Members of the Future Fund may have contributed to causes in the past, but they are generally new to thinking about the civic importance of philanthropic giving. They come from across Central New York, primarily in the communities surrounding Syracuse. Many are young professionals. Their membership in the Fund gives them an inside look at how longtime grantmakers approach the work of serving our community. Members learn about areas of need in Central New York, go on site visits with past and prospective future grant recipients, and interact with Community Foundation staff.

In addition, members are party to discussions that will continue to resonate in future years as they consider their personal philanthropy:

• Should our funding support prominent, well-funded organizations or small, unknown groups with compelling missions and questionable administration?
  
  
• Should we direct funding toward major community needs that already receive significant funding, or focus on smaller problems overlooked by others?
  
  
• Should decisions about who receives a grant be based on the strength of the application (i.e., the professionalism of the organization’s grant writer), or on our inferred understanding of the program, even if it’s poorly described?
  
  
• Should we give one large grant or a series of smaller grants?
  
  
• Should we give to organizations that are so large that our money would be a drop in the bucket? Or vice versa, do we have to worry about small organizations desperate for our grant applying even though our focus area isn’t in their mission?

Members serving on the Fund’s grantmaking committee also decide how to structure an application process and generally how to evaluate the applicants. A subset of applications is then forwarded to the full membership for a final vote. The vote of the membership is ratified by the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.

We believe this behind-the-scenes education will result in members’ increased support of local nonprofits, separate and apart from the members’ work with the Future Fund. We also believe it will introduce a new generation of donors to the Central New York Community Foundation and its mission.