Who Was Rosamond Gifford?
As The Gifford Foundation Celebrates 70 Years, Onondaga Historical Society helps us look back at the woman who made it all possible.Published September, 2024
Photos courtesy of Onondaga Historical Association
Rosamond Gifford had dreams of becoming a musician and leaving her mark on the world as a music teacher. Little did she know, her impact would be so much more than that. Since its inception in 1954, the Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation – commonly known as The Gifford Foundation – has awarded more than $44 million in grant funding to nonprofit organizations in Onondaga, Oswego and Madison Counties.
Born in 1873 to Mary and William H. Gifford, Rosamond moved to Boston to study music, only to return home to Syracuse in 1913 to care for her father. When he passed away in 1917, Rosamond, an only child, inherited the fortune William had built through real estate and other business investments, a sum of $1.1 million.
In 1929, she moved to Jewel, on the northern shore of Oneida Lake. She kept mostly to herself in her large home with the company of many pets, including horses, cats and goats. Though Rosamond was described by her neighbors as a mystery, newspaper articles from that time noted she kept in touch with them by phone.
As time went on, Rosamond proved to be a wise investor and generous woman, sending donations to various organizations – always anonymously. She grew her inheritance into a large sum, totaling roughly $5 million at the time of her passing in 1953. Leaving no specific instructions for the Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation, she willed that the money support general charitable purposes – “religious, educational, scientific or benevolent uses.”
And indeed it has.
The Gifford Foundation gave its first gift in October 1955, $50,000 to the Community Chest-Red Cross campaign of Syracuse and Onondaga County. The first president of the foundation, Allan B. Coughlin, was quoted in The Post-Standard saying he hoped the gift would inspire further community giving toward the campaign.
In the following decades, The Gifford Foundation supported a wide range of organizations and causes, including colleges, hospitals, libraries, cultural institutions, religious groups, and more. It is thanks to Rosamond that the School of Social Work at Syracuse University was founded. Grants from the foundation helped establish pillars of the community, like InterFaith Works. The list goes on.
Around the 40th anniversary of its founding, in 1995, the foundation’s board of directors made an effort to expand the mission, with a more active focus on addressing community needs. In 2000, the foundation began a more proactive approach, zeroing in on extensive community outreach with smaller grants to more grassroots organizations. In 2011, The Gifford Foundation established “What If…” mini grants to support Syracuse resident associations and grassroots groups. They also began implementing capacity-building programs to help area non-profits strengthen their organizational structures.
Now, 70 years later, Rosamond’s community-minded generosity still thrives as The Gifford Foundation continues to foster growth and encourage change.
For a more extensive history of Rosamond Gifford’s impact and that of The Gifford Foundation on the community, stay tuned for Onondaga Historical Association’s contributions to the Central New York Business Journal’s Legends Edition, coming later this year.
70th Anniversary Celebration
Published September, 2024On Friday, September 13, 2024, The Gifford Foundation held its 70th Anniversary Celebration at Sky Amory in Downtown Syracuse. Board President Meg Tidd (VIP Structures) kicked off the evening's program by welcoming attendees and expressing her...
Summer Recap
Published September, 2024 It was a fun and busy summer for The Gifford Foundation staff. What If community projects came to life, new cohorts were selected for our flagship capacity-building programs, well-deserved staff recognitions were celebrated, and...
Embracing Disruption 3 – Meet the cohort
Published September, 2024 The Gifford Foundation has selected five organizations to be part of its 2024 cohort for the third installment of its Embracing Disruption program. Leadership teams from the Erie Canal Museum, Redhouse Arts Center, Salt City Harvest Farm,...
Subscribe to the Gifford Newsletter
Start enjoying our free quarterly publication today.