Glens Falls, New York: In 2007 the Charles R. Wood Foundation Board of Directors awarded a total of $1,502,910 in grants to area nonprofit organizations. Over the past three years the Foundation has awarded over 2 million dollars – $2,321,460 to benefit the Lake George Region and surrounding areas.

Charles R. Wood established the Charles R. Wood Foundation in 1978 to provide assistance in areas of special need in the Lake George Region and surrounding areas. Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations with an emphasis on programs for children, healthcare and the arts. Mr. Wood, founder of Storytown USA, the present-day Great Escape Theme Park, the Double H Hole in the Woods Camp for critically ill children and numerous other endeavors and businesses in the area, died in September of 2004 leaving the majority of his estate to the Foundation that bears his name.

In 2007 the Charles R. Wood Foundation awarded the following grants: $125,000 to the Charles R. Wood Theater in a Matching Grant for a fundraising initiative; $100,000 to support the Double H Hole in the Woods Ranch; $50,000 to the Arto Monaco Historical Society; $62,000 to the Adirondack Theatre Festival in support of leadership transition and continued support of the STAGEWRITE Program in the schools; $25,000 to the Adirondack Historical Association to support the Rustic Exhibition project; $10,000 to the Association for the Hearing Impaired to help fund their assistive technology loan-out program; $5,000 to the Bay Ridge Rescue Squad; $5,000 to Caritas; $10,000 to the Children’s Museum of Saratoga; $20,00 to the Crandall Park Beautification Committee to support the project to build a new field house; $200,000 to the Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center to support the continued residency of the New York City Ballet; $35,000 to Sunnyview Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Schenectady for the purchase of equipment for their stroke center; $100,000 to the YMCA of Saratoga County to assist in the funding of a new pool with handicapped accessibility; $15,000 to the Adirondack Mountain Club for the Charles R. Wood Trail Project; $10,000 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Adirondacks for the Charlie’s Children of Promise program; $10,000 to Boy Scouts of America to expand and renovate their food service program; $10,000 to the Community Hospice for their urban School Outreach program; $2,500 to the Community Lunchbox for kitchen equipment; $25,000 to the World Awareness Children’s Museum; $7,500 to the Girl Scouts of Adirondack Council for the Camp Lodge Conversion project; $10,000 to Community Work and Independence to purchase a modular lift management system; $15,000 to Doorways to Healing to fund workshops; $100,000 to the Glens Falls Hospital; $15,000 to the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra to fund their 2007 holiday concert and drum purchase; $50,000 as the first payment to Hudson Headwaters Health Network for the purchase of a digital mammography machine; $16,000 to both the Johnsburg Emergency Squad and the Warrensburg Emergency Medical Services to purchase a LifePak defibrillator; $10,000 to the Lake George Opera Festival Association for their “Annual Opera to go Education Tour”; $10,000 to the Liberty House Foundation; $65,000 to the Luzerne Music Center for renovation to The Lodge and to purchase sound, lighting and recording equipment; $20,000 to St. Mary’s-St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School to complete the commitment to the Cornerstone project; $6,500 to The Depot Theatre to bring a production to the Wood Theatre; $180,000 to the Warren Washington County Homeless Youth Coalition for the purchase of a house and property; $5,000 to Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York; $5,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northeast New York; $9,535 to the Moreau Emergency Squad for the purchase of a specialized ambulance cot; $5,000 to the Northeastern New York Educational Corporation; $4,000 to NYSARC for the Next Chapter Book Club program; $5,000 to the Oscar Seagle Association; $2,500 to Pencil Pals; $6,125 to Pendragon Theater Company; $2,500 to the Regional Food Bank of NE New York; $1,000 to the Town of Johnsburg Library; $13,500 to the United Cerebral Palsy Association of the Tri-Counties; $25,000 to Vanderheyden Hall for the renovation and expansion of their diagnostic unit, $50,000 to Wildwood Programs for their camp running water project, and $7,000 to the Warrensburgh Historical Society to repair and restore their historic mural. An additional $8,250 was granted to benefit various other not-for-profit organizations.

The Foundation Board reviews grant applications twice a year, in the spring and fall. To be reviewed at the spring meeting there is a deadline of April 1 for grant submissions and a deadline submission of August 1 for review at the fall meeting. Grants are awarded to organizations that focus their efforts in areas that benefit children, healthcare and the arts.

Not-for-profit organizations that fall within the granting guidelines are encouraged to apply to The Charles R. Wood Foundation to be considered for funding. Information about grant applications can be obtained online at: