The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust Annual Report 2008
The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust John Ben Snow THE DONOR John Ben Snow was born and raised in Pulaski, New York, a small village north of Syracuse. He graduated from New York University in 1904 and soon thereafter entered F. W. Woolworth & Company. A man of vision, he was attracted to mass market sales and introduced innovative retailing techniques. He rose rapidly through the ranks from stock boy to corporate director, initially in New York, and finally in Great Britain, where he accumulated a small fortune through hard work, savings and wise investments. After retiring from Woolworth in 1939, Mr. Snow devoted the remainder of his life to building the Speidel chain of newspapers and publishing the Western Horseman. He was fond of animals, especially horses, enjoyed racing, fox hunting, polo and range riding. Throughout his life, John Ben Snow shared his wealth with relatives, friends, business associates and fellow Pulaskians. He gave generously and freely to those persons and causes he cherished. He preferred to invest in people, especially the young, by making available financial assistance, primarily for education. He also believed in improving the quality of life in Pulaski and its environs. To further these and other philanthropic causes, he established The John Ben Snow Foundation in 1948. The Foundation continues to operate under the terms of its original charter. The charter, granted by the State of New York, authorizes the Foundation to grant funds for educational and humanitarian purposes to qualified organizations. The present membership of its Board, seven in number, includes persons of diverse occupational backgrounds and geographical areas. The Board meets once a year, usually in June, to approve new grants and review previously funded projects. 2
FUNDING POLICIES The mission of the Memorial Trust is to make grants within specific focus areas to enhance the quality of life in many geographic regions. Historically, the Memorial Trust has made grants in the following program areas: Arts and Culture Community Development Education Environment Historic Preservation Journalism The Memorial Trust responds to the ever-changing needs of various segments of the population, especially to the needs of young people and people who are disadvantaged either physically or economically. It is the Memorial Trust s general policy to give preference to proposals seeking funds for new or enhanced programs, onetime, short-term grants to sustain a program until funding is stabilized, matching grants used to encourage the participation of other donors, and last dollars towards a capital campaign. The Memorial Trust will not accept proposals from individuals or for-profit organizations. Additionally, the Memorial Trust does not encourage proposals from religious organizations or proposals for endowments, contingency funding, or debt reduction. There are no minimums or maximum grant amounts; however, most grants range from $10,000 to $25,000. GRANT APPLICATION PROCEDURES The Memorial Trust is pro-active in seeking grant proposals from qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations. Additionally, the Memorial Trust accepts unsolicited proposals from qualifying organizations. An initial letter of inquiry must be submitted on organization letterhead and received by January 1st of the year in which a grant is requested. The initial letter of inquiry should include the background of the organization, a description of the proposed project detailing the time frame and anticipated outcomes, and a high-level project budget. The letter of inquiry should be addressed to one of the following regional offices: The Snow Memorial Trust C/O Jonathan L. Snow, Trustee 50 Presidential Plaza, Suite 106 Syracuse, NY 13202 The Snow Memorial Trust C/O Allen R. Malcolm, Trustee 104 Church Alley Chestertown, MD 21620 The Snow Memorial Trust C/O Emelie M. Williams, Trustee 2975 Knight Road Reno, NV 89509 If the proposal meets the stated guidelines and priorities of the Memorial Trust, a grant application will be forwarded. 3
All grant applications must be submitted using the Memorial Trust grant application form and must be received by April 1st of the year in which a grant is requested. The following information must also be included with the formal grant application: Executive summary (not to exceed one page) Detailed project budget including itemized expenses and sources of income Listing of the Board of Directors including names and board positions held A copy of the organization s 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS Most recent audited financial statement Organization budget Failure to provide all of the required information will result in the rejection of the grant application. The Trustees may require additional information and possibly an interview or site visit. Any discussions or indications of interest should not be construed as a commitment by the Trustees. All complete grant applications are carefully considered and evaluated by the Trustees. Applicants are notified in writing of the Trustees decision by July 1st. All approved grant applicants are required to sign and return a Grant Acceptance Agreement prior to any funds being released by the Memorial Trust. REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES Because the Trustees assume that the grantee has a moral and legal obligation to account for all funds received, each grantee is required to submit a formal report accounting for the expenditures of the grant funds by March 1st of the year after the approval of the grant. This report should include: Executive summary (not to exceed one page) Detailed narrative Financial accounting Relevant attachments All grant reports are reviewed by the Trustees. Any change in plans must be approved by the Trustees. If a grantee fails to submit a formal report, the Trustees reserve the right to request that the grant funds be returned. Additionally, further grants will not be considered until a final report is received. TRUSTEES Bank of New York Mellon Allen R. Malcolm Jonathan L. Snow Emelie M. Williams 4
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Year Ending: 31 December 2007 Total Assets:......................................$ 27,988,031 Excise Taxes:......................................$ 23,984 Total Investment Revenue:...........................$ 1,868,823 Grants Paid:......................................$ 1,289,500 GRANTS APPROVED AT THE 2008 ANNUAL MEETING *Denotes matching grant ARTS AND CULTURE Artown Reno, NV..................$ 4,000 2009 Festival Chenango County Council of the Arts Norwich, NY.......................$ 13,000 Security system Churchill Arts Council Fallon, NV.....$ 10,000 Oats Park Center renovation Friends of Washoe County Library Reno, NV..........................$ 10,000 Public Space Art at SW Truckee Meadows Library Partners for Arts Education Syracuse, NY.......................$ 15,000 Funding for conferences with arts partners Reno Chamber Orchestra Reno, NV....$ 2,500 Student Voucher System Program Reno Philharmonic Association, Inc. Reno, NV..........................$ 8,000 Celebrate Strings St. John s College Annapolis, MD......$ 10,000 Mitchell Gallery renovation Strathmore Hall Foundation, Inc. North Bethesda, MD.................$ 5,000 Multi-disciplinary arts programming Syracuse Children s Chorus Syracuse, NY $ 10,000 Support for 2008-2009 concerts $87,500 COMMUNITY INITIATIVES The Children s Cabinet of Reno Reno, NV..........................$ 7,500 Family Counseling Program Committee to Aid Abused Women Reno, NV..........................$ 15,000 Expansion of emergency housing facilities Contact We Care Westfield, NJ........$ 4,000 Suicide Awareness & Prevention Training Family Promise of Reno/Sparks Reno, NV..........................$ 7,500 Transportation for homeless families Food Bank of Northern Nevada Sparks, NV.........................$ 20,000 Support for computers/servers Greater Pulaski Community Fund Pulaski, NY.........................$ 15,000* Greater Pulaski Community Fund Challenge Annapolis Area Ministries Annapolis, MD......................$ 5,000 Homelessness prevention and support center Marcellus Free Library Marcellus, NY...$ 15,000 Teen Tutor Room Nevada Diabetes Association for Children & Adults Reno, NV......$ 6,000 Small Steps Big Rewards Nevada Discovery Museum Reno, NV..$ 25,000 Roof on new facility Saint Martin's Ministries Ridgley, MD..$ 20,000 Expand services to homeless women and children 5
Saint Mary's Health Network Reno, NV.$ 10,000 Van programs for dental care Sultana Projects, Inc. Chestertown, MD.$ 20,000 John Smith Trail Expeditions Village of Pulaski Pulaski, NY.........$ 50,000 Replace roof of Snow Municipal Building YMCA/YWCA - Westfield Area Westfield, NJ.......................$ 15,000 Baur Branch Enhancement DISABILITIES AND UNIVERSAL ACCESS $235,000 Aurora Free Library Aurora, NY.......$ 10,000 Universal access at main entrance Best Buddies of Maryland Best Buddies Middle School Program Blind Industries & Services of Maryland New training center Downtown Sailing Center, Inc. Purchase access dinghy Kennedy Krieger Institute, Inc. Autistic Education Programs Maryland Society for Sight, Inc. Renovation & repair of building Pathfinder Village Foundation Edmeston, NY......................$ 10,000 Expansion of dining facilities Providence Center, Inc. Glen Burnie, MD....................$ 5,000 Wheelchair lift equipped vans Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Inc. Princeton, NJ.......................$ 15,000 Mainstream Audio Project The Seeing Eye, Inc. Morristown, NJ...$ 4,000 Seminars for Youth Special Recreation Services, Inc. Reno, NV..........................$ 7,000 Camp Lotsafun EDUCATION $76,000 Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA.....$ 16,000 Cultures at the Confluence The Cooper Union New York, NY.....$ 10,000 Engineering Research Internship Cumberland College Williamsburg, KY..$ 7,500 Health & Wellness facility at Student Center Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture Doylestown, PA.......$ 10,000 Replace Equine Arena flooring Gathering Genius, Inc. Reno, NV......$ 10,000 Science Teacher Mentoring and Training Living Classrooms Foundation Baltimore, MD......................$ 20,000 * Education and job skill training for at risk youth McDaniel College Westminster, MD....$ 10,000 Deaf Education Programs Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) Syracuse, NY.......................$ 25,000 Development of new science education exhibits New York State Historical Association Cooperstown, NY....................$ 20,000 Graduate Fellowships in Museum Studies Pulaski Academy & Central School Pulaski, NY.........................$ 40,000 Academic Achievement Scholarships Pulaski Academy & Central School Alumni Assoc. Pulaski, NY...........$ 2,000 * Scholarships for graduating high school students Stevenson University Stevenson, MD...$ 5,000 Library archive collection area 6
Syracuse University - Maxwell School Syracuse, NY.......................$ 250,000 John Ben Snow & Vernon F. Snow Fellowship University of Connecticut Foundation Storrs, CT..........................$ 20,000 Fellowship for Not-for-Profit MBA students University of Nevada - School of Medicine Reno, NV..........................$ 50,000 Health Sciences Education building Washington College Chestertown, MD..$ 25,000 Support for new performing arts center ENVIRONMENT $520,500 Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage, Inc. Easton, MD........................$ 5,000 Creation, restoration, and protection of wetlands habitat Conservancy of Southwest Florida Naples, FL.........................$ 7,500 Estuaries Report Card 2008 Cornell Cooperative Extension - Warren County Warrensburg, NY......$ 2,000 Environmental Club Irvine Nature Center Stevenson, MD...$ 25,000 Schoolyard Discovery Program Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful Reno, NV..........................$ 8,000 Awareness Campaign on Illegal Dumping National Parks Conservation Association Washington, DC....................$ 10,000 Appalachian Trail Assessment Nature Conservancy of Nevada Reno, NV..........................$ 15,000 Public access and outreach at McCarran Ranch The Student Conservation Association Inc. Charlestown, NH....................$ 5,000 Conservation Service Projects Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce Foundation Ithaca, NY...$ 10,000 Ithaca Waterfront Trail guide & brochure HISTORIC PRESERVATION $87,500 Sagamore Institute Raquette Lake, NY..$ 15,000 Expand Sagamore Website Content JOURNALISM $15,000 College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV......................$ 12,000 Computers for College Review Horizons Student Enrichment Program Chestertown, MD...................$ 25,000 Young Authors Program Modoc Forum, Inc. Cedarville, CA.....$ 5,000 Writer's Conference 2008 Nevada Humanities, Inc. Reno, NV....$ 25,000 Online Nevada Encyclopedia (ONE) SPECIAL GRANTS $67,000 University of Nevada-Oral History Program Reno, NV..........................$ 13,500 Oral history of Snow Foundation Village of Pulaski Pulaski, NY.........$ 6,000 Maintenance of Snow Memorial Building $19,500 7
YOUTH PROGRAMS Assistance League of Reno-Sparks Reno, NV..........................$ 5,000 Links to Learning Program Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada Reno, NV..........$ 8,000 Expand Little Moments, Big Magic Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum St. Michaels, MD....................$ 5,000 Hands on youth educational programming Collins Home & Family Ministries Seneca, SC.........................$ 15,000 Van replacement The Solace Tree Reno, NV...........$ 8,000 Camp Solace Tannery Pond Community Association, Inc. North Creek, NY....................$ 1,000 Summer nature camp programming The Vitamin L Project Ithaca, NY......$ 15,000 Character education program in schools $62,000 GRAND TOTAL: $1,170,000 The First Tee of Northern Nevada Reno, NV..........................$ 5,000 Life Skills Experience Education programs 8