Who
We
Are.
Who We Are.
About Us
Committed to Our Community
Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes is a region that thrives on connection. It’s a patchwork of nonprofit organizations, businesses, and municipalities – clubs, neighborhoods, and people. When we’re at our best, everyone is working together toward a brighter future.
But each vision of a brighter future looks a little different. Ours is holistic and inclusive, and we’ve built an organization that helps individuals, families, companies, and organizations invest in so many “bright futures” for the community and its people.
Addressing Today’s Needs
Our overall goal is to address today’s needs through multiple avenues of funding and awareness and to find creative solutions for avoiding future problems. We pride ourselves on being the only foundation in the area that looks at the holistic needs of the community, including education, arts, infrastructure, animals, the environment, and wellness.
We at the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes are watching our community wake up to the fact that racism is real, systemic, and destroying lives. It is no longer enough to not be racist; we must work actively to be anti-racist. To quote Ibram X. Kendi, “Racial inequality is a problem of bad policy, not bad people.”
To that end, we will be learning from Black and Brown leaders in the Finger Lakes and beyond who are teaching us what changes are needed immediately while also working to build lasting systems with justice for all.
Our actions will include work at every level with an immediate focus on our grantmaking strategies and scholarship program. We can no longer perpetrate well-meaning but misguided concepts like “colorblindness.” Grant and scholarship awards can be life-changing, and it is up to us to make sure these tools reach the groups and people that need them the most.
Building an Anti-Racist World
Our commitment to anti-racism isn’t something we take lightly at the Community Foundation. We’re grateful for your support, encouragement, and partnership as we continue this journey together – and we want to assure you that this commitment has only grown stronger since we shared the above statement in June 2020.
We have made significant improvements to every facet of our scholarship program and built new bridges to Black-led community organizations. We are currently evaluating the history of our grantmaking program and working to ensure greater access to funding for racially diverse programs and community members.
During these times of deep social unrest and economic instability, this work is even more vital. Thoughtful philanthropy can be a force for good as we all work to build a society that embraces a multi-racial democracy. We understand that every grant awarded for health care, the arts, education, the environment, and human services represents a step toward a more inclusive, vibrant, safe, and healthy community for all. Each scholarship recipient is a future community leader. By embracing and celebrating those left out in the past, we are actively building a far brighter future together.
We operate with the understanding that we can make a big difference in the world, one gift at a time. With over 50 years of grant-giving experience, we are committed to the future of the community. We find creative ways to support the growth and development of our region by forging lasting relationships with, and between, donors, advisors, leaders, and non-profits in the region.
Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization classified as a publicly supported 501(c) (3) charity under the Internal Revenue Code. We are governed by a community-based, volunteer board of directors and administered by professional staff. We serve the counties of Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben and Yates in the Southern Tier of New York State.
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