POTSDAM -- The Northern New York Community Foundation Board of Directors has approved a $15,000 grant to complete the last phase of the North Country Children's Museum’s capital campaign. With this grant, the museum in Potsdam will reach its $1 million campaign goal.

The Community Foundation’s grant will assist with the installation of a ramp for the disabled, which will allow the museum to open its doors. When it does, attendance is projected to double from current numbers served at their “Museum Without Walls” programming to 10,000 visitors in the first year of operation.

“We’re so grateful to the Community Foundation for supporting this final phase of the capital campaign,” said North Country Children’s Museum Executive Director Sharon Vegh Williams. “As soon as the weather clears up, we will begin constructing the ramp with these funds. We are eager to open our doors to serve the community, and the timing of this grant assures we can achieve our mid-April timeline.”

The Community Foundation has made previous investments into the children’s museum. In 2014, NNYCF awarded a $10,000 grant to support the museum’s “sound experience” prototype. They also awarded a matching grant of $12,500 to establish and build an endowment fund to support the museum’s long-term sustainability. The match was met within the first year, creating a $25,000 permanent charitable fund at the Community Foundation.

“We quickly recognized the broad-based support and significant efforts that have been made to make this project a reality. This was an appropriate way to bring our original grant full-circle by joining with so many others in recognizing the great things communities can accomplish with passion, dedication and leadership,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation director.