Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties awards neighborhood-impact grants

UTICA, N.Y. — The Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties awarded a series of “Power of Our Community Neighborhood Impact Grants” as part of its community equity initiative. The foundation invited black- and brown-led organizations, as well as other nonprofit organizations located within and/or serving Utica’s Cornhill and West Utica neighborhoods to apply.

The Community Foundation awarded $43,000 to nine organizations serving residents in those communities.

“The goal of the new grant round was to build capacity of diverse neighborhood organizations, community leadership, and supporting programs and projects,” Olivia Paul, director of engagement, said in a news release. “And we wanted to ensure an immediate positive impact for residents that will advance neighborhood revitalization.”

The grant recipients include:

• Cornhill Cares, for community engagement and events.
• Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Inc., for technology upgrades.
• Midtown Utica Community Center, Mohawk Valley Frontiers Club, Mohawk Valley Latino Association, Rebuilding the Village, and Utica Royalties, to support ongoing youth programming including afterschool programs, language and cultural education, and mental-health education.
• Hope Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church, and Muslim Community Association of the Mohawk Valley, for youth and education including school supplies and/or health screenings.

The community equity initiative is a multimillion-dollar commitment to work toward neighborhood revitalization that will help realize the foundation’s vision for a vibrant region with opportunity for all. In addition to the new grant round, the initiative includes a continuing series of town-hall forums, partner collaboration toward major neighborhood investments, and the Mohawk Valley Equity Pledge at mvequitypledge.org — which encourages diversity, challenges injustice, and helps build opportunity for all.