Community Foundation Marks National Week

During the week of November 12-18, the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is joining more than 900 community foundations across the country in celebrating Community Foundation Week.

“This year more than ever before, we are addressing both recent and longstanding challenges in our community—pandemic impact, food insecurity, childcare availability and workforce development, and racial equity and social justice across our two counties,” said Alicia Dicks, president/CEO of The Community Foundation.

Since its founding in 1952, the Community Foundation has invested more than $90 million in Herkimer and Oneida counties through donor-supported funding of nonprofit organizations. In recent years, its traditional granting has transitioned to community investment, as the organization establishes active partnerships with nonprofit, governmental and other organizational collaborators.

In March, the Community Foundation partnered with the United Way of the Mohawk Valley to establish the Mohawk Valley COVID-19 Response Fund to attract resources and distribute them rapidly to nonprofit groups meeting immediate community needs. To date, more than $2 million has been awarded through that effort. Additionally, the Community Foundation executed partnerships that supported small businesses, local restaurants, frontline workers and more.

In July, the organization announced a $10 million, 10-year commitment, the largest single investment in its history, aimed at racial equity and social justice. The MV Equity Pledge, www.mvequitypledge.org, was launched for individuals and organizations to demonstrate their commitment to equity in the community.

Since 1989, Community Foundation Week has recognized the work of community foundations and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address community problems. The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is one of more than 900 place-based philanthropic community foundations across the country.