Community Grants

The Sunshine Lady Foundation and Cornell University

College of Human Ecology Grants

On behalf of the Cornell University College of Human Ecology and The Sunshine Lady Foundation, we would like to invite grant proposals for programs or projects that serve low-income communities including, but not limited to, the following: efforts toward self-sufficiency, alleviating the effects of poverty, health promotion, and education. Please check back for the application deadline for 2010; it is usually in early November.

We are students in Leadership in Nonprofits, a class which is committed to creating a dynamic relationship with nonprofits in the community by learning from and giving back to these organizations. Thanks to the generosity of the Sunshine Lady Foundation, we have been given the opportunity to award one-time grants that total $10,000.

We review applications from organizations that meet the following criteria:

Serves the Tompkins County area with 501(c)(3) status or is sponsored by an organization with 501(c)(3) status, and
Is a new or existing organization.

We will give preference to programs that demonstrate sustainability beyond the year of our grant. Applicants may request funding for operational costs only if they directly support programming.

We will not accept requests from the following types of organizations:

Organizations which promote a sectarian religious message or a political candidate,
Organizations seeking support for capital campaigns, or funding to pay fines or penalties,
Organizations which seek funding for the arts unless the arts are part of an educational or therapeutic initiative.

The application process will open again soon.

We will invite the grant recipient(s) to accept their award(s) at a press conference after selection. We also ask that the recipient(s) provide us with a detailed report of the project's progress six months after the project's inception.