Its that time of the year when people are planning their generous gifts and expressions of thanksgiving and gratitude. Your Community Foundation is ready to assist you in planning your gifts so that they have the most impact and the greatest benefit to the recipients as well as to your tax situation. Please keep your Community Foundation in mind as you prepare your giving plan for the end of 2013. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Donate to the Operational Endowment Fund which helps us provide services to our community
• Contribute to the growing endowments of our Women's Fund or our Children & Youth Fund
• Make a multi-year pledge to support the operations of the Community Foundation
• Start your own fund
• Give to any existing fund

CLICK HERE for more information

Thank you for your support and for your generosity. Please contact us so that we may be of assistance.

Gift Deadlines

Gifts delivered by US Mail must be postmarked by December 31, 2013 in order to receive a 2013 gift date. Hand delivered gifts must be received in person in our office by 1 pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2013 in order to receive a 2013 gift date.

For Gifts of Stock we kindly ask that you be certain that the transfer process has begun no later than Friday, December 13, 2013 to ensure that the gift can be treated as qualified for 2013.

The Community Foundation of Tompkins County is pleased to announce 19 grants to 15 organizations and municipalities totaling nearly $124,000. These funds will be given over two years to build and strengthen programs which have suffered funding cuts as well as to build capacity to work more efficiently and more effectively. Grants of $61,965 will be made in December 2013 and a second package of $61,965 will be granted in Fall 2014 contingent on interim progress reports. This new two year format is in direct response to grantee feedback.

The majority of grants are from the Tompkins Today and Tomorrow Fund with additional support from donor advised and from the Arts & Culture, the Children & Youth and the Social Justice field of interest funds of the Community Foundation. Individual donors provided initial contributions through on line crowd source gifts at the start of the process. This cycle also had additional support from the Park Foundation. All are invited to celebrate these grantees at an awards ceremony on Monday, December 9 from 8:30-10:00AM at the Community Foundation theatre in Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street, Ithaca.

1. Tompkins County Department of Administration for Workforce Diversity & Inclusion Committee's reading and discussion program
2. Food Bank of the Southern Tier for mobile food pantry assessment and expansion
3. Tompkins County Youth Services Department for results based accountability training
4. Town of Groton's Youth Commission for Groton Youth Employment Program
5. Lifelong for My Senior Circle and website upgrade
6. Sustainable Tompkins for a local sustainability organizations merger feasibility study
7. Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes for a best practice inventory control system
8. Civic Ensemble for community based plays and dialogues from 2013-2015
9. Alternatives Impact for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for Newfield
10. Discovery Trail for Kids Discover the Trail expansion
11. SPCA of Tompkins County for pet assistance for people with domestic disruptions
12. Kitchen Theatre for professional intern program
13. Finger Lakes ReUse for truck fleet services
14. Ithaca Health Alliance for equitable access to integrative health care
15. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County for Healthy Food for All program

Mickie Sanders-Jauquet