Community Voices Forum

The State of the Community: Community Voices Forum is a community gathering of residents, nonprofits, grassroots and community based organizations to share data (quantitative and inclusive), reflect on what our trending needs are, identify areas we should be investing in or developing more and, discussing what our aspirations for the community are.

Beginning in 2026, the Community Grants program introduced priority focus areas in each grant round. These priorities are designed to give applicants greater clarity on where funding is most available in a given cycle, making the application process more fair. Please note: The total dollars available for Community Grants will remain similar to past years. The change is intended only to make the process easier, fairer, and more transparent.

The Community Foundation strives to be responsive to the evolving needs of our community. Twice each year we invite members of CNY to give voice to their experiences of our community’s strengths, challenges and hopes at our participatory State of the Community event. We then incorporate the priorities identified during that event into our Life Needs Assessment (LNA).  Involving over 80 local community programs the LNA helps funders better direct their resources and helps charities better collaborate with each other and respond to the needs of their clients. Complete our LNA assessment below:

Life Needs Assessment Engagement

PRIORITY FOCUS AREAS