Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes

What Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes does

The Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1972 and headquartered in Horseheads, New York. The foundation provides services to individuals and families who wish to establish endowed and non-endowed charitable funds, and it channels philanthropic capital into a four-county service region (Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Yates) in Upstate New York. It administers more than 250 funds (designated, donor-advised, field-of-interest, scholarship, supporting organization, and unrestricted) and runs eight main competitive grant cycles per year. In its most recent reported year, the foundation disbursed $2.7M across 844 individual grants and scholarships, reaching approximately 220,000 people in the region.

Operationally, the foundation is lean: a five-person staff led by President Randi Hewit and CFO John Sirianni, with VPs overseeing Programs (Sara Shaut) and Scholarships & Youth Philanthropy (Caitlin Strickler). Its technology stack is utility-grade rather than differentiated, anchored by the Foundant Grant Lifecycle Manager for grant application management and PayPal for online donation processing; ACH is used for grant disbursement. The foundation has achieved National Standards for Community Foundations accreditation from the Council on Foundations.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across three streams: (i) donor contributions in cash, securities, real estate, retirement assets, life insurance, and other assets; (ii) non pass-through fund management fees of 1% on balances up to $1M and 0.75% above $1M; and (iii) investment returns on pooled endowed assets, with a stated long-term annual return target of 7.5%. Distribution occurs through direct online application portals for grantees and students, a professional advisor referral channel, and signature community programs such as FLX Gives (an annual day of giving that raised $320,182 from 2,814 donors for 134 nonprofits in 2025), Rose's Youth Philanthropists, the Youth Forum, and the Good Works podcast.

Name

Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes

Legal name

Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, Inc.

Website

https://communityfund.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes is a 501(c)(3) community foundation administering 250+ charitable funds and disbursing $2.7M annually across 844 grants and scholarships for nonprofits, students, and donors in four Upstate New York counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation and Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAB

Community Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAE

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAK

Education Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYEDADAHAD

Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

SECONDARYEDALAOAB

Fundraising & Annual Giving

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Alumni Relations, Development & Campus Community Engagement

SECONDARYBPAGAKAN

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Community philanthropy
• Charitable grantmaking
• Donor advised funds
• Scholarship administration
• Endowment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Horseheads

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: The foundation receives charitable contributions from donors who establish endowed and non-endowed funds. Donors contribute cash, appreciated securities, real estate, retirement plan assets, life insurance, and other assets to support community giving.
2. Fund Management Fees: Non pass-through fund fees are 1% for fund balances up to $1 million and 0.75% on balances in excess of $1 million, providing ongoing administrative revenue for managing donor funds.
3. Investment Returns: The foundation's long-term investment goal is to achieve an annualized return of 7.5%. Investment earnings on endowed funds generate revenue while maintaining the perpetual giving power of the funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes is a 501(c)(3) public charity that administers more than 250 endowed and non-endowed charitable funds on behalf of individual donors and provides competitive grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to students in Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Yates counties in Upstate New York. It runs eight competitive grant cycles per year, manages an annual day of giving (FLX Gives), and operates youth philanthropy education programs. Donor services include fund establishment, investment management, and administrative back-office support.

Product overview

Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes is a not-for-profit community foundation offering an integrated portfolio of philanthropy programs. The core offerings include competitive grant programs (Community Grant Program, themed funds), scholarship programs (over 250 named funds), and signature initiatives like FLX Gives (annual day of giving). Supporting programs include youth philanthropy education (Rose's Youth Philanthropists, Philanthropy in the Classroom, Youth Forum) and content/engagement programming (Good Works Podcast, Call to Courage video series). The foundation serves Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Yates counties in Upstate New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FLX Gives: An annual 24-hour online day of giving celebration for the Southern Finger Lakes region that connects generous community members with causes they care about. In 2025, $320,182 was raised from 2,814 donors benefiting 134 local nonprofits.

Products and services

• Community Grant Program An open, competitive grant program for registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving Chemung and Southeastern Steuben counties. Provides program grants of $2,000-$10,000 and general operating support grants of $5,000-$15,000 for arts, culture, education, youth, environment, animal welfare, human services, and capacity-building initiatives.
• FLX Gives An annual 24-hour online day of giving for the Southern Finger Lakes region that connects donors with local nonprofit organizations through a unified giving platform.
• Scholarship Programs A portfolio of more than 250 named scholarship funds offering financial assistance for higher education to students in Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Yates counties. Awards vary by fund and often include school-specific, field-of-study, or demographic-based criteria; includes the Community Foundation Scholarship Fund and Fund for Women scholarships.
• Rose's Youth Philanthropists (RYP) A regional youth grants committee that engages high school students in grantmaking, awarding grants of $200-$2,000 to youth-serving organizations in Chemung and Southeastern Steuben counties.
• Donor Fund Establishment & Administration Service enabling individual donors, families, and organizations to establish endowed and non-endowed charitable funds including donor advised funds, designated funds, field of interest funds, scholarship funds, supporting organizations, and unrestricted funds. Includes ongoing investment management, accounting, audit, and tax-return administration under a tiered fee schedule (1% on balances up to $1 million; 0.75% above).

Quantifiable outcome

• 844 grants and scholarships awarded annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Corning's Office of Racial Equity and Social UnitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Sponsors the Finger Lakes Youth Forum, a student-led program for high-school-age students to discuss difficult topics and create action. The forum is designed to provide a place for students to share experiences and create positive change in their communities.
• Learning to GivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization based in Michigan with international reach that provides quality teacher-written lessons and resources to help PreK-12 educators educate, equip, and empower students to be giving citizens. The foundation is an LTG Ambassador Trainer.
• PayPalsupportingTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment processor used by the foundation to process donations. PayPal adheres to PCI and CISP standards for data protection and handles payment card information securely.
• Foundant TechnologiessupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Grant Lifecycle Manager, the online grant management system used by the foundation to accept applications, manage the grant review process, and track reporting.
• Fund for Women of the Southern TiercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose endowment and grantmaking are managed by the Community Foundation. The fund focuses on helping girls and women achieve economic self-sufficiency through grants in education and health.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adirondack Community Foundation: A regional community foundation serving the Adirondack region of New York. Comparable as a multi-county Upstate New York community foundation offering endowed funds, scholarships, youth philanthropy, and competitive grantmaking cycles of similar scale.
• Vermont Community Foundation: A statewide community foundation administering hundreds of funds and offering scholarships, competitive grants, and donor-advised funds. Comparable as a rural regional community foundation with similar operating model and grant cycle cadence.
• The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven: A mid-sized community foundation managing hundreds of funds and awarding competitive grants and scholarships in the Greater New Haven region. Comparable as a National Standards-certified community foundation with the same product mix (DAFs, scholarships, competitive grants).
• Maine Community Foundation: A statewide community foundation administering thousands of funds and awarding competitive grants and scholarships across Maine. Comparable as a rural, regionally focused community foundation with a deep scholarship and donor-advised fund program.
• Rochester Area Community Foundation: A regional community foundation serving the Greater Rochester, NY area. Directly comparable as a multi-county Upstate/New York community foundation offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, competitive grants, and community grantmaking cycles with similar fee and operational structures.
• Community Foundation of Tompkins County: An Upstate New York community foundation serving Tompkins County with a comparable mix of donor funds, scholarships, and competitive grant programs. Same regional peer set and similar organizational scale and service offerings.
• Northern New York Community Foundation: A community foundation serving Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties in Upstate New York. Comparable as a rural Upstate New York community foundation offering endowed funds, scholarships, and competitive grant cycles of similar scale.
• Central New York Community Foundation: A Syracuse-based community foundation administering hundreds of funds and awarding competitive grants and scholarships across Central New York. Directly comparable mission, structure, and operating model as a community foundation with endowed funds and grant programs.
• Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region: A New York State community foundation serving the Capital Region with donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grantmaking. Comparable as another multi-county New York community foundation with similar fund types and program mix.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: The largest national donor-advised fund sponsor in the U.S., offering donor-advised funds, investment options, and grantmaking infrastructure at scale. Comparable as a competing charitable giving vehicle that targets the same donor dollars, particularly for donors prioritizing investment choice and convenience over local community expertise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/communityfdnflx
• Facebookfacebook.com/communitygiving
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-foundation-of-elmira-corning-and-the-finger-lakes-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/communityfundflx
• Pinterestpinterest.com/communitygiving

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes