Social Service League of Ithaca

Applications for 2025-2026 have closed.
Please check back in Fall of 2026 for our next funding opportunity. 

Grant Guidelines:

1. To assist programs that address the most significant community needs. Applicants must prove the ability to sustain their projects without continuing support from the Social Service League. Funding is not granted for the following types of requests: capital fund drives, deficits, proposals requiring on-going support from the Social Service League*, funds to specific individuals.
2. The Social Service League takes prior funding through this process into consideration. If you have received prior funding, you must submit your final project report in order to be considered for funding this year. Applicant budget size may also be considered as a factor in the Social Service League’s funding decisions.
3. Applicants are limited to submitting one proposal per funding cycle (Note: multiple applicants sharing the same Fiscal Sponsor may apply, as long as the applicants are independent from each other and are not simply programs of the sponsor. Contact us to clarify eligibility if you have any questions).
4. Grant requests may not exceed $3,000. Over the last several funding cycles, the average grant award has typically been in the $1,000-$1,500 range.

*The Social Service League does not support regular, on-going operating expenses, unless the request shows how the activity will be supported when SSL funds are exhausted. Grants may be awarded for one-time events and initiatives that an organization’s current funding cannot support.

You can find information on our 2025-2026 grant recipients below.