Adirondack Foundation

What Adirondack Foundation does

Adirondack Community Foundation (formerly Adirondack Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) community foundation founded in 1997 and headquartered in Lake Placid, New York, serving the multi-county Adirondack region. The foundation stewards donor contributions and endowment assets, deploying capital through competitive grant cycles, named and geographic component funds, scholarship programs, and emergency-response funds (Generous Acts, Essex Community Fund, Community Fund for the Gore Mountain Region, Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund, Special and Urgent Needs Fund, and others). Cumulatively, it has returned over $79 million to Adirondack communities and currently awards approximately $3 million in grants annually across five "whole community" focus areas: basic needs, educational pathways, community vitality, arts + culture, and environment.

The foundation's primary technical platform is its Online Grants Manager — a web-based portal enabling grant applications, staff collaboration, and grantee reporting. Underlying operations are administrative rather than technology-led; there is no proprietary AI, data product, or software offering. The organization instead derives its value from intangible assets: brand trust, a 28-year operating track record, named funds tied to specific donors or causes (Plante Medical Scholarship, Decker Memorial, Aseel Legacy, AFLEF), and convening authority across regional nonprofits, government, and funders.

Revenue is generated through philanthropic contributions from individual donors across the Adirondacks and returns on stewarded endowment and charitable assets. The foundation also acts as fiscal sponsor (e.g., for the Adirondack Food Systems Network) and has expanded into co-invested programs such as the $2 million Adirondack Small Business Opportunity Fund (with Empire State Development and AEDC) and a $3.5 million workforce-housing pipeline. Distribution occurs via direct grants, scholarships, low-barrier small-business loans, and emergency-relief disbursements, with go-to-market executed through community-led outreach, advisory committees for component funds, donor-advised fund relationships, and partnerships with public and private funders.

Name

Adirondack Foundation

Legal name

Adirondack Community Foundation

Website

https://adirondackfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Adirondack Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation based in Lake Placid, NY that stewards donor contributions and endowment assets to award grants, scholarships, and small-business financing across the multi-county Adirondack region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Charitable giving programs
• Regional grant administration
• Scholarship fund management

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Placid

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic contributions and donor gifts: The foundation receives gifts from hundreds of donors across the Adirondack region who contribute to various funds including Generous Acts, component funds, and donor-advised funds. Donors entrust the foundation to address community needs through their charitable giving.
2. Endowment investment returns: Adirondack Foundation serves as steward of charitable assets and endowment funds that generate returns used for grantmaking. The foundation awards approximately $3 million in grants annually.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Adirondack Foundation is a regional community foundation that pools charitable contributions from hundreds of donors and disburses them through competitive grant programs, donor-advised funds, geographic community funds, and scholarship programs serving the Adirondack region of upstate New York. It manages endowment assets, convenes regional stakeholders, produces research and reports, and administers specialized funds (e.g., Small Business Opportunity Fund, Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund) in partnership with public and private funders. The foundation awards approximately $3 million annually and over $79 million historically in grants and scholarships to nonprofits, schools, municipalities, and students across the region.

Product overview

Adirondack Community Foundation (formerly Adirondack Foundation) is a community foundation serving the Adirondack region of upstate New York, offering a portfolio of grant programs, scholarships, and community development initiatives. The organization operates primarily through its Online Grants Manager portal, which serves as the central platform for applications and reporting. Key products include the Generous Acts program (its flagship competitive grant initiative supporting basic needs, educational pathways, and economic vitality), geographic community funds (Essex Community Fund, Community Fund for the Gore Mountain Region, Lake Placid Education Foundation), specialized funds (Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund, Adirondack Foreign Language Enhancement Fund), scholarship programs (Dr. U.R. Plante Medical Scholarship, Charles B. Decker Memorial Scholarship, Aseel Legacy Scholarship, Lawson and Clint Allen Scholarship), emergency funds (Special and Urgent Needs Fund), and the Adirondack Small Business Opportunity Fund. The foundation has granted over $79 million back into Adirondack communities and awards approximately $3 million annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Generous Acts: The foundation's flagship grantmaking program that supports nonprofit organizations, schools, and municipalities working to address basic needs, improve educational pathways, and strengthen community vitality and civic engagement.
• Strong Community Framework
• Adirondack Small Business Opportunity Fund
• Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund
• Adirondack Foreign Language Enhancement Fund (AFLEF)
• Essex Community Fund
• Community Fund for the Gore Mountain Region

Products and services

• Generous Acts (grant program) Primary competitive grant program supporting nonprofit organizations, schools, and municipalities working to address basic needs, educational pathways, economic vitality, and civic engagement in the Adirondack region; awards range $2,500–$7,500 (small grants) and $10,000–$30,000 (larger grants).
• Essex Community Fund Component fund of Adirondack Foundation awarding grants for community services, beautification, historic preservation, culture, arts, education, and youth/senior programs in the town of Essex.
• Community Fund for the Gore Mountain Region Component fund of Adirondack Foundation awarding grants for community beautification, historic preservation, culture, arts, education, recreation, and youth/senior/veteran programs in the towns of Chester, Horicon, Johnsburg, Minerva, and Schroon.
• Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund Fund providing financial support for promising young athletes and program support to nonprofits introducing area youth to sports in the greater Lake Placid/Olympic region.
• Adirondack Foreign Language Enhancement Fund (AFLEF) Fund supporting innovation in French and Spanish classrooms and elevating the status of language teachers, with grants typically ranging from $500 to $3,000.
• Dr. U.R. Plante Medical Scholarship Annual scholarship of up to $10,000 awarded to medical students who have resided in the Adirondack Park or specified counties and are committed to returning to serve rural communities.
• Charles B. Decker Memorial Scholarship Scholarship providing financial assistance to college and graduate students from the Tri-Lakes area pursuing careers in journalism.
• Aseel Legacy Scholarship Annual $5,000 scholarship supporting non-traditional students from Tupper Lake, Piercefield, Conifer, and nearby communities pursuing continuing education at accredited institutions.
• Lawson and Clint Allen Scholarship and Education Program Program providing $5,000 annual academic scholarships to graduating seniors and career advancement grants ($250–$3,000) for residents of Essex, Elizabethtown, Lewis, Westport, or Willsboro.
• Lake Placid Education Foundation Education-focused fund making annual grants of $500 to $50,000 (totaling approximately $280,000 in recent years) to support education in the Lake Placid area.
• Online Grants Manager (grantinterface.com portal) Web-based platform enabling applicants to submit grant applications and collaborate with foundation staff during submission and reporting; serves as the central application portal for most foundation funds.
• Adirondack Small Business Opportunity Fund $2 million fund providing low-barrier financing, paired with free counseling, for small businesses in the Adirondack region; administered by Adirondack Economic Development Corporation with public match from Empire State Development.
• Special and Urgent Needs (SUN) Fund Fund providing short-term assistance to area nonprofits experiencing unforeseen crises or responding to urgent needs from weather-related disasters; integral to pandemic response (over $2M funneled during COVID-19).
• Small Grants for Small Children Funding program for child care providers in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, and north Warren counties.
• Small Grants for Small Food Pantries Capacity-building grants to regional food pantries in the Adirondack region.
• Saranac Lake Public School Education Fund Geographic educational grant fund targeting Saranac Lake public schools; listed among active grant programs on the foundation website.
• Christopher Emmet Hallowell Fund Listed grant fund on the foundation website; details of beneficiary pool and award criteria not fully specified in available source material.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $79 million granted back to Adirondack communities historically
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Adirondack Economic Development Corporation (AEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 August 2023AEDC administers the Adirondack Small Business Opportunity Fund, providing low-barrier financing for small businesses and pairing loans with short and long-term counseling services at no cost. AEDC is a CDFI serving Northern New York State since 1976.
• Northern Forest CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2023Co-produced 'A Place to Start: Adirondack Housing Resources' report with comprehensive data, strategies, and tools for addressing housing challenges. Partnership to host introductory webinar and share housing resources across the region.
• Hudson Headwaters FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with Hudson Headwaters Upstream Fund to review Generous Acts applications and make payments to selected recipients for community-based projects addressing socioeconomic issues affecting health.
• United Way of the AdirondacksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020COVID-19 response partner working together to address community needs during and after the pandemic.
• Adirondack Food Systems Network (AFSN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Steering committee member of AFSN, a network of 13+ regional organizations working to build a resilient, inclusive regional food system. Founded during COVID-19 pandemic to address food security in rural communities.
• AdkActionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Fiscal sponsor for Adirondack Food Systems Network. Works with Adirondack Foundation on housing advocacy including Land Bank Committee.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Council on Foundations: National membership association of foundations, including community foundations, that sets the National Standards which Adirondack Community Foundation complies with; relevant as the standards-setter and convening body for the community foundation field.
• Empire State Development: New York State's economic development agency that provides the 1:1 matching dollars for the Adirondack Small Business Opportunity Fund and workforce housing initiatives; relevant as a key funding partner rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Vermont Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation serving rural Vermont with comparable grantmaking, scholarship, and donor services; structurally similar to Adirondack Community Foundation with a similar rural regional mandate.
• Central New York Community Foundation: Upstate New York community foundation managing endowment funds and competitive grant cycles serving a multi-county region; comparable in size, program mix, and rural/small-city focus areas.
• Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley: Regional New York community foundation serving multiple counties with similar grantmaking, scholarship, and donor-advised fund programs; directly comparable in structure, mission, and scale to Adirondack Community Foundation.
• New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: Statewide New England community foundation operating donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grant cycles for rural communities; comparable in scope, asset size, and grantmaking model.
• Maine Community Foundation: Maine's statewide community foundation managing over $500M in assets and distributing grants across rural counties; closely analogous in mission, regional focus, and program portfolio to Adirondack Community Foundation.
• Rochester Area Community Foundation: New York State community foundation managing a similar mix of donor-advised funds, competitive grants, and scholarships; directly comparable in operating model, though serving a more urban geography.

Regional players

• North Country Community Association: Regional nonprofit serving the same North Country geography as Adirondack Community Foundation, focusing on community development, housing, and economic vitality; operates as a peer in the same service area but with overlapping rather than identical functions.
• Northern Forest Center: Regional partner that co-produced Adirondack housing research with the foundation; comparable focus on Adirondack/Northern Forest community development, though operating more as a programmatic entity than a grantmaker.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@adkcommunityfdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/AdirondackFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adkcommunityfdn
• Instagraminstagram.com/adkcommunityfdn
• Xx.com/adkfound

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Adirondack Foundation