OVERVIEW: The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation supports community development, public health, mental health, scholarships and more in Cattaraugus County and surrounding areas.
IP TAKE: This community foundation runs over 300 individual funds, but applying for a grant is streamlined through its online portal. A significant portion of grantmaking goes to community development and public health, but the foundation’s recently established fund for mental wellness will likely bring a significant amount of support to wellness and mental health organizations in the area. This is a transparent and accessible funder for organizations working in its geographic area. Reach out with questions about current opportunities or finding a match within the more than 300 funds managed here.
PROFILE: Established in 1994, the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation (CRCF) is a community funder based in Olean, New York. Community leaders convened to explore establishing a local community foundation in the area. The funder adopted its current name in 2000 to reflect a broader region served. CRCF aims to “assist community members in their philanthropic endeavors to help others thus enriching the quality of life in our community.” This foundation currently manages about 300 funds, including many donor advised, donor designated, field of interest, scholarship, unrestricted and agency funds, addressing a broad range of community needs and issues. A significant portion of grantmaking goes to community development initiatives, public health, mental health and education, in the form of scholarships.
Grants for Community Development and Public Health
CRFC’s Community Fund, its largest grantmaking vehicle, funds “grants responsive to the community’s greatest needs.” Beyond this broad mandate, the foundation does not articulate specific goals. Applications are evaluated based on “rganization strength, community need or opportunity, feasibility and impact, project budget and the role of the CRCF grant.” Most grants from this fund are awarded in amounts of up to $2,5000 and are “not intended to fund ongoing annual needs.” A majority of grants have supported community development and public health organizations. Community development grantees include the YMCA of Olean, Salamanca’s Connecting Communities in Action, Rushford Lake Land Owners and Olean Business Development. Public health grantees of the community fund include Olean General Hospital, the Rehabilitation Foundation of Olean and Bradford Hospital in nearby Bradford, Pennsylvania.
Grants for Mental Health
Recently established, the Mental Wellness in Cattaraugus County Fund aims to fund “programs and activities that will promote and support mental wellness in Cattaraugus County.” Grants are not intended for “overhead or startup” expenses. Early grantmaking has gone to Olean Meditation Center.
Grants for Higher Education
CRFC manages more than fifty scholarship funds that “are available to students at specific high schools, students with different majors, students with different career goals and more.” The foundation runs a common scholarship application for all of its programs, with a due date of March 20 for scholarships for the following school year. A full list of specific scholarship funds is available at the foundation’s website.
Important Grantmaking Details
CRFC gave away about $3 million in grants and scholarships in a recent year. Grants range from $5,000 to $200,000, with an average grant size of about $20,000. The foundation’s largest grants tend to support public health and hospitals, with smaller sums serving community organizations in the region.
This funder accepts applications through a single online portal for grants stemming form its Community Fund, Mental Wellness in Cattaraugus County Fund and Specific Funds, although eligibility, guidelines and due dates may vary type of grant. Direct general questions to the staff at foundation@cattfoundation.org or by telephone at 716-301-2723.
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