History of the Salem Community Foundation

Intrigued by the model and success of the Granville Community Foundation, Kay Tomasi began to research the possibility of creating the Salem Community Foundation for her beloved hometown. It didn't take long to see that becoming an affiliate of the Glens Falls Foundation was the best approach. 

Kay recruited Peter Askin, Jim Carrolan, Sue Clary, Jon McClellan, and Herb Perkins to be part of a startup board and in December 2023 they were able to get the Foundation established and an anonymous donor stepped forward with an initial $250,000 donation.

In early 2024, through conversations between Kay Tomasi and Sue Clary, Dan Snyder was asked to join the Foundation efforts and he agreed to be the initial chair of the Advisory Board. 

With an official advisory board chair, the first task was to recruit the additional members of the advisory board. Sue Clary, Herb Perkins, and Kay Tomasi were willing to continue their work from the startup board, with Meg Southerland, Carole Lewis, and Scott Durkin agreeing to serve as members of the initial advisory board. With a full slate of advisory board members, the Board has turned its focus to making sure that the Salem Community Foundation has the resources it needs for today and tomorrow. With this in mind, the Board set an initial goal of raising $1 million by the end of 2024 and a long term goal of raising $5 million by the end of 2033 or ten years from the creation of the Foundation.