40 COMMUNITY NON-PROFITS BENEFIT FROM 2025 AWARDS

CLAVERACK, NY—The Ackerman Foundation has doubled the dollar value of its annual awards to Columbia County non-profits for community improvement activities.

Awards this year totaled $100,000, with a new high of 40 organizations supported, including 14 first-time applicants. The grant total nearly outstrips the award totals from the Foundation’s first three years of operation combined, made possible by additions to its endowment.

“This year, as pressures on resources for non-profits increase everywhere, we are proud to significantly expand our grant awards locally,” said Foundation President Claire Ackerman. “The 40 organizations we are funding this year provide a broad range of vital services to residents throughout Columbia County.”

She also noted that the Foundation’s awards support organizations led by dedicated volunteers and rooted in strong community ties, which amplify the impact of the grants.

Organizations receiving funds this year are:

  • A. B. Shaw Fire Company, rescue equipment
  • Ancram Opera House Theater, storytelling for schoolkids
  • AnimalKind, veterinary assistance
  • Art School of Columbia County, renewal activities
  • Chatham Area Recreation Project, Shakespeare at Crellin Park
  • Claverack Free Library, children’s literacy programs
  • Columbia Children’s Center, design and engineering plans
  • Columbia County Libraries Association, accessibility software for public users
  • Columbia County Recovery Kitchen, extending food assistance
  • Columbia County Youth Theater, children’s summer theater
  • Columbia Greene Habitat for Humanity, moving ReStore
  • Destiny’s Ride Therapeutic Program, scholarships
  • Family Resource Centers of Columbia County, play and support groups
  • FASNY Museum of Firefighting, Super Saturdays
  • Friends of Copake Grange #935, community programs
  • Friends of Hudson Youth, Bike Co-op
  • Friends of Lindenwald, website redesign
  • Friends of the Chatham Public Library, summer reading
  • Germantown Library, artist installation
  • Greenport Rescue Squad, communications equipment
  • Hawthorne Valley Association, Farmscape Ecology
  • Hudson Area Association Library, oral history and archiving
  • Hudson Children’s Book Festival, free books
  • Kinderhook Memorial Library, senior fitness
  • Long Table Harvest, gleaning operations
  • Lucky Rehabilitation Center, animal welfare support
  • Mental Health Association of Columbia Greene Counties, youth workshop
  • Mental Health Awareness & Creative Arts Gallery, Inner Landscapes program
  • NAMI Columbia County, family support
  • National Inventors Hall of Fame, science camp scholarships
  • Neighbors of Northern Columbia County, self-help networking
  • Perfect Ten After School, RESET tutoring and mentoring
  • PS21, CommonGround festival
  • Roeliff Jansen Community Library, senior wellness
  • Roving Actors’ Repertory Ensemble (The Two of Us Productions), stage productions
  • Spencertown Academy Society, quilt exhibition
  • Super-Stories, community creative workshops
  • The Second Show, community voucher program
  • Valatie Community Theatre, equipment upgrade
  • Valatie Free Library, sensory play equipment

All Ackerman Foundation grantees agree to provide evaluation reports assessing the success and effectiveness of the activities funded.

The Ackerman Foundation awards are given once a year in July. The application portal for the upcoming grant cycle will open in Spring 2026.

Applications must meet the criterion of improving the lives of people and animals in Columbia County, NY, and must be submitted by a qualified 501(c)3 or via a fiscal agent who is.

The Foundation’s website, theackermanfoundation.org, contains additional details of the Foundation’s operations, board, and previous grantees. The website also houses the online portal where grant applications and evaluation reports can be filed.

Notice on the website in early 2026 will announce specific dates of the next application period.

For questions or more information, please visit theackermanfoundation.org or email info@theackermanfoundation.org.

The Foundation and its work honor David M. Ackerman, a local businessman of nearly 50 years in Hudson and Columbia County, known for his quick wit, “negative charisma,” and genuine good-heartedness, demonstrated through his many acts of quiet philanthropy throughout his life. He established the Foundation shortly before his death.