The Rock Charitable Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation is now accepting applications for 2022 grant support from qualified charitable organizations, houses of worship, cemeteries, or governmental entities that serve St. Lawrence County residents.

Grant funding is available to organizations whose missions and efforts align with the fund’s charitable purposes, which are: for the maintenance and preservation of churches, houses of worship, and cemeteries in St. Lawrence County; for the preservation and maintenance of places of legitimate historical significance in the county; and to benefit or assist veterans of the United States military with their medical or recreational needs who live in St. Lawrence County.

All organizations applying for funding must do so through the Community Foundation’s online Grant Lifecycle Manager, which may be accessed at nnycf.org/grants. 

Approximately $100,000 in grant funding is available, and successful applicants may receive full or partial funding of their requested amount. While one sole project could be funded, it is the committee’s practice to accommodate several grants that are meaningful in nature with the total funding available.

In 2021, 10 projects were awarded grant funding totaling $118,283 that include: $32,900 to the Bayside Cemetery Association, Potsdam, to restore its iconic entrance gates and towers; $25,000 to St. Peter’s Parish, Massena, for major structural repairs to a pair of buttresses and cobblestone exterior at Sacred Heart Church; $20,000 to the St. Lawrence Power & Equipment Museum, Madrid, for the historic restoration of the former Nevin Memorial Church, an 1855 structure that stood in Lisbon until it was moved to the museum; $19,150 to Grace Episcopal Church, Canton, for HVAC upgrades in the sanctuary and nave to preserve historic architectural features; $5,975 to First Congregational United Church of Christ, Lisbon, for roof repairs; $5,630 to Jerusalem Cemetery, Canton, to remove an old fence and replace it with a new rail fence; $4,950 to First Presbyterian Church at Daily Ridge, Norwood, to replace a 30-year-old fuel oil furnace with a new propane furnace and holding tank; $2,113 to the Stark Cemetery Association, Colton, to repair and restore a series of gravestones that date to the late 1800s; $1,500 to Woodland Cemetery Association, Fine, to help upgrade a grass roadway that traverses the property; and $1,065 to Pierrepont Hill Cemetery Association, Canton, to purchase and install replacement signage along the cemetery roadside.

Organizations that have received a grant award from this charitable fund must wait three years before applying for new funding. Awards to support veterans may only be made to qualified organizations that serve veterans and cannot be made directly to individuals. Grants are not, however, restricted to Veterans Service Organizations and can be awarded to help with programs or initiatives that directly support veterans. 

Second Lieutenant Marjorie J. Rock, U.S. Army Nurse Corps, 1942. Ms. Rock retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1970 and made St. Lawrence County her home.

The Rock Charitable Fund was established at the Community Foundation in 2019 through a bequest from St. Lawrence County resident and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Army Marjorie J. Rock, who passed away in February 2017 at the age of 96.

“This fund continues to demonstrate the power of an enduring legacy, especially given the clear need we are seeing in the areas that were so important to Marjorie,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “I join the board of advisors in our feeling that this is doing exactly what it was intended to do, in a way that continues to have tangible and lasting impact on the people and places of St. Lawrence County.”

The Community Foundation administers this permanent charitable legacy fund in collaboration with a seven-member board of advisors that will review applications and make funding recommendations. Advisors include Ruth McWilliams, South Colton; Erik Backus, Potsdam; Fred Hanss, Hannawa Falls; Sarah Maneely, Canton; Chris Rediehs, Canton; Mark Thompson, Watertown; and Keith Zimmerman, Canton.

Requests for funding will not be considered for work that begins before Dec. 31, 2022. Successful applicants will have up to three years to complete their project or program. Applications and guidelines for the Rock Charitable Fund may be accessed through the Foundation’s Grant Lifecycle Manager portal. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Community Foundation to discuss requested amounts and project details before submitting grant proposals.

Complete grant proposals must be submitted online by 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 5, 2022. Grant decisions will be made in December 2022. The Community Foundation will notify all applicants of the status of their proposal by Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. Contact Kraig Everard, Community Foundation director of stewardship and programs, with any application or grant questions at kraig@nnycf.org, or 315-782-7110.

Ms. Rock grew up in St. Lawrence County and graduated from Heuvelton High School in 1937. In 1941, she graduated from the three-year nursing program at Flower Fifth Avenue School in New York City. The following year, she joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, serving in North Africa and Italy during World War II. After the war, she attended Teachers College at Columbia University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1948 and a Master of Arts in 1950.

She spent six years teaching in nursing programs, first as an instructor for Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and later at New York City’s Lennox Hill Hospital. She returned to active Army service in 1954 to assist with medical courses for enlisted personnel and helped to establish a medical education system, particularly in the United States, Japan, and Germany. She served as a supervisor, chief nurse, instructor and director of an advance medical technician school. Her last overseas duty was in Vietnam.

In 1970, she retired from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel and returned to St. Lawrence County, joining her mother in Ogdensburg to help with her care. She earned many honors during her Army service, including the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal. Her only sibling, a brother, was killed in 1944 while piloting a P-47 Thunderbolt plane over Normandy. For the rest of her life, Ms. Rock made St. Lawrence County her home while traveling with friends, caring for others, and assisting her church and other organizations, including the Army Nurse Corps Association and other veterans’ groups. She maintained a keen interest in documenting local history and furthering the education of others in the county.

Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable  objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.

The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.