Schenectady Foundation: Equitable Access to Healthy Food Grant

The Schenectady Foundation is dedicated to enhancing community well-being through its Equitable Access to Healthy Food Grant. This initiative aims to increase food security for Schenectady County residents by ensuring they have regular access to fresh, healthy food. With an anticipated investment of $900,000, the foundation supports transformative projects that can deliver measurable outcomes, fostering a healthier community and encouraging innovative solutions to address local food needs.

Schenectady Foundation Grants
During this year, The Schenectady Foundation anticipates investing $2 million into programs that have promise to contribute to significant impacts in the community. This will include projects that address the goals of the Equitable Access to Healthy Food (EAT Healthy Food) Initiative, Neighborhood Revitalization efforts, as well as emerging needs. Also included will be the Foundation’s ongoing initiatives, such as Schenectady’s Thriving Neighborhoods Challenge.
The projected total investment in each funding area is as follows:

• Equitable Access to Healthy Food - $900,000
• Neighborhoods – $615,000
• Emergent Needs and "Open" Grants - $330,000
• Micro Grants and Special Initiative Funds - $180,000
• Scholarships - $40,000
• Catalytic and Transformative

The Foundation’s role is as a catalyst for community change. Of particular interest are projects – large or small – where an injection of funding and engagement can more quickly and significantly deliver impact in the specific areas of focus.
The Schenectady Foundation believes in supporting projects that have the potential to be transformative – causing marked change in people, organizations, neighborhoods, and the broader community. The Foundation prioritizes its involvement in transformational projects and movements.
These grants will place a strong emphasis on projects that demonstrate the potential to achieve measurable outcomes. This year’s application forms will specifically guide applicants through the process of determining the impact that will be achieved by the project.
Impact Statements
The Schenectady Foundation’s impact statements describe to applicants how it plans to fulfill its mission of benefitting the health and well-being of people who live and work in Schenectady County. The Foundation has created an impact statement for each focus area, and is interested in applicants’ proposals for projects that will help to drive Schenectady’s results closer and closer to the achievement of these impacts.
Equitable Access to Healthy Food:Impact Statement: Increase food security, ensuring that all residents of the County have regular access to fresh, healthy food to nourish themselves and their families.Neighborhood Revitalization:Impact Statement: Schenectady’s neighborhoods will thrive, becoming places where families feel safe and cared for, and have access to economic, educational and quality housing opportunities.Emergent Needs:Impact Statement: Key organizations are supported as they collaborate to help Schenectady’s residents and respond to new or emergent needs.Micro Grants:Impact Statement: Innovative ideas and small programs with potential will have quick access to seed money to innovate, add value to current programs, and engage in the community.
Impact Statement
Increase food security, ensuring that all residents of the County have regular access to fresh, healthy food to nourish themselves and their families.
Funding
There is no specific minimum or maximum size for grant requests. Grants have ranged, in recent years, from $1,000 to $200,000.
Occasionally, the Foundation will approve a grant with a matching condition, which entitles the grantee to funds once a particular amount has been secured from other sources

Eligibility

Applicants must be non-profit corporations registered with the New York State Office of Charities Registration, and designated as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization by the IRS.Applicants must primarily serve Schenectady County residents.While organizations may apply for multi-year awards, the Foundation will rarely approve awards that extend past a two-year commitment. Organizations that have received Foundation funding are allowed to make subsequent requests once their most recent grant is complete.

Ineligibility

Additionally, local governments (counties, cities, towns, or villages) are generally ineligible to receive grant funding from the Foundation.