irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $652KSCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS
named programs · 9 · from sources
What they call their work
100 Classrooms
Philanthropy education program in which staff teach K–5 students about giving and guide them to award $100 grants to local charities of their choice.
Chemung County School Readiness Project
Comprehensive initiative serving children birth to five in Chemung County, unifying early childhood services to improve academic, social, emotional, and physical readiness for kindergarten.
FLXCalendar
Curated regional events calendar funded by the foundation to promote arts, culture, and community engagement in the Southern Finger Lakes.
FLXGives
24-hour online giving day that connects donors with local nonprofits across the Finger Lakes region to support causes they care about.
Gratitude Summit
Annual event promoting workplace recognition and peer-to-peer gratitude among nonprofit professionals to reduce turnover and support mental well-being.
Leadership Advancement Award
Sabbatical funding for nonprofit executive directors with at least ten years of service, providing two to three months of paid leave to prevent burnout and support leadership renewal.
QuickArts
Mini-grant program offering $50–$500 awards to artists and arts organizations in Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben counties for career development and community arts activities.
Smart Works
Student loan repayment program offering up to $7,200 annually in direct payments to lenders for young professionals with college degrees who live and work in the Southern Tier.
Women Leaders Launchpad
Leadership development program in partnership with Savannah Consulting, offering workshops, coaching, and assessments for women in nonprofit management roles.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Nonprofit Capacity Building Services 1 activity
- Building nonprofit capacity through training and leadership developmentProvides trainings for nonprofit board and staff members to improve organizational effectiveness and hosts the Gratitude Summit, an annual event focused on promoting workplace gratitude to reduce turnover and support employee well-being among nonprofit professionals.
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Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
- Engaging youth in philanthropy and civic learningRuns a youth philanthropy program that engages young people in grantmaking and community giving, including through partnerships with schools and youth centers to support educational field experiences and classroom-based philanthropy education.
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Community Foundation & United Way Support 1 activity
- Facilitating community-wide giving campaignsOrganizes and supports FLX Gives, an annual giving campaign that raised $320,182 from 2,814 donors in 2025 to benefit 134 local nonprofits, promoting broad community participation in charitable giving.
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General Operating Support Grants 1 activity
- Funding nonprofit organizations through competitive and mini-grant programsProvides competitive grants and mini-grants to nonprofit organizations in Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Yates counties, including QuickArts grants of $50–$500 for artists and arts groups, and up to $150 for educators using Learning to Give curricula. Administers multiple grant opportunities annually as part of a broader program that manages over $2 million in grantmaking each year.
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Local High School Scholarship Programs 1 activity
- Funding scholarships and educational support for studentsAwards scholarships to high school graduates and adult learners pursuing postsecondary education, including through donor-established funds. Manages an annual scholarship cycle with one-on-one application support and a unified application connecting students in the Finger Lakes Region and Northern Pennsylvania to over 10 funding opportunities, distributing nearly $500,000 annually.
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Early Childhood Education & Development Programs 1 activity
- Operating direct service programs for youth and familiesDirectly operates the School Readiness Project in Chemung County, providing comprehensive early childhood services for children birth to five to promote academic, social, emotional, and physical readiness for kindergarten. Also ran the 100 Classrooms initiative, teaching philanthropy to elementary students and enabling them to award $100 grants to local charities.
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Financial Aid and Scholarship Access Programs 1 activity
- Operating student loan repayment and workforce support programDirectly operates Smart Works, a student loan repayment program that provides enrolled young professionals in the Southern Tier with up to $7,200 annually in direct payments to lenders for up to ten years.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Funding community development and special initiativesAwards targeted grants for specific community projects such as the School Readiness Project in Chemung County (including a first-time million-dollar award), sabbatical funding for long-serving nonprofit leaders, and support for regional infrastructure like FLXCalendar. Also repaid federal aid using fund interest to establish a permanent endowment for ongoing community support.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$6.49M
Contributions & grants$5.01M77%
Program service revenue$13K0%
Investment income$1.46M23%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$4.35M
Program expenses87%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$793K
Grants paid out$3.01M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$83.70M
Cash$4.92M
Investments$78.25M
Liabilities$2.72M
Net assets$80.98M
Liquid reserves229.2 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -48.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 3
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RANDI HEWIT | PRESIDENT | 40 | $221K |
| JOHN SIRIANNI | CFO | 40 | $148K |
| SARAH SHAUT | VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS | 40 | $145K |
board members · 21
- ALISON WOLFE — DIRECTOR
- CYNTHIA RIVERA — DIRECTOR
- EILEEN HUFF — TREASURER
- JAN VAN DEN BLINK — PAST CHAIR
- JANNA LINDSAY — DIRECTOR
- JARVIS MARLOW-MCCOWIN — DIRECTOR
- JOHN PAUL PASSMORE — DIRECTOR
- KATHLEEN SCHWEIZER — VICE CHAIR
- KIMBERLY WILBERT-SMITH — DIRECTOR
- L DALE COLE — DIRECTOR
- LYNSEY HOURIHAN — DIRECTOR
- MARY MIX — DIRECTOR
- MICHAEL EISNER — DIRECTOR
- NEIL FOLNSBEE — DIRECTOR
- ODESSA PETZOLD — DIRECTOR
- OLIVIA KHRISTAN — DIRECTOR
- PAUL SYDLANSKY — CHAIR
- PAULINE EMERY — DIRECTOR
- SARA CICCOTTI — SECRETARY
- THEODORE GOLDWYN — DIRECTOR
- TRUNG TRAN — DIRECTOR
relationships · 24
Who they work with
- 134 local nonprofits Partner — Partner organizations that received funding and support through FLX Gives.
- 211 Helpline Partner — Partners to connect residents with local programs and services
- Addison Youth Center Partner — Partner organization whose students participated in funded museum experiences.
- Black-led community organizations Partner — Building new partnerships with Black-led community organizations to improve scholarship and grant access.
- Chambers of commerce in the Southern Finger Lakes Partner — Hosts roundtables for nonprofit leaders and facilitates resource sharing in the region.
- Chemung County Partner — Partnered with the Community Foundation to create and implement the School Readiness Project.
- Chemung County SPCA Partner — Penny Lane, the organization's Chief Philanthro-paw Officer, came to the Community Foundation from the Chemung County SPCA in 2016.
- Clemens Center Partner — Community partner offering cultural programming such as Broadway shows, referenced in regional engagement context.
- Elmira City School District Partner — Collaborates with the Community Foundation on the School Readiness Project.
- Elmira Heights Central School District Partner — Collaborates with the Community Foundation on the School Readiness Project.
- FLX Gives Partner — Collaborates with FLX Gives to promote regional philanthropy and community engagement.
- FLXCalendar Partner — Collaborates to promote local events and activities
- Good Works Podcast Partner — Collaborates with the Good Works Podcast to share information about racial equity policies and initiatives.
- Horseheads Central School District Partner — Collaborates with the Community Foundation on the School Readiness Project.
- John Jones Museum Partner — Community partner preserving local history, including the Underground Railroad, in Elmira.
- Junior League Partner — Provided seed funding to establish the Community Foundation of the Chemung County Area.
- Katie Partner — Katie serves as an LTG Ambassador Trainer who coordinates workshops for schools interested in integrating philanthropy into classrooms.
- Katie Strickler Partner — Provides direct support to applicants through application guidance and college process assistance.
- Learning to Give Partner — Partners with Learning to Give to provide educators with resources and support for youth philanthropy education.
- Rockwell Museum of Western Art Partner — Partner organization delivering on-site educational programs to PreK-4 students supported by the foundation.
- Sara Partner — Provides guidance on grant opportunities and application support to nonprofits.
- Savannah Consulting Partner — Co-provides the Women Leaders Launchpad leadership development program with the Community Foundation.
- Southeastern Steuben County Human Services Fund Partner — Partner fund created with churches and managed by the Community Foundation to support human services.
- The ARTS Council for the Southern Finger Lakes Partner — Administers the QuickArts mini-grant program on behalf of the Community Foundation.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Anti-Racist Grantmaking Frameworkmethodology: anti-racist_philanthropyBy directing grants and scholarships through an anti-racist lens, the foundation increases equity in access and outcomes, because colorblind approaches perpetuate existing disparities and fail to address systemic barriers faced by marginalized communities.
- Holistic Equity Review in Scholarship and Grantmakingmethodology: holistic_review_for_equityBy using holistic review processes that assess leadership, service, and work ethic across diverse backgrounds, the foundation promotes equitable selection and reduces systemic bias, because traditional merit-based models often disadvantage applicants from underrepresented racial, economic, and cultural contexts.
- Strategic, High-Impact Grantmaking with Cross-Sector Coordinationmethodology: strategic_grantmakingBy strategically assessing holistic regional needs and funding high-impact initiatives—especially those using creative problem solving and collaborative approaches—the foundation maximizes community change from modest investments, because coordinated, cross-sector efforts are more likely to produce systemic and replicable solutions.
- Youth-Led Philanthropy and Civic Engagement Modelmethodology: youth_philanthropyBy engaging youth in philanthropy through youth-led service projects, grantmaking, and educator-supported civic learning, the foundation fosters lifelong active citizenship, because early empowerment and participatory experience build lasting civic identity and community responsibility.