BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The Stephen David Ross University and Community Projects Fund has awarded $28,300 in grants to support initiatives carried out through collaborations between local nonprofit organizations and University partners.
Ross, distinguished research professor emeritus, established the fund to advance working partnerships between the University and the community.
Grants were awarded to seven projects:
- Binghamton Food Rescue will be receiving $5,821 for a partnership between NoMa and Sustainable Communities. This program will provide rescued food from local farmers’ markets and stores at no cost to individuals and organizations that would otherwise not have access to enough healthy, affordable food, all while keeping food out of landfills.
- Black Art @ BUAM will be receiving $4,115 for a partnership between Binghamton University Art Museum and the Binghamton Philharmonic. This project aims to expose up to 3,000 school children and their chaperones and 900 Binghamton Philharmonic patrons to works of art by Black creators.
- Empowering Caregiver and Child Connections Through the Power of Play and Storytime will receive $3,000 for a partnership between Division of Speech and Language Pathology and Mothers & Babies Perinatal Network. This project will empower parents and caregivers participating in the Mothers & Babies Parents as Leaders (PAL) program with the knowledge, abilities and skills to promote speech, language and literacy development in their young children through play and reading.
- Evidence-Based Emergent Literacy Instruction: Teacher and Speech-Language Pathology will receive $4,809 for a partnership between the Division of Speech and Language Pathology and Mom's House of Endicott, NY. This project will implement emergent literacy intervention that will effectively increase children’s alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness and emergent writing skills while increasing the knowledge of both preschool teachers and graduate speech-language pathology students relative to evidenced-based emergent literacy practices in a classroom setting.
- Greenhouse Project for CCCNY will receive $2,571 for a partnership between Compassionate Care of Central NY and the student group NuRhoPsi. The greenhouse project will help Compassionate Care of Central NY expand its services through a partnership with Binghamton University and the Broome County community, offering individuals with traumatic brain injuries the opportunity to engage in gardening, promote healthy eating habits and improve their motor skills.
- Happy Healthy Lives will receive $3,000 for a partnership between Department of Social Work and Rural Health Network of SCNY, Inc. This project will promote holistic well-being among rural older adults in Northern Broome County through a lending closet of enrichment supplies and leisure activities to share with clients during home visits.
- Language Chef will receive $4,984 for a partnership between Division of Speech Language Pathology and Gigi's Playhouse of the Southern Tier. This project will provide a motivational, real-life applicable learning experience to adults with ID to foster expressive, receptive and pragmatic language growth through participation in an adult cooking class.
Ross Fund grants are awarded based on the following priorities: promotion of collaboration and cooperation between University and community groups; innovative use of the talents and resources of project partners; demonstrated commitment to the use of existing funds or to obtaining matching funds; and significant, enduring and positive difference in the quality of life of the community.
Further information can be found on the Center for Civic Engagement website. Details for the 2025 grant cycle will be announced in February 2025.
For more information, contact Sara Hall, senior assistant director, Center for Civic Engagement, at sarahall@binghamton.edu.
