SUNY Cortland Students to Award Local Grants Worth $10,000 Friday

CORTLAND, NY (05/06/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Cortland students will award $10,000 to local non-profit organizations during a ceremony Friday, May 9, as part of a political science course devoted to philanthropy and civic engagement.

The hour-long awards presentation takes place at 5 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. It is open to the public and refreshments will be served.

Using funds from the Learning by Giving Foundation, students in the "Philanthropy and Civic Engagement: Learning by Giving" will distribute four grants to Cortland County applicants. The students' grant decisions are focused on human services and will look to have a direct impact on people in the community.

"In short, we're a small, one-time grant-awarding foundation - distributing real money, to real people with real needs in Cortland County," said SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Henry Steck, a professor of political science who taught the course with Brooke Burk, an assistant professor of recreation, parks and leisure studies.

Local organizations submitted applications earlier in the spring semester. Final grant decisions were made by the 20 students enrolled in the course.

In addition to application review and discussion, students read about foundations and non-governmental organizations, visited application sites and wrote several reflection papers during the course.

SUNY Cortland is one of nearly 40 colleges and universities nationwide to receive the Learning by Giving Foundation's funding. The course also receives support from the College's Political Science Department and Institute for Civic Engagement. None of the money from the Learning by Giving Foundation can be used on course-related expenses.

Based on requirements set by the Learning by Giving Foundation, all awards must be $2,000 or greater. In the past two years, two sections of the course have awarded $20,000 to local non-profit organizations at awards ceremonies in the spring.

For more information on the course, contact Steck at henry.steck@cortland.edu or 607-753-4807.

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