Tioga Downs relaunching Regional Community Foundation, accepting applications

NICHOLS, N.Y. — Tioga Downs Casino Resort announced that its Tioga Downs Regional Community Foundation is again accepting grant applications and will distribute $1 million to area nonprofit organizations that “combat local poverty and community deterioration.”

Tioga Downs said it had previously paused the program due to the pandemic.

“It’s a special day to be able to resurrect this program,” Jeffrey Gural, owner of Tioga Downs Casino Resort, said in a statement. “The pandemic has been hard on all of us, and for us to be able to relaunch this effort to support organizations who are doing everything they can to make our community a better place is crucial. It’s part of our mission to help those who are putting in the work to change lives, and this foundation allows us to do that.”

The Regional Community Foundation seeks to provide funding to groups that advance charitable, religious, literary, scientific, and educational causes in Broome, Tioga, Chemung, and Bradford (Pennsylvania) counties. Its mission is to promote economic and community development in the counties surrounding Tioga Downs.

Interested applicants must mail a hard copy of their complete application to P.O. Box 15, Nichols, NY 13827, and must be postmarked no later than Oct. 1 of this year. Applications can be found on the Tioga Downs Casino and Resort website.

Tioga Downs will announce grant recipients in early November and will award the funding on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29 in an evening ceremony at the Tioga Downs Casino and Resort event center, the organization said.