Schenectady Foundation: Micro Grant

The Schenectady Foundation, founded in 1963, invests significantly in community development within Schenectady County, NY, with plans to allocate $2 million in grants in 2024. It supports transformative projects through its Micro Grant program, offering funds of up to $10,000 for innovative ideas that enhance local initiatives. The Foundation prioritizes projects that promote equitable access to healthy food and neighborhood revitalization, aiming to drive impactful changes in the community and improve residents' well-being.

To date we have invested more than $32 million into our communities, and plan to commit about $2 million in grants and scholarships in 2025.
Schenectady Foundation Grants
In 2024, 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 - $1,000,000
• Neighborhoods – $350,000
• Emergent Needs and "Open" Grants - $300,000
• Micro Grants and Special Initiative Funds - $280,000
• Scholarships - $60,000
• 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
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.
Funding
The Foundation offers a “Micro Grant” program to address requests of $10,000 or less. The Micro Grant program offers an abbreviated application process for smaller grants. Organizations might consider applying for a Micro Grant for planning, research, and development of future projects; or to get pilot projects off the ground in anticipation of being able to bring the program to scale in the future. While the maximum Micro Grant award is $10,000, the majority of them fall into the $3,000 - $7,000 range.
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.