Awarded-$4,000
Funded Project: Transportation Assistance 

Funds were used to buy bus passes and gas vouchers, and to assist clients with car repairs. This assistance will support clients in getting to work, school, and vital appointments.

Awarded- $1,000
Project Funded: Beloved Artistic Community Meet Up

The Beloved Artistic Community Meet Up is a monthly theatre workshop series for adults in Tompkins County to build theatrical skills and artistry while strengthening community connection. The program is designed to help combat loneliness and other mental health challenges in adults and is rooted in the values of anti-racism an community building.

Awarded- $500
Project Funded: Books for the Bright Red Bookshelf

Funds were used to used to purchase new, high-quality, age-appropriate children’s books to put on the Bright Red Bookshelves. These books are available for free all over the county.

Awarded-$753
Funded Project: Play Area Revitalization Project

Funds were used to replace and add toys and furniture to the play area. The Finger Lakes Toy Library is one of the few free indoor play spaces in the county and is highly utilized during the winter months.

Awarded- $2,500
Project Funded: Blizzard Bag Program: Winter 2025-2026. Ensuring Food Access for Older Adults

Funds were used to provide seniors with multiple shelf-stable meals which can be used when delivery is not possible due to unsafe winter conditions and regular meal delivery is not available.

Awarded- $3,147
Project Funded: Winter & Holiday Food Distributions

Funds were used to provide food-insecure community members with fresh produce, staple food items and warm meals to bolster emergency food assistance in the winter, and to provide special holiday distributions.

Awarded-$1,800
Funded Project: Supporting Children’s Mental Health in Nature

Funds were used to train six frontline educators in Wilderness Mental Health First Responder, a nationally recognized program that equips staff to assess, respond to, and de-escalate mental and emotional health crises in outdoor learning environments.

Awarded- $800
Project Funded: The Ithaca Health Alliance Nutrition Education Program

The purpose of this program is to provide on-going, nutrition education to uninsured, or underinsured residents of Ithaca and the surrounding region by offering education classes throughout 2026.

Awarded-$3,500
Funded Project: Migrant Advocacy and Support (MAS)

Funds were to support the following efforts. Completion of emergency preparedness documents, workshops on “Supporting Immigrant Families in our Communities,” trainings on “How to speak with children about immigration rights, detentions and family separation”, “Know your immigration rights” workshops, and weekly individualized zoom English classes for one-on-one English learning, and, ongoing health, legal and educational referrals.

Awarded-$1,000
Funded Project: Tech Upgrades

Funds were be used to enhance Southside Community Center’s technological infrastructure with the purchase of a high capacity printer and copier that will be used by both Southside staff and be available to the community for use. Tablets for after school program staff are used to streamline daily operations such as sign-in/out, health checks, and real-time parent notifications, ensuring smoother communication between staff and families.

Awarded- $500
Project Funded: OPT IN (On Purpose Teen Initiative)

The program is a teen-led network that empowers Tompkins County youth (ages 12–18) to design and carry out self-directed projects, building confidence, resilience, and real-world skills in areas of interest. It is designed to foster independence, leadership, collaboration, and creativity while addressing rising youth mental health challenges.

Awarded- $3,500
Funded Project: Washers and Dryers for Homeless Youth

Funds were used to purchase 2 sets of washers and dryers for the use of residents of Village House, a transitional living home for unhoused young people ages 18-24. Village house also provides residents with case management and opportunities to build life skills and leadership. The current washers and dryers in the home are broken.