Grant assistance from Adirondack Foundation and its funding partners helped AdkAction work with partners to assemble and distribute emergency food packages filled with farm-fresh food to families and individuals whose circumstances made it difficult for them to buy food. In this image, Maeve Brammer is handing off packages assembled at Hub on the Hill in Essex. (Erika Bailey, courtesy Adirondack Foundation)

LAKE PLACID — Adirondack Foundation, and its many funding partners, have awarded nearly $1.2 million since March through 175 grants to nonprofits, schools, and community-based organizations specifically toward COVID-19 response. This rapid-response community assistance is thanks to a coalition of corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit partners supporting local front-line organizations — many of which serve people who are disproportionately affected when crisis strikes.

With more than $1.3 million raised, grants are being deployed across the Adirondack region, helping to serve tens of thousands of people experiencing hardship from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic, and supporting a variety of community needs. These emergency-response and longer-term, deeper investment grants fall into the following broad categories.

Food assistance — 74 grants, including: Clifton Fine Backpack Pantry, Hamilton County Community Action, Field & Fork Network’s Double-up Food Bucks program, AdkAction’s Fair Food Price Packages and the Salvation Army food pantry in Plattsburgh.

Health and wellness — 17 grants, including: Mental Health Association of Franklin County, Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York, Adirondack Samaritan Counseling Center, emergency services in Wells, Plattsburgh, Keene, and other towns; Hudson Headwaters Health Foundation and Adirondack Health.

Foundation Shelter — 4 grants, including: Village of Tupper Lake and Ecumencial Council of Saranac Lake (to offset utility costs for low-income residents), Rural Preservation Company of Clinton County, Akwesasne Sunrise Acres senior housing, The Salvation Army – Empire Division and Plattsburgh Housing.

Authority Social services — 33 grants, including: Bolton Health Committee, Plattsburgh Family YMCA, Adirondack Community Action Programs, Cerebral Palsy Association of the North Country, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks, YMCA Adirondack Center in Brant Lake.

Education — 19 grants, including: Little Peaks Preschool; Clifton Fine, Indian Lake, Ticonderoga, and Minerva central schools (technology support), The Wild Center (digital drop-in programs for k-12 students).

Community vitality — 24 grants, including: Hamilton County IDA, Essex County IDA, and Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce (small business support); Central Adirondack Partnerships for the 21st Century; libraries in Tupper Lake, Keene Valley, Chazy, and Willsoro; the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, NCPR and other media outlets (critical COVID-19 updates and information).

A full list of grant recipients being supported by this work can be found at www.adirondackfoundation.org/COVID19/sun-fund-covid-19-grants.

“Covid-19 is having an unprecedented impact on our local communities and individuals. While we have witnessed sacrifice from all corners of society, people continue to look out for each other,” said Cloudsplitter Foundation Director Chenelle Palyswiat. “The needs are vast, but so is the generosity. It’s incredibly inspiring. Rapid-response has been crucial for supporting our neighbors and it has been an honor to partner with Adirondack Foundation and other generous funders and individuals to make that happen. Collective efforts are truly making a difference.”

Donors can give directly online www.adirondackfoundation.org/give-now or contact Cali Brooks at cali@adkfoundation.org to learn more about how to support this regional response.

“We have been pleased to partner with Adirondack Foundation, Cloudsplitter Foundation and other funding partners in the region to help address urgent needs that affect families,” said John Bernardi, president and CEO of United Way of the Adirondack Region, Inc. “Tough times require grit and determination. Nowhere on earth is that more evident than it is here. The spirit of cooperation, generosity and empathy have shown through the darkness and illuminated a path forward. We have much to be proud of, but also, much more to do.”

Nonprofits, schools, county agencies, and municipalities can apply for grant assistance through the Special and Urgent Needs (SUN) Fund (open application) or Generous Acts (applications accepted from Dec. 21, 2020 – Feb. 1, 2021). Information about both is available online at adirondackfoundation.org.