Who Was Rosamond Gifford?

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. 

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.