Fall Community Grants

The Community Grants program offered by the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley provides vital funding to nonprofit organizations that serve residents in Dutchess, Putnam, and Ulster Counties, New York. The Community Foundations, based in Poughkeepsie, NY, focus on strengthening local communities through strategic grantmaking. This grant program supports a wide array of programming areas including human services, arts and culture, education, youth initiatives, health, environmental efforts, and civic engagement. A key emphasis is placed on projects that uplift and serve historically marginalized and under-funded populations. These populations may be defined by race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, socioeconomic status, health status, ability, or geographic location. The funding is designed to offer general operating support, allowing organizations to allocate resources flexibly based on their most urgent needs. This can include support for program planning or implementation, procurement of technology and materials, strategic and succession planning, staff and board development, enhancement of management systems like HR or finance, marketing efforts, and overall capacity-building investments. The program does not support individuals, partisan political efforts, lobbying, debt repayment for capital projects already underway, retroactive costs, endowments, or sectarian religious activities. However, community-focused programs operated by religious institutions may be eligible if they are non-theological in nature. Eligible applicants must be tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations, including faith-based organizations, or those with an established fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3). The applicant must be physically located in or provide services to residents of Dutchess, Putnam, or Ulster counties. Organizations may submit one application per eligible county provided they can clearly demonstrate service impact in each location. Schools are generally ineligible unless the project supports community service activities that extend benefits beyond the school community. Applicants must apply through the Community Foundations’ Online Grants Portal. The application period opens annually on July 1 and closes on August 15. No late submissions are accepted. Separate applications must be submitted for each county in which funding is requested, though the portal allows applicants to copy prior responses and tailor them for county-specific needs. An applicant tutorial is available through Foundant Technologies to guide users through this process. Applications will be reviewed by the relevant county-specific advisory board composed of local community members. Final decisions are made by the Community Foundations' Board of Trustees. The selection criteria include organizational feasibility, community need, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Foundations seek organizations that are capable of fulfilling their missions with financial and community support, and that demonstrate inclusive programming that reflects and serves diverse communities. For the 2024/2025 cycle, a total of $350,000 was awarded across the three counties. Grant requests can range from $2,500 to $20,000, with most awards expected to fall between $2,500 and $7,500. While a limited number of larger awards may be made, the Foundations emphasize the competitive nature of the program and acknowledge that not all worthy applications will receive funding. Questions may be directed to [email protected] or by calling 845-452-3077.

Highlight DEI strategies and community need clearly; tailor county-specific impact in each application submission.