The Youth Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation recently awarded $1,000 grants to three St. Lawrence County nonprofit organizations to support their work and mission in the nonprofit sector.

“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,” a press release from Northern New York Community Foundation said.

Funding 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:

• The Orchestra of Northern New York, Potsdam, enriches the quality of life in the North Country through live performances of orchestral music by outstanding musicians and emphasizes the engagement of local youth in the appreciation of music.

• North Country Public Radio, Canton, informs, enriches, and connects the region on air, online and in our communities. NCPR operates a network of 33 transmitters broadcasting to the entire Adirondack North Country and beyond.

• St. Lawrence Land Trust, Canton, protects privately owned open space through voluntary means within the watersheds of the rivers that flow north from the Adirondack Mountains to the St. Lawrence River.

“We thought it would be valuable to have the students focus on the work and mission rather than the details of a project proposal. This helped them gain a better sense of value each organization brings to the people of the region overall,” said Rande Richardson, Community Foundation executive director.

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