping up to meet it.
In 2025, we received more applications than ever before. Across Tompkins County, nonprofits are working on the frontlines of equity, health, education, housing, food access, mental wellness, environmental justice, the arts, and more. These groups don’t just serve—they lead with vision, lived experience, and deep community trust.
But this year, like many before it, brought difficult decisions. With limited resources and an incredibly competitive pool of applicants, we faced tough choices about how to allocate available funds. And yet—we are proud to share that we were able to stretch our dollars further than we thought possible, thanks to the strategic use of Field-of-Interest Funds and the generosity of our Donor-Advised Fund advisors who stepped up to support this grant cycle in a big way. These partnerships allowed us to fund more organizations—demonstrating the power of shared philanthropy to deepen impact.
In a nonprofit landscape that is increasingly complex and strained, one thing remains clear: unrestricted funding is critical. It gives organizations the flexibility to be responsive, to adapt to urgent needs, to take care of their staff, and to plan with sustainability in mind. Especially now—in the wake of economic uncertainty, escalating community needs, and shrinking public funding—unrestricted support is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.
That’s why we’re especially proud of our continued commitment to racial and social justice in this grant cycle. This year, we prioritized organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and those explicitly focused on racial and social equity—and 100% of these organizations received funding. This focus is not performative. It is purposeful.
It acknowledges the systemic inequalities that have long marginalized BIPOC communities and recognizes the unique strengths, cultural wisdom, and leadership that BIPOC-led organizations bring to solving deeply rooted issues. By prioritizing these voices, we take a proactive step toward repairing harm, building equity, and reshaping philanthropy to better reflect the communities it serves.
We are grateful to every applicant who trusted us with their story, their needs, and their vision. We are grateful to our review teams and volunteers who brought care and integrity to the process. And we are especially grateful to our donors and fundholders, whose belief in this community helps turn possibilities into progress.
2025 RECIPIENTS
Advocacy Center for Tompkins County
Alliance of Families for Justice
Amplify Equity Inc.
Black Hands Universal
Black MOMba
Boyce Thompson Institute
Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga
Cayuga Lake Watershed Network
Cayuga Trails Club
Cayuga Vocal Ensemble
Center for Community Transportation (Bike Walk Tompkins)
Cinemapolis (Seventh Art Corporation of Ithaca)
Citizens Concerned for Children, Inc.
Civic Ensemble, Inc.
Coddington Road Community Center, Inc
College Initiative Upstate
Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County
Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA)
Community Science Institute
Community Unity Music Education Program International
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County – Mental Health Resilience
Danby Community and Park
Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers, Inc.
Downtown Ithaca Alliance
Downtown Ithaca Children’s Center
Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca
Family Reading Partnership
Finger Lakes ReUse, Inc.
Finger Lakes Toy Library
Food Bank of the Southern Tier
Foodnet Meals on Wheels
Friends of Ithaca Farmers Market
Friends of Stewart Park
Gayogoho:no Learning Project, a project of the Center for Transformative Action
Golden Opportunity
Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC)
Groton Central School District
Groton Community Cupboard
Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming
Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties
Hammerstone School, Inc., a Project of the Center for Transformative Action
Hangar Theatre, Center for the Arts at Ithaca
Hospicare & Palliative Care Services of TC
Ithaca Alpha House Center, Inc. dba Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services
Ithaca City of Asylum, a project of the Center for Transformative Action
Ithaca Community Childcare Center
Ithaca Community Radio, Inc.
Ithaca Community Recovery
Ithaca Health Alliance
Ithaca Literary/Buffalo Street Books
Ithaca Murals, a Project of the Center for Transformative Action
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc.
Ithaca Pride Alliance
Ithaca Welcomes Refugees
Khuba International
King Ferry Food Pantry Inc.
Kitchen Theatre Company
Lansing Lunchbox
Lifelong
Loaves & Fishes of Tompkins County
Local First Ithaca
Longview
Love Living at Home
Media Arts Collective + Resource Exchange [MACRE]
Midstate COSH
Mutual Aid Tompkins
NAMI Finger Lakes Inc.
New Roots Charter School
No Mas Lagrimas – No More Tears, Inc
NYS Baroque
Open Doors English, a project of the Center for Transformative Action
Opera Ithaca, Inc.
Opus Ithaca School of Music
Paleontological Research Institution
Remark Navigation, a Project of the Center for Transformative Action
Rootwork Herbals, Inc.
Running to Places Theatre Company
Saoirse Pastures
Sciencenter
Service in Unity
Southern Tier Zoological Society
Southside Community Center
SPCA of Tompkins County
Special Olympics New York
St. John’s Community Services
State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc.
Story House Ithaca, a project of the Center for Transformative Action
Susan Christopherson Center
Tea Leaves Inc
TEEN DAY Ithaca, Inc.
The History Center in Tompkins County
The Ithaca Voice
The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County
The Street Dog Coalition
Thrive Ithaca Ecovillage Education Center, a Project of the Center for Transformative Action
Tompkins County Workers’ Center
Traditional Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Healing [Fiscal Sponsor: Village at Ithaca]
Transpose: Ithaca Queer Singers Alliance
Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts
Ultimate Reentry Opportunity Initiative, a project of the Center for Transformative Action
Ulysses Philomathic Library
Unadilla Community Farm Education Center
United Way of Tompkins County
Varna Community Association
Village at Ithaca
Walking on Water Productions (Wow)
Wharton Studio Museum
Women’s Opportunity Center of Tompkins and Onondaga Counties
Year One Inc.
YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County