The board of directors of the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation recently approved Community Benefit Grants totaling $78,804, which will be awarded to 17 local organizations. The Community Benefit Grants Program is a biannual program that awards grants to organizations seeking funds to improve and strengthen the northern Chautauqua County region.

The NCCF Board of Directors approved the following grants from the Community Benefit Grants Program: Arts Services Inc. for Midway Trolley Park: Midway Memories Documentary; Chautauqua Cattaraugus Library System for Summer Library Reading Programs and e-books for libraries; Chautauqua County Rural Ministry for Supervised Visitation Training Materials and Supplies; Chautauqua Center for Behavioral Health Suite Furnishings; Chautauqua Institution for “Opera in the Schools” Program for elementary students; CREATE Project for “Tradition, Trauma, & Tenderness” Documentary Production; Darwin Barker Historical Museum for the “Mark Twain in Fredonia” Historical Exhibit; Dream It Do It Program for “Dream it Do It 500” Program Support; Dunkirk Historical Lighthouse for Coast Guard Building Improvements; FeedMore of WNY for the purchase of food for Chautauqua County food distribution programs; Lily Dale Assembly for Welcome Center materials and supplies; Northlake Family Recreation Center for Handicap Accessible Playground Expansion; Silver Creek Historical Society for Historic Signage to designate the Fayette settlement and Steamship George Washington sites; SUNY Research Foundation for Music Therapy for Dementia Patients and Caregivers; United Way of Southern Chautauqua County for I.D.E.A. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) Framework Implementation Project; Westfield Development Corporation for Downtown Streetscape Improvements; and Westfield Memorial Hospital Foundation for Platform Mounted Parallel Bars for Physical Therapy Department.

Current Grants Committee members are Jill Casey, Ann Eckman, Jody Falkner, Margaret Ferris, Cathy Kaicher, Alex Murphy, Rich Ryan, and Kurt Warmbrodt. Jill Casey serves as chair of the committee, and Nancy Adams Fry is the NCCF President.

The Community Grants Program awards grants twice a year. The next deadline to submit a letter of interest is Sept. 1. The Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF) is committed to improving Chautauqua County through promoting local philanthropy, targeted grantmaking, local scholarships, and leadership. Since 1986, the organization has distributed over $17 million within the community through grants and scholarships.

For more information on NCCF grantmaking opportunities and guidelines, visit https://www.nccfoundation.org/grants-programs or phone 716-366-4892.