The Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club and St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum in Madrid were among five nonprofit organizations to receive a $1,000 award from the The Youth Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation.

The Council and its grant subcommittee selected the five organizations based on each nonprofit’s mission, success in achieving goals, demonstration of fiscal responsibility, sustainability, and formal presentation. Funding for this important work was made possible through the Herring College Memorial Fund of the Community Foundation. Each of the following tri-county organizations were awarded a $1,000 grant to help with a wide range of community programs and projects:

Ogdensburg Boys and Girls Club enables all children to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens through educational, recreational, arts and technological programs.

St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum, Madrid, includes more than 30 buildings and supporting facilities on a 20-acre campus that celebrates the history of North Country people in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, how they lived, and how technology helped shape their lives.

Disabled Persons Action Organization, Watertown, provides quality individualized services to developmentally disabled children and adults in Jefferson and Lewis counties. The services are primarily geared toward helping families cope with the stress of caring for their disabled loved ones.

Mountain View Prevention Services, Lowville, delivers prevention education to the community about alcohol and substance abuse. Its vision is one where all Lewis County residents practice a healthy lifestyle.

Ontario Bays Initiative, Chaumont, is a nonprofit land trust dedicated to the voluntary conservation and thoughtful stewardship of undeveloped, private land in Jefferson County. OBI’s service area encompasses the towns of Brownville, Cape Vincent, Ellisburg, Henderson, Hounsfield, LeRay, Lyme and Pamelia, and includes many miles of Lake Ontario shoreline.

“These mission-based grants expand upon the Council’s work and encourage a deeper exploration of the organizations and their overall work in the region. It helps them gain a greater appreciation of all that is involved in fulfilling a stated mission. In a very thorough way, the students were able to accomplish this while being mindful of geography and impact,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “This is a way to better prepare them for the grantmaking they will do in the next few months.”

This is the second year the Youth Philanthropy Council has awarded mission-based grants to nonprofits serving tri-county residents, which is not part of the Council’s annual grantmaking program.

Council members are now reviewing nearly two-dozen proposals for up to $20,000 in funding that will be announced in June. Each year, the Council provides support to agencies that serve tri-county residents for projects or initiatives that positively impact the quality of life in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.

Last spring, the Council awarded six grants totaling $17,200 in support to nonprofit organizations that serve residents of the tri-county region.

The Youth Philanthropy Council and its grant program is made possible by annual gifts made to the Friends of the Foundation Annual Community Betterment Fund and support from Watertown Savings Bank, the Renzi Foodservice Charitable Foundation of the Northern New York Community Foundation, and RBC Wealth Management.

The Youth Philanthropy Council was chartered in 2010 to promote positive youth development and engage young people in meaningful activities that build their leadership skills while educating them about community philanthropy and its impact on Northern New York. Since its inception 11 years ago, the Youth Philanthropy Council has awarded nearly 112 grants to nonprofit organizations in the tri-county area, totaling $180,070 in support. Nearly 140 students from seven different tri-county high schools have served as Council members.