In 1945, five public-spirited businessmen, Paul Brainard, William Burns, Sherman Peer, George Rogalsky, and Gerald Williams dreamt of a way to provide for the betterment of the community that they had grown to love. Their goal was to “…receive and accept private gifts and to create there from an enduring fund designed to encourage and support character, health, building, educational, recreational and welfare activities in the larger Ithaca community.” The Ithaca Foundation was born on October 13, 1945, with 4 gifts totaling $22,600. By 1952 the young foundation was already making gifts to support critical needs in the community, with the first grants going to the Tompkins County Legal Aid Society and the Practical Nurses Association Student Fund. In 1961 the foundation was renamed The Tompkins County Foundation, to officially recognize the foundation’s dedication to serving all of Tompkins County.

​

Support continued to pour in and by 1964 the fund had assets of over $100,000. Many of the gifts came from community members whose deep love for Tompkins County inspired them to leave planned gifts to the foundation in their estate plans. By 1990 the fund was almost $1 million. In 2007 the foundation was renamed Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County.

​

Because of the generosity of the community and well-managed investments, the endowment is currently over $3.5 million. This allows the foundation board to award grants totaling over $200,000 to worthy Tompkins County organizations each year, making our community a better place for us all.