Shineman Foundation awards $300K in grants to Oswego County, CNY nonprofits

OSWEGO — Thirteen Central New York not-for-profit organizations, a large percentage of which are based in Oswego County, received a total of $300,000 in grants from the Richard S. Shineman Foundation in its second grant round of 2017 at its July board meeting. 

Projects cover a wide range of focus areas, including health and welfare for children and adults, training and education, arts and culture, neighborhood parks, and capital campaigns, the foundation said in a news release.

The largest award of $125,000 was given to Oswego Industries for its capital campaign to renovate a building on its campus in Fulton into an upgraded space for the agency’s expanding community-based services, as well as a licensed childcare center open to the community.

Health and welfare grants were awarded to Friends of Oswego County Hospice and the Oswego Health Foundation. The Fulton Family YMCA received funding for its LIVESTRONG cancer program, as well as Purpose Farm to build its capacity to serve at-risk children through adult mentorship and pairing with rescued animals, the release stated.

In the training and education area, the Shineman Foundation awarded the Oswego City School District scholarship funding to send teachers and administrators to the National Math Foundation’s Summer Institute on Math and Movement. Another scholarship grant was given to The Research Foundation for SUNY on behalf of Prevention Support Partners for its Circle of Security Parenting 2017-18 scholarship program. That initiative will train staff members at six agencies in Oswego County on this “internationally recognized, evidence-based parenting program.” 

Leadership Oswego County received a grant to expand and enhance its programming for the upcoming 2017-18 program year. Two arts and culture grants were awarded by the Shineman Foundation to the Research Foundation for SUNY to develop collaborative programs in the community. The SUNY Oswego art department will offer an expanded day option to its “At the Art Studio” program for children in grades K-12.

The American Red Cross received funding to support its blood services capacity-building project. Other funded projects included a grant to Preservation Revitalization of Pulaski (PROP), and a grant to the Frederick Leighton Home and School Association.

The Richard S. Shineman Foundation is a private foundation established by the bequest of Richard S. Shineman, who was a tenured professor of chemistry at SUNY Oswego. He made a provision in his will for the establishment of a foundation that will serve the broad needs of Oswego County and Central New York. The foundation says it seeks to improve the quality of life in the communities it serve by working with and funding not-for-profit partners.