News
December 3, 2015The Wright Family Foundation Announces New Mission
The Wright Family Foundation, a Schenectady-based private family foundation has re-envisioned its mission to support some of the most critical community needs. The foundation’s new focus areas will provide grant funding in support of neighborhood revitalization, jobs and career support, and education. In addition to these core efforts, the foundation will continue to provide support for nonprofit organizations that serve the social needs of communities.
“These new focus areas allow us to provide support where it’s needed most,” said Heather Ward, Chairman of The Wright Family Foundation, Inc. “The foundation and SI Group have a long history of supporting the communities in which we live and work. Our new mission strengthens our ability to make a long-term and sustainable impact on the lives of so many.”
Historically, the foundation, the charitable arm of SI Group, has provided grant funding solely dedicated to capital projects within the greater Capital Region, home to SI Group global headquarters. With this new mission, however, the foundation will enhance its giving criteria to also include program support. Additionally, the foundation has streamlined its geographical focus to expand on its collaborations within Schenectady County, where SI Group originated and has operated for over 100 years. The foundation will continue to provide support to charities in Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina where SI Group also has a presence. Along with these changes, the foundation will seek to cultivate partnerships with other community resources, both private and public, where there are areas of commonality of mission and purpose to further leverage the impact on those communities.
Since its inception in 1997, The Wright Family Foundation has funded over 450 grants to charities throughout the greater Capital Region, totaling $18 million. In 2015, the foundation contributed over $1.2 million, including grants to Schenectady Public Library Bornt Branch, Capital District Community Gardens, Northeast Parent and Child, Schenectady Community Action Program and Things of My Very Own, Inc.
