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Guidelines

Guidelines

Seneca Food Foundation is a private not-for-profit corporation that was established on December 28, 1988 in the state of New York. The Foundation reviews requests for monetary funding.

Our Focus

Our grant-making focuses primarily on helping to prepare and empower our young people - by giving them the tools they need to become independent and contributing members of our community. Primarily through direct services, these programs help young people overcome today's economic and social barriers and enable them to achieve self-sufficiency.

Categories

Two categories of funding are included:

  • Education and Employment
    • Education will emphasize pre-school and K-12 programs that address improved academic achievement with at-risk students, prevention of early drop-out, career counseling, improved decision making and life coping skills.
    • Employment will emphasize programs that enable youth to gain skills that will help them become independent and improve their access into modern-day, mainstream society.
  • Youth Development - will emphasize:
    • Leadership - Life skills and enrichment programs.
    • Crisis Services - Support for youth in crisis and at-risk for abuse.
    • Mentoring - Caring adults supporting youth in one-to-one or small group, long-term relationships.

Funding Considerations

Priority consideration is given to organizations and programs:

  • With Seneca employee/retiree volunteer involvement.
  • That are geographically located in a community where Seneca has a facility or a substantial presence.

 Proposals must provide substantive evaluation data.

To Qualify For Funding

In order to qualify for funding you must be a not-for-profit corporation, foundation, agency, organization, institution, fund, trust or community chest that has been established, organized and is operating exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary, cultural, or educational purposes as specified in Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), or by otherwise engaging in activities or making expenditures in furtherance of such purposes.

Your organization must also meet the requirements as specified on the Agency Self-Assessment Worksheet.

Restrictions

In general, it is the policy of the Foundation not to fund the following:

  • Organizations that are not tax-exempt under paragraph 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Code.
  • Programs of religious denominations or sects except when they provide needed services to the community at large and do not include religious instruction.
  • Direct grants to individuals, including requests for travel and related expenses, education, medical, political campaign, public office, disaster relief, or etc.
  • All scholarships, except for the Plant Community Scholarship Program.
  • Endowment or capital campaigns or debt financing.
  • Fund raising events or sponsorships.
  • Propaganda or lobbying efforts to influence legislation.
  • Academic, medial or scientific research.
  • Product Donations

Limitations

The Foundation only considers one request per organization per year.

Ready to submit a grant request?

Download the application here.

Questions?

Please call the Seneca Foods Foundation office at (315) 926-8100 or contact us online.

Thank you for your interest in the Seneca Foods Foundation. We hope these guidelines will help you better understand our charitable giving program.