Applicant organizations must be headquartered in and serve the residents of Albany or Rensselaer Counties in New York State, and they must provide programs or services that are aligned with the Foundation’s funding priorities. All organizations applying to the Community Grantmaking program must be tax exempt according to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Applicants should contact the Executive Director via the Contact Form to request a short telephone conversation about their idea. If the idea seems to be a possible fit with the Foundation’s current priorities, the applicant will be invited to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) through the grant portal. The Foundation’s grant committee reviews LOI submissions and determines which will be invited to submit a full grant application.

The Foundation reviews grant requests quarterly in January, April, July, and October.

It depends. Churches and other houses of worship that offer community-serving programs AND those programs do not include a religious component may be eligible to apply for funding. For example, houses of worship that offer a food pantry, soup kitchen, or clothing pantry may be eligible for funding consideration. However, the Foundation does not fund general renovations or repairs to church buildings and does not support vacation Bible camps or other religious activities.

No. The Foundation does not sponsor events.

Most Community Grantmaking program grant awards are between $10,000 and $50,000. Requests of $2,500 or less can also be considered through a more streamlined process. Please contact the Executive Director via our Contact Form to ask about a smaller grant request.

Applicants will usually receive notification of their grant award status approximately four weeks after submitting their grant request.

No worries! Please use our Contact Form or call our office at (518) 720-0004.