Trumansburg Education Foundation celebrates innovative year of grants

The Trumansburg Education Foundation presented its end-of-year report at the June 11 Trumansburg Central School District (TCSD) Board of Education meeting, highlighting the best and most innovative projects and programs that received grant funding from the foundation during this school year. 

Michelle Mitrani — president of the foundation’s board of directors, as well as its chair of public relations and social media coordinator — presented the report to the LCSD board. She noted the opportunities that the foundation can provide to educators and even to students who are interested in going above and beyond in their education. 

“We had a great year,” Mitrani said. “The grants that come in are varied and interesting. We have such an engaged community of teachers and students who are applying for grants.”

The Trumansburg Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation organized in 2006. Run by a volunteer board of directors, the foundation provides grants and supports educational programs in the schools and community. The foundation is a result of a collaborative effort between parents, alumni, teachers, residents and local business people. 

The organization’s partners include any nonprofit organization with a viable program that will benefit students in the district. Programs may be initiated by the school, a library, a museum, an arts organization, the foundation itself or another nonprofit partner in the community.

According to the organization’s website, the foundation has awarded more than $160,000 in grants that have benefited students. Additionally, the foundation coordinates and funds the Trumansburg Troubadour, a biannual student newsletter, and the Kids Discover the Trail! (KDT!) program. Each year, KDT! sends pre-K through sixth-grade students on a field trip to a site on the Discovery Trail related to their grade’s curriculum.

This year, Mitrani said, the foundation raised thousands of dollars at the annual May Day 5k race, which was founded 12 years ago. The race, which surpassed more than 400 signups, starts at Trumansburg Elementary School. The Trumansburg Parent Teacher Organization and the foundation receive a split of the proceeds, which this year surpassed more than $10,000.

“It is such a great event,” Mitrani said. “It gets the community active.”

The foundation also awards the Betty McKnight Legacy Award, which honors a member of the local community whose values “reflect Betty’s dedication to hands-on learning and empowering students to use education to contribute to their community,” the foundation’s website reads.

McKnight was a beloved and active resident of Trumansburg. She earned a doctorate in science education from Cornell University and dedicated her life’s work to advocating for teachers and engaging students in hands-on learning, according to the foundation’s website. McKnight  believed that helping students gain an understanding of math and science concepts early on leads to confident students and good citizens of the planet. 

“We have a selection for the award coming up in the next few weeks,” Mitrani said. “[McKnight] really prized hands-on learning and was supportive of the educators in our community. She left us a major legacy; she put the foundation in a better place for us to do what we do.”

In 2020, foundation received $208,584 in the form of a bequest from McKnight, according to the foundation’s website. 

A recipient of the award is chosen in a blind vote by the foundation’s board of directors, and the award is presented before the end of the school year. All candidates for this award receive honorable mention, recognition and gratitude for their outstanding work and impact on our community. The award winner is presented with a certificate, a letter of congratulations, a $75 personal check and a $300 grant for their classroom or a donation of their choice.

Mitrani said parties interested in applying for grants can find more information on the foundation’s website at tburgedfoundation.org. She noted that the foundation receives grant applications for under $1,000 on a rolling basis. Larger grants, she added, operate on two grant cycles every year.

Eddie Velazquez is a local journalist who lives in Syracuse and covers the towns of Lansing and Ulysses. Velazquez can be reached at edvel37@gmail.com.