Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties

What Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties does

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is a 501(c)(3) community foundation headquartered in Utica, New York, that has operated for approximately 70 years (since 1952/1954) as a regional philanthropic platform serving Herkimer and Oneida counties in the Mohawk Valley. As of December 31, 2025, the foundation reports $250M in total assets, $24.8M in donations received from 3,221 donors, 613 active funds, and $17.9M in community investments. Its core functions are threefold: engaging donors and community organizations to identify funding solutions, stewarding charitable capital across fund types (donor-advised, designated, scholarship, agency, field-of-interest, and charitable checking), and providing leadership to convene nonprofits and government for collaborative regional impact.

The foundation operates a technology infrastructure consisting of three Foundant-powered online portals — a Fundholder Portal for donor fund management, a Grant Application Portal for nonprofit applicants, and a Scholarship Portal for student recipients — plus the proprietary Mohawk Valley Gives platform (givemv.org), a 24-hour day-of-giving marketplace that has raised over $14M for nearly 400 nonprofits since 2022. It also runs a planned-giving program via a dedicated legacy website and distributes an email newsletter to 16,000+ contacts. The organization does not sell products or services; its operating revenue (undisclosed) is structurally derived from administrative fees on its $250M asset base, while donations flow through to grantees.

The foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees and led by President/CEO Alicia Fernandez Dicks, with an 11-50 person staff that includes specialized roles for development, community engagement, and fundholder relations. Notable program verticals include the SHINE Fund (educational access for low-income students), the Helpful Harvest Fund (food insecurity), the Rome NY Emergency Response Fund (disaster relief), and the M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund (corporate philanthropy). Its strategic partners include UpMobility Foundation (co-host of MV Gives), Staffworks (presenting sponsor), Notre Dame Schools, Johnson Park Center, and Oneida County Government.

Name

Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties

Legal name

Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties

Website

https://foundationhoc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is a 70-year-old 501(c)(3) community foundation managing $250M in assets and connecting 3,221 donors with 689 nonprofits across New York's Mohawk Valley through donor-advised funds, grantmaking, scholarships, and the Mohawk Valley Gives giving platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund management
• Donor-advised funds
• Community grantmaking
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Utica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives charitable donations from individuals, families, corporations, and other organizations. Donations are used to establish endowed funds, support community grants, and fund operational activities. As of December 31, 2025, the foundation received $24.8M in donations from 3,221 donors.
2. Fund Management Fees: The foundation manages over 600 funds for donors, using fund assets to generate investment returns that support ongoing grantmaking and community investments. Total community investments in 2025 were $17.9M.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that manages more than 613 charitable funds on behalf of individual donors, families, and organizations. It accepts and stewards donations, administers donor-advised, designated, field-of-interest, scholarship, and agency funds, and deploys grants and community investments to nonprofit partners across Herkimer and Oneida counties in New York.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties operates as a philanthropic platform offering multiple fund types and online service portals. The core offering consists of charitable fund management through donor-advised, designated, agency, field-of-interest, and other fund structures, all administered through web-based portals (Fundholder Portal, Grant Application Portal, Scholarship Portal) powered by Foundant technology. The Foundation manages over 600 active funds with approximately $250M in total assets. Key programs include Mohawk Valley Gives (a day-of-giving platform for 400+ nonprofits), the Helpful Harvest Fund (food insecurity initiative), and various scholarship programs. Donors access services through the Fundholder Portal to manage funds and recommend grants, while nonprofits use the Grant Application Portal for competitive grant submissions. The Foundation also operates a Charitable Checking Account product for streamlined tax-deductible giving, and maintains a Planned Giving program for legacy philanthropy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mohawk Valley Gives: 24-hour online day of community giving event supporting local nonprofits serving the region. Launched in 2022.
• Helpful Harvest Fund
• Linda and Sarah Cohen Fund
• Give Back to Utica Fund
• M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund (MTPT)

Products and services

• Fundholder Portal Online portal powered by Foundant enabling fundholders to manage charitable funds, view real-time balances, download monthly fund statements, track donation and grant histories, initiate grant requests, and make online donations to their own or other funds at the Community Foundation.
• Grant Application Portal Online portal powered by Foundant for nonprofit organizations to register accounts, submit grant applications, track application status, and communicate with Community Foundation staff throughout the grant review process.
• Scholarship Portal Online portal for students to search and apply for scholarship opportunities administered by the Community Foundation, providing access to over 80 named scholarship funds for Herkimer and Oneida county students.
• Charitable Checking Account Expendable donor-advised fund offering tax-deductible giving with a user-friendly online portal; account holders can recommend grants to any active 501(c)(3) qualified charitable organization with a $50 minimum grant amount.
• Donor-Advised Funds Charitable funds where donors recommend grant recipients while the Community Foundation maintains legal control and manages investments. The Foundation manages more than 100 donor-advised funds that support various charities and causes locally and nationally, awarding approximately $3.9M annually through 790 grants.
• Designated Funds Endowed or non-endowed funds that direct distributions to specific nonprofit organizations named by the donor, providing sustained support for designated beneficiaries over time.
• Agency Funds Funds established by nonprofit organizations to benefit themselves, providing an endowment-like vehicle for nonprofit capacity building with the Community Foundation serving as fiscal sponsor.
• Field-of-Interest Funds Funds that support a particular field or area of interest (such as education, health, arts) as determined by the Community Foundation's competitive grantmaking process, allowing donors to focus giving on cause areas without specifying exact recipients.
• Mohawk Valley Gives A 24-hour online day of community giving event powered by the Community Foundation, enabling donors to support hundreds of local nonprofits in a single transaction; over $14M raised since 2022 with over 14,000 donors engaged, supporting nearly 400 nonprofit organizations.
• Mohawk Valley Giving Guide Community-wide online resource bridging donors with local nonprofit needs across the Mohawk Valley region, highlighting specific projects, programs, and funding requests from nonprofit organizations.
• Helpful Harvest Fund Field-of-interest fund established in 2022 to support food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters meeting increased need during the holiday season and colder months; has awarded over $106,000 to 44 local organizations.
• SHINE Fund Collaborative initiative with Johnson Park Center and Notre Dame Schools providing no-cost educational opportunities and academic support for children from low-income households, including tuition, clothing, hygiene products, school supplies, and meals.
• Rome, NY Emergency Response Fund Emergency response fund established to support recovery efforts after the July 2024 tornado and severe thunderstorms that impacted Rome, NY, directing donations to relief and recovery efforts by community nonprofit organizations and local municipalities.
• Planned Giving / Legacy Giving Charitable planned giving options including bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and other legacy vehicles that allow donors to leave lasting contributions to the community, with a dedicated legacy website and staff support.

Quantifiable outcome

• $17.9M in community investments awarded in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oneida County GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2024Coordinating with the county for Rome, NY Emergency Response Fund distribution following July 16, 2024 tornado. County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. acknowledged the foundation's role in creating donation mechanism.
• United Way of the Mohawk ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2024Community partner in Rome, NY Emergency Response Fund supporting tornado recovery efforts.
• YMCA of the Tri-ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2024Community partner in Rome, NY Emergency Response Fund supporting tornado recovery efforts.
• UpMobility FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2024Co-host of Mohawk Valley Gives annual day of giving. In 2023, UpMobility Foundation joined as match and challenge partner offering incentives to 35 organizations resulting in $1.1M raised. Partnership expanded in 2024 to co-host the third annual event. Located in Little Falls, NY.
• StaffworkscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 September 2023Presenting sponsor of Mohawk Valley Gives. Founded by Anita A. Vitullo, creator of Staffworks Charitable Fund at the foundation supporting animal welfare.
• The Center (Formerly Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2022Local refugee resettlement organization partnering with the foundation for Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund and M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Fund grants. Receives funding to support refugees with housing, food, household goods, immigration services, and case management.
• ICANcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Received $250,000 investment from M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Fund for Family Resource Center project housing a new children's museum.
• Johnson Park CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based nonprofit promoting positive change in Cornhill, Utica. Partner in SHINE program, identifying and supporting eligible students from low-income households to attend Notre Dame Schools tuition-free.
• Notre Dame SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate, faith-based institution with 600+ students. Partner in SHINE program providing tuition-free education to children from low-income households identified through Johnson Park Center programs.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adirondack Community Foundation: Community foundation serving the Adirondack region of New York with a similar rural/multi-county footprint, scholarship and grant programs, and roughly comparable AUM scale.
• New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: Statewide community foundation operating donor-advised funds, scholarship pools, and competitive grant cycles for nonprofits; directly comparable scale and structure.
• Rochester Area Community Foundation: Upstate New York community foundation offering donor-advised funds, competitive grants, and scholarships across the greater Rochester region; comparable operating model and demographic profile.
• Central New York Community Foundation: Syracuse-based community foundation serving Onondaga and surrounding counties with comparable AUM, donor-advised funds, scholarships, and a regional giving day; directly comparable model and Upstate New York geography.
• Vermont Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation with multi-county reach, similar AUM, and a donor-advised fund/grantmaking/scholarship portfolio that mirrors the Herkimer/Oneida operating model.
• Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region: Albany-area New York community foundation with a comparable mix of donor-advised funds, scholarships, and grant cycles operating in the Capital Region of New York.
• Maine Community Foundation: Regional community foundation with comparable AUM, county-based grantmaking, donor-advised funds, and scholarship programs serving rural counties similar to those in upstate New York.
• Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation: Regional community foundation with scholarships, donor-advised funds, and competitive grants serving a multi-county footprint similar in scale and operating model.
• Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving multiple rural counties with donor-advised funds, scholarships, and grants; similar scale, geography type, and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: Largest national donor-advised fund sponsor; competes with community foundation DAFs and Charitable Checking accounts by offering a streamlined, national-scale giving platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/0PY3b5KR5ls
• Xx.com/foundationhoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/foundationhoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments112 records

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Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties