The Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF), established in 1986, is dedicated to enhancing the lives of residents in northern Chautauqua. Their focus extends beyond geographic boundaries, aiming to foster a thriving community they proudly call home. Over the years, NCCF has spearheaded numerous projects spanning arts and culture, environment, health and human services, and neighborhood revitalization.

NCCF seeks to strategically invest in the community, partnering with nonprofits to address complex issues and seize opportunities for lasting impact. They prioritize proposals that combine passion with thoughtful planning and eagerly await ideas for realizing their vision of a healthy and prosperous community.

Their Community Grants Program reviews proposals biannually, in spring and fall. The initial step involves submitting a Letter of Interest, which should include a brief project description aligning with the agency’s mission, anticipated impacts, total project cost, and requested amount. Letters must be two pages or less and submitted electronically by 4:00 p.m. on March 1st or September 1st for consideration.

Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, though meeting program priorities and guidelines doesn't guarantee an invitation.

In evaluating applications, NCCF prioritizes projects' potential community benefits, organizational capacity, meaningful collaborations, and ability to leverage additional funds or resources.

Grant proposals must address identified community needs, benefit the northern Chautauqua area, and be submitted by 501(c)3 organizations or appropriate nonprofits. Historically, grants have ranged from $500 to $15,000, with competitive grants typically averaging $1,500 to $3,000. Multi-year funding may be considered based on program outcomes, but organizations can only have one open grant at a time.

Expenses like overhead, fundraising campaigns, and unrelated salaries/stipends are generally not funded. Funding for religious organizations is contingent on community benefit and non-proselytization.

NCCF prohibits discrimination in hiring, service provision, or volunteer/vendor selection, supporting inclusivity and diversity.

For inquiries, Eileen M. Ardillo, the Program Coordinator, can be reached at 716-366-4892 or eardillo@nccfoundation.org.

NCCF appreciates collaboration and shares the community's vision for a healthy and prosperous future.