Perhaps the biggest fall news we have is that our annual grant deadline is fast approaching! Local organizations and AFF Ambassadors have until November 1st to submit their grant proposals for our consideration. We are looking forward to reading about the great work everyone is up to.
Even though the grant cycle isn’t yet upon us, we’ve still been busy! Our most recent local grant was extended to the Poughkeepsie Farm Project (PFP). PFP has a food share program on their farm on the campus of Vassar which supports hundreds of families in the area. This is our third year partnering with PFP.
Hardscrabble Day was on September 17th - those of you who’ve grown up or have lived in Red Hook all have vivid memories of that event, no doubt! A recent article in the Daily Catch highlighted the mood and feelings of many in attendance. The Daily Catch was also a recent awardee of an AFF grant. One of our underlying goals is community building, and a local newspaper is essential to that end.
Speaking of communities, Election Day is coming up! Your right to vote is the most basic tenet of our democracy. Unfortunately, it’s counteracted by voter suppression tactics - even in our own backyard at Bard College. A series of court case rulings with additional litigation pending - outlined here - address the fight for a polling sight on Bard’s campus. We’ve contributed to the endeavor to ensure everyone has the ability to vote, with a $10K grant to Elections at Bard through the Center for Civic Engagement. We applaud the leadership at the Center for Civic Engagement in this decades long battle for justice.
We’ve long been working with folks at the CCE, and on Sept. 30th CCE hosted their annual celebration of community partnerships at Blithewood. Some sixty or so folks gathered - Fran, Jen, and Nick were in attendance - to honor a couple of local awardees for their dedication and commitment to community building. Sarah Ugolini, the ED from the RH Community Center - one of our benchmark partners, as well - has orchestrated significant program growth over the last few years.
We’ve also fostered connections with other institutions in the area, including Marist. A few of us met last Tuesday with Dr. Melitski’s Nonprofit Management class answering questions about our work and outlining a matching donation commitment to two local Poughkeepsie agencies. Two groups in the class are in a friendly competition to raise money for Grace Smith House, a center that provides counseling, shelter, and other services to victims of domestic violence and their families, and the Special Olympics of the Hudson Valley. Our match commitment is now in its third year. A matching donation in 2021 led to a full-fledged grant with the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse this spring!
Lastly, we've always enjoy updates from our Ambassadors and the organizations we’ve funded in the past. Aminy Ostfeld, Ambassador Class of 2015, advocated for We Care Solar/We Share Solar for a number of years. We Share Solar design solar suitcases for energy needs both domestically and internationally. The energy generated provides power for health facilities and schools within those communities where grids are nonexistent. They are now part of our “Legacy Portfolio,” which includes six organizations which can apply to the AFF directly for funding after a history of Ambassador advocacy on their behalf. Aminy continued her wonderful ambassador service with a grant for City Slicker Farms in Oakland, CA. last year.
As always, keep us up to date on your volunteering, endeavors, and anything else!