Award-Winning Fund Aims to Supercharge Catskills Nonprofits

JOHNSON CITY, NY – The Delaware County Business Alliance honored the Catskills  Campaign for the Future Fund (CCFF) with its prestigious Community Connector Award, recognizing the  Fund’s mission to strengthen and sustain nonprofits across the Catskills. The award, presented during the  Alliance’s annual dinner on August 20th, celebrated organizations actively fostering collaboration and  capacity building in local communities. 

“Our Community Connector Award is presented to an organization or person taking effective steps to build  collaborative capacity in and among our communities,” said Ray Pucci, President of Delaware County  Business Alliance. “Nonprofit organizations continue to provide essential services to ever growing numbers  of residents with diminished resources. The Catskills Campaign for the Future Fund is an opportunity to  build awareness, create new collaboration, and ensure sustainability for these vital organizations.” 

Local nonprofits play a critical role in conservation, environmental stewardship, and community  development throughout the vast, rural NYC watershed, all while facing chronic underfunding. These  organizations tackle urgent challenges such as mental health access, food insecurity, and lack of public  transportation, underscoring the need for the flexible, sustainable funding that the CCFF seeks to provide. 

Launched by the Community Foundation for South Central New York (CFSCNY) on June 24, 2025, the CCFF  aims to raise $5 million by year’s end providing multi-year, unrestricted general operating support to  community-based charitable organizations. The pilot will begin in Delaware County this fall, expanding to  watershed areas of Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties in subsequent years. Grant recipients  will be selected by an advisory committee composed of embedded local leaders, with the first round of  grants to be announced in February 2026. 

“The CCFF steering committee is very grateful to the Delaware County Business Alliance and Ray Pucci for  this generous award,” said Marjorie Miller, CCFF Steering Committee member. “This fund is based on an  idea I had over a decade ago. It will address non-profit needs within the five-county footprint of the New  York City watershed. We are capitalizing the fund via NYC residents, while working to secure matching funds  from local and regional partners. Our motto is Do Good, Have Fun(ds), while addressing very real needs.  Thank you for this recognition, and to Ray Pucci, for your service to Delaware County and for being a vital  part of our rollout.” 

The Community Foundation for South Central New York., is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 and  headquartered in Johnson City. The Foundation encourages and facilitates personal and institutional  philanthropy throughout the region by working with local donors and organizations. From their $47 million assets under management, the Foundation has awarded over $33 million in grants to the area’s nonprofits  to help address community concerns and improve the quality of life in the region through their 170 plus  funds. The Community Foundation serves donors and nonprofits in five New York counties: Broome,  Chenango, Delaware, Otsego and Tioga. More information about the Foundation can be found on its website at donorswhocare.org.