Hamilton College Town-Gown Fund awards $157K in grants

CLINTON, N.Y. — The Hamilton College Town-Gown Fund recently distributed a “record” $157,000 in grants to 14 nonprofit and public-safety organizations serving the town of Kirkland and the village of Clinton.

The $157,000 in grant money means that the fund has now awarded $1 million since it started awarded grants in 2001, the school said in a news release.

Hamilton College also noted that the Town-Gown Fund hired a grant writer to work with three organizations to identify funding opportunities and then prepare and submit proposals for large grants. Those organizations include the Clinton Youth Foundation (Boynton Pool), Kirkland Trails, and the Village of Clinton.

“This is a significant milestone in the history of the Town-Gown Fund,” Hamilton College President David Wippman said. “The fund was created to award grants in perpetuity, and as the value of the endowment has grown, so too has the investment in the health and vitality of our community. Over time, these grants have enhanced nearly every aspect of life in the village and town.”

Wippman chairs the committee of community leaders who meet regularly to select grant recipients.

Wippman said $10,000 was awarded to five organizations when grants were first made in 2001, but the overall value of the awards has averaged about $75,000 in each of the past five years.

The Town-Gown Fund suspended grantmaking activity in 2020 due to the pandemic but carried those funds over to account for the record total disbursed in 2021, Hamilton College said.

Anonymous donors created the Hamilton College Town-Gown Fund in 2001 to “foster goodwill and communication” among the school and residents of the town of Kirkland and the village of Clinton. Since its founding, the endowed fund has received $1.2 million in gifts.

Each year, the income earned from investing those donations is used to make grants to local organizations. As stipulated in the agreement that established the fund, grants can only be made to organizations and agencies serving the town of Kirkland and the village of Clinton, with a “primary focus” on education, Hamilton College said.

2021 grants

The following organizations received grants from the Hamilton College Town-Gown Fund this year:

• Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps was awarded $3,745 to reimburse expenses for personal protective equipment (PPE) masks in 2020.
• Clinton A Better Chance will use a $5,000 grant to replace household furniture.
• Clinton Central School District received $23,550 for instrumental band PPE; high school science technology upgrade; and polycarbonate barriers.
• Clinton Central School District Foundation will use a $15,700 grant to “enhance and expand” supportive programs that address student academic, social, and emotional gaps, such as the elementary school bridge program.
• Clinton Early Learning Center was awarded $10,000 to replace furniture and play equipment.
• Clinton Fire Department plans to use a $20,000 grant for “obligatory” upgrades to emergency communications equipment.
• Clinton Youth Foundation (Boynton Pool) received $4,200 for non-slip floor/deck mats and a pool lift that’s compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
• Kirkland Art Center will use its $20,000 grant award to support a capital campaign to replace the roof and pay for a new teaching kitchen.
• Kirkland Police Department plans to use a $1,500 grant award for a new computer and printer.
• Kirkland Town Library was awarded $8,500 for unfunded and increased costs for an outdoor deck and permanent set-up for curbside service.
• Kirkland Trails will use a grant of $20,105 to purchase crushed stone to complete the final one-mile section of the trail that runs north from Dugway Road to the intersection of Route 12B and 233.
• James Church Day School will use its $1,000 grant award to create an updated current library with more books that include diverse and mixed cultural characters and stories for preschoolers.
• The Country Pantry plans to use its $5,000 grant for general operations.