The Strategic Partnership Fund supports organizations seeking to create new synergies in and between nonprofits, such as mergers and affiliations, that will enable them to enhance program delivery and achieve more effective and efficient use of limited financial and human resources. Our hope is that the financial support offered through the Strategic Partnership Fund will enable these collaborative partnerships to prosper.

  • 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, publicly supported organizations such as schools and municipalities, and organizations using a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor
  • Organizations serving residents of Onondaga, Madison, Oswego, Cortland or Cayuga counties
  • Funds will be made available for nonrecurring costs related specifically to implementing strategic partnership activities. Typical expenses include professional, legal, human resource management, information management, organizational development and/or technical assistance required to accomplish a merger or affiliation between organizations.

Grants from the Strategic Partnership Fund support willing organizations pursuing the following:

  • Exploration, Pre-Negotiation, Negotiation & Due Diligence
  • Administrative consolidation
  • Joint programming
  • Joint venture
  • Regionalization
  • Formation of subsidiary or parent-subsidiary
  • Reengineering or restructuring
  • Mergers and consolidations
  • Nonprofit dissolutions
  • Applications to the Strategic Partnership Fund are accepted year-round.
  • Grant requests should generally not exceed $25,000. However, collaborative and/or innovative projects may exceed a $25,000 request.
  • Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their grant request with Community Foundation staff before beginning the application process. Please call our office at (315) 422-9538 or email us at grants@cnycf.org to set up an appointment.

If your nonprofit has received a Strategic Partnership grant, we request that you submit a final report. These reports assist us in assessing our grantmaking efforts.

Submit a Report

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