Chautauqua Region Community Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $5,072,833 (2024, per 990 filing; competitive grant program distributes over $1.5 million annually)
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: Approximately 6-8 weeks per cycle (bi-monthly for General Grants; semi-annual for Community Impact)
• Grant Range: $1,000 - $20,000+ (Strategic Project Grants exceed $20,000)
• Geographic Focus: Southern Chautauqua County, New York (specific programs target Falconer, Kennedy, Ellington, and Randolph communities)

Contact Details

• Website: crcfonline.org
• Grant Portal: chautauquagrants.org
• Address: 418 Spring Street, Jamestown, NY 14701
• Phone: (716) 661-3390
• General Email: info@crcfonline.org
• Community Impact Officer (Grants): Elizabeth Jones — ejones@crcfonline.org | (716) 661-3392
• Grants Manager: Julia Niles — jniles@crcfonline.org

Overview

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF) was incorporated in 1978 as an independent, private, nonprofit community corporation serving the Chautauqua Region of northwestern New York. With total assets of approximately $148 million (2024) — grown from $61.6 million in 2011 — the Foundation administers more than 700 endowments established by individuals, families, companies, and nonprofits. Its mission is: "In partnership with our community, we ignite positive change and create a legacy of impact."

The Foundation distributes over $5 million annually in combined grants and scholarships, with its competitive grant program directing more than $1.5 million to local nonprofits, municipalities, and faith-based organizations. Grant-making focuses on Education, Human Services, Philanthropy, and Voluntarism, with all applications reviewed by a volunteer-driven committee of more than 50 community members. The Foundation also administers the Women's Giving Circle — a collective philanthropy initiative launched in 2024 that awarded its inaugural $50,000 in grants in 2025.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

CRCF operates four distinct competitive grant programs, each with different amounts, deadlines, and geographic scope:

Program	Grant Range	Deadlines	Notes
General Grants	$1,000 – $4,000	Bi-monthly; last Wednesday of even months	Supports emerging needs and one-time costs; open to faith-based organizations
Community Impact Grants	$4,000 – $20,000	March 2 and August 3	Supports programming, operations, and capital improvement projects
Strategic Project Grants	Over $20,000	Pre-application: December 1; Full application (by invitation): January 5	Large-scale programming or capital projects; two-stage process
Geographic Fund Grants	$1,000 – $4,000	April 1	Restricted to Falconer, Kennedy, Ellington, and Randolph, NY communities

All applications are submitted through the Chautauqua Grants online portal at chautauquagrants.org.

The Foundation also administers more than $1.7 million in annual scholarships through over 100 named funds, available to students from 18 school districts across Chautauqua, Allegheny, and Cattaraugus counties.

Women's Giving Circle: A member-led collective philanthropy initiative (hosted by CRCF) that awards pooled grants annually, with 2025 grants focused on childcare access. Members contribute a minimum of $500 annually. Grant priorities rotate by year.

Priority Areas

• Programming, operations, and capital improvements addressing documented community need
• Projects serving marginalized or underserved populations
• Emerging and one-time needs (equipment, program enhancement, modest capital)
• Large-scale initiatives with leverage potential for additional funding
• Projects that are demonstrational or experimental in nature
• Volunteer participation and citizen involvement
• Efficient use of existing facilities without duplicating administrative costs
• Human services, education, arts, and community development

Grant criteria include consideration of requests that:

1. Demonstrate a definite benefit to the Chautauqua Region
2. Adequately serve a wide segment of the community not otherwise being served
3. Are of a demonstrational or experimental nature that provide leverage for generating other funds
4. Productively solve a community problem
5. Promote volunteer participation and citizen involvement
6. Use existing facilities without duplicating administrative costs
7. Are non-religious in nature

What They Don't Fund

• Organizations located outside or not serving Southern Chautauqua County
• Projects with a specific political, partisan, or religious agenda (the Foundation reserves the right to decline any grant that could be perceived as such — faith-based organizations are eligible, but projects must be non-religious in purpose)
• Individuals (grants are made to organizations only)
• For-profit entities

Governance and Leadership

Executive Director: Tory Irgang (since October 2017; compensation approximately $147,180 per 990 filing)

• Previously served as Executive Director of United Way of Southern Chautauqua County
• Background in county government, securing and managing state and federal grants for health and human services
• Serves on the Advisory Board of the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) and on the Board of Directors of Cattaraugus County Bank
• On staff expansion: "Our strategic plan called for the separation of development and donor services responsibilities by creating a new role that allows greater focus on growing and expanding the relationships."

Board Officers:

• President: Joseph Bellitto
• Vice President: Rebecca Robbins
• Secretary: Mary Schiller
• Treasurer: Harold Brunacini

Key Staff:

• Elizabeth Jones — Community Impact Officer (primary contact for grants)
• Julia Niles — Grants Manager
• Tina Downey — Development Officer
• Lindsey Goold — Donor Services Officer
• Camille Martir Rosado — Scholarships Manager
• Jacob Schrantz — Fiscal Officer (compensation approximately $100,866 per 990)
• Solimar Vazquez — Community Impact Fellow

The Board comprises 11 members drawn from diverse community backgrounds. Grant review committees are staffed by more than 50 community volunteer reviewers each year.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

All grant applications are submitted online through the Chautauqua Grants portal at chautauquagrants.org. Organizations must:

1. Create an account on the Chautauqua Grants website
2. Review the specific guidelines for the grant type they are applying to (each grant has distinct eligibility criteria)
3. Complete and submit the online application by the relevant deadline
4. If applying for a Strategic Project Grant, submit a pre-application by December 1 — full applications are only accepted by invitation following pre-application review

The Chautauqua Grants portal also allows applicants to manage active applications and submit grant reports. For assistance with the online portal, contact Elizabeth Jones at (716) 661-3390 or ejones@crcfonline.org.

Decision Timeline

• General Grants (bi-monthly cycle): Applications reviewed on a rolling basis; decisions expected within approximately 6-8 weeks of each bi-monthly deadline
• Community Impact Grants (March and August deadlines): Semi-annual cycle; applicants should expect decisions within 6-10 weeks of deadline
• Strategic Project Grants: Two-stage process — pre-application due December 1; invitations to submit full applications issued thereafter; full applications due January 5; decisions communicated following board review
• Geographic Fund Grants: Annual April 1 deadline; decisions communicated following review

All applications are reviewed by a committee of community volunteer reviewers before going to the Board of Directors for final approval.

Success Rates

Exact success rates are not publicly published. In 2024, 91 awards were made; in 2023, 104 awards were made; and in 2022, 95 awards were made. With over $5 million distributed in 2024 across 91 awards, the average award size was approximately $55,700 — though this figure includes large restricted fund disbursements. Typical competitive awards under the open program range from $1,000 to $20,000.

Reapplication Policy

No explicit waiting period or bar on reapplication has been publicly documented for unsuccessful grant applicants. Scholarship applicants must reapply each year to be considered.

Application Success Factors

• Demonstrate direct community benefit: The Foundation's review criteria explicitly weight how clearly a project benefits the Chautauqua Region and serves populations not currently being served. Applications should make this case concisely and with evidence.

• Match your request to the right program tier: Align your grant amount request with the correct program (General: $1,000–$4,000; Community Impact: $4,000–$20,000; Strategic Project: $20,000+). Submitting a request to the wrong tier is a common barrier to success.

• Read each fund's guidelines carefully: The Foundation administers over 700 named endowments, each with its own purposes. The Chautauqua Grants portal will help match your request to eligible fund guidelines; ignoring these specific criteria is a primary reason for ineligibility.

• Leverage and leverage potential matter: Projects that are experimental or demonstrational in nature, or that can attract additional funding leveraged from the CRCF grant, score favorably against stated criteria.

• Avoid any political, partisan, or religious framing: The Foundation explicitly reserves the right to decline grants that appear to serve a specific political, partisan, or religious agenda. Faith-based organizations are eligible, but the funded project itself must have a non-religious community purpose.

• Use existing facilities and avoid duplicating services: The criteria explicitly favor projects that make efficient use of existing resources and do not duplicate what other organizations are already providing.

• Volunteer reviewer process: Applications are reviewed by 50+ community volunteers — writing for a non-specialist community audience is advisable. Jargon should be minimized and impact should be described in plain, concrete terms.

• Recent funded examples: Jamestown Center City Development Corporation ($264,804 capital campaign); Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance ($150,000 operating support); YWCA Jamestown ($124,064 programming support); Women's Giving Circle childcare programs ($50,000). This indicates the Foundation funds capital campaigns, environmental work, and human services programming across a wide range of amounts.

• Contact the Community Impact Officer early: Elizabeth Jones (ejones@crcfonline.org) is the named contact for grant assistance. The Foundation encourages direct communication with staff, noting the Chautauqua Grants website is "not intended to replace direct communication with individual funders."

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• CRCF is a well-capitalized community foundation ($148 million in assets) with a structured, tiered grant program — align your request amount precisely to the correct program tier before applying.
• The geographic focus is specifically Southern Chautauqua County — organizations serving other parts of the county should check eligibility carefully; the Geographic Fund Grants are specifically for Falconer, Kennedy, Ellington, and Randolph communities.
• All applications go through Chautauqua Grants (chautauquagrants.org) — create your account there first and review all fund-specific guidelines before beginning an application.
• The Strategic Project Grant is the only pathway to awards over $20,000 and requires a pre-application by December 1 — full applications are by invitation only, so plan well ahead.
• The Foundation's explicit evaluation criteria favor projects that address unmet community needs, demonstrate leverage for additional funding, and do not duplicate existing services — structure your narrative accordingly.
• With 50+ community volunteers reviewing applications, write in accessible, plain language and lead with concrete community impact rather than organizational credentials.
• The Community Impact Officer, Elizabeth Jones (ejones@crcfonline.org), is the named point of contact for grant navigation — reaching out before submitting is explicitly encouraged by the Foundation.
• The Women's Giving Circle represents a secondary funding stream for projects benefiting women and children; membership and grant priorities rotate annually, so monitoring their focus area each year is worthwhile.

References

1. Chautauqua Region Community Foundation — Official Website: https://www.crcfonline.org/ (accessed February 2026)
2. Grants Page — CRCF: https://www.crcfonline.org/organizations (accessed February 2026)
3. About Page — CRCF: https://www.crcfonline.org/about/ (accessed February 2026)
4. News Page — CRCF: https://www.crcfonline.org/news/ (accessed February 2026)
5. Chautauqua Grants — CRCF Funder Profile: https://www.chautauquagrants.org/local-funding/chautauqua-region-community-foundation (accessed February 2026)
6. Chautauqua Region Community Foundation — Instrumentl 990 Report: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/chautauqua-region-community-foundation-inc (accessed February 2026)
7. Chautauqua Region Community Foundation — ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EIN: 16-1116837): https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161116837 (accessed February 2026)
8. CauseIQ Organization Profile: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/chautauqua-region-community-foundation,161116837/ (accessed February 2026)
9. Women's Giving Circle Inaugural Meeting — CRCF News: https://www.crcfonline.org/news/womens-giving-circle-inaugural-meeting (accessed February 2026)
10. Tory Irgang Named to CCB's Board of Directors — Cattaraugus County Bank: https://www.countonccb.com/news/tory-irgang-named-to-ccbs-board-of-directors/ (accessed February 2026)
11. CRCF Staff Updates — CRCF News: https://www.crcfonline.org/news/crcf-staff-updates (accessed February 2026)
12. Funding Available for the Falconer Region — Post-Journal: https://www.post-journal.com/news/local-news/2025/03/funding-available-for-the-falconer-region/ (accessed February 2026)
13. Chautauqua Region Community Foundation — Candid Foundation Directory: https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=CHAU001 (accessed February 2026)