Mission

The mission of the Stewart W. and Willma C. Hoyt Foundation, Inc., created to perpetuate the Hoyts' charitable interest, is to use its resources to enhance the quality of life of the people of Broome County, primarily through judicious grantmaking.
 

Board of Directors

Albert Mamary, Chair
Aubrey Clark, Vice-Chair
William H. Rincker, Secretary-Treasurer
Eugene E. Banick
Marena Gonz
Maria Motsavage
Howell M. Palmer
Carole Peduto
Gary David Rein

Staff

Catherine Schwoeffermann, Executive Director
Janet Scarinzi, Executive Assistant
Jane M. Fett, Finance Manager

Background

Willma Cornell Hoyt’s Broome County roots ran deep. An only child, she was born in 1888 to a family with a long history in the area. Her grandfather Cornell had established a successful funeral business, later continued by her father, first in Port Crane and then in Binghamton. The family enjoyed the respect of the community in part because of the value they placed on family, church, friendship, and high standards of business practice.

In 1907, at age 19, Willma married Stewart, a native of Michigan. The Hoyts, who were childless, lived with her parents at 70 Front Street for many years, and the two couples were very close. Both Hoyts were generous, and throughout the 60 years of their marriage, they followed a pattern of regular giving to their church and to arts and social service organizations in the Broome County area.

Two years after Stewart’s death in 1968 at the age of 94, Willma established the Hoyt Foundation with assets based on their early investments in IBM. Annual gifts to the community, in accordance with the Hoyts’ long established interests, were made by a small board including Willma for the remainder of her life. When she died in 1982, also at the age of 94, the foundation received its major funding—some $9 million—from her estate.

Although the lives of both Willma and Stewart Hoyt were distinguished by quiet philanthropy, they would be surprised at the extent to which their legacy has benefited the community in which they made their home for so many years. Since 1971, grants to the people of Broome County from the Hoyt Foundation have totaled over $21 million, a remarkable gift from a couple whose unassuming lives were made extraordinary by their generosity to others.

Currently, the Hoyt Foundation’s endowment is approximately $17.5 million. Stewart and Willma Hoyt’s vision and funding, coupled with the prudent management afforded by a dedicated Board, has created a strong mechanism to seek solutions to critical issues facing our community.

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Grant Guidelines and Funding Restrictions

Grants are limited to qualified nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS. Organizations must be located in, or directly serving residents of, Broome County, New York.

The Hoyt Foundation focuses broadly in the areas of:

• Arts
• Humanities
• Education
• Health
• Human Services

Organizations may qualify to submit proposals for special projects, capital needs, or technical assistance. The Foundation is particularly interested in assisting programs that meet an urgent community need, that do not unnecessarily duplicate the work of other organizations, that have explored alternative funding sources, and that have some reasonable assurance of ongoing support.

Please note the following:

• An organization may submit only one proposal during the calendar year.
• If an organization currently has an open or active grant awarded in a previous grant cycle, it cannot apply, regardless of whether all grant payments have been made. The determination as to whether a grant is “open” or “closed” is made by the Hoyt Foundation.
• Generally, if an organization received an award in one grant cycle, it must skip two (2) years (3 grant cycles) before it can apply again for another project (and the grant for which it previously received funding must be closed). Example: An agency that received a grant in Spring 2009 will be ineligible to apply until Spring 2011, and then only if the Spring 2009 grant is closed as determined by the Hoyt Foundation.
• Organizations may not resubmit a proposal for a project or program which has been previously declined by the Hoyt Foundation.

The Hoyt Foundation does not make grants to individuals, nor to churches or organizations for religious purposes. It does not make grants to organizations that have so many counterparts that to consider one would open a floodgate (examples: individual scout troops, ambulance squads, volunteer fire departments, schools and PTAs). Other limitations may apply.

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Inquiries

Letters or calls of inquiry are encouraged to determine eligibility. A meeting with the Executive Director must precede submission of a full proposal to the Hoyt Foundation.

Direct inquiries to:

Catherine Schwoeffermann, Executive Director
Hoyt Foundation
70 Front Street
Binghamton, New York 13905

or by calling: (607) 772-0780

Grants will be considered at the June and November Board Meetings. Application deadlines are April 1 and September 2. All potential grantees must have a telephone discussion with the Executive Director at least one month prior to the application deadline (March 1 for spring applications and August 2 for fall applications). If the grant meets the Hoyt Foundation's guidelines, a second meeting will be scheduled to discuss the grant application process.

A copy of Hoyt’s complete Guidelines for Grants may be downloaded.

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Recent Grants
 

AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATION

$10,000 – Memorial Board room to honor shooting victims and educational workshops to assist recent refugees and immigrants

BCC FOUNDATION

$35,000 – Grants-In-Aid Program and Faculty Development

BROOME COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL

$107,000 – United Cultural Fund Campaign

BROOME COUNTY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

$7,500 –Intensive Case Manager for Jail Ministry Program

BROOME COUNTY HEAD START

$15,000 – Purchase of a bus

DEPOSIT FOUNDATION & RURAL HOUSING SERVICES

$5,000 – Purchase of a new mini-van for the medical transportation program

EMPIRE STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION

$30,000 – Scholarships for Broome County students

GOODWILL THEATRE

$20,000 – A production of Shakespeare’s Othello

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

$20,000 – Summer camp scholarships

MOM’S HOUSE

$10,000 – Purchase and install outdoor SurfacePlay for playground area

NYCON

$9,000 – Southern Tier Capacity-Building Program

ROBERSON MUSEUM

$19,000 – Institutional capacity-building assessment

THE DISCOVERY CENTER

$5,000 – Renovation of Ecology Exhibit

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