ANCA and Cloudsplitter Fdn. were instrumental in successful outcome
SARANAC LAKE | As Governor Kathy Hochul expressed in her State of the State address and proposed 2026 state budget, the future of New York’s child care sector continues to be a priority for her administration. Here in Saranac Lake, a small nonprofit school will put State funds to good use by making its aging building more energy-efficient, comfortable and safe for local children and their caregivers.
This January, Northern Lights School (NLS) received the green light from the State to move forward on a major project that will save the school money on energy bills and provide a more stable future for the facility for years to come. NLS was awarded a $320,000 grant in July 2024 from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) to replace the school’s unreliable oil furnace with a modern, energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling system. The New York Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Program grant, which required matching funds from the school, will also be used to install an insulated roof on the school building. Work on both projects is anticipated to begin this spring.
“This grant was a long time coming,” said Ann Armstrong, current NLS board member and former board president who led the school’s grant writing efforts. “We wouldn’t have received these funds without the early support from our generous community and ANCA’s expertise. This project will sustain our school building for decades to come and let us put funds once spent on fossil fuels towards our staff and young families.”
When Armstrong and the school board approached the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) for grant advocacy support in July 2023, the regional nonprofit leveraged its expertise and networks in the small business and energy sectors to identify funding sources that might support the school’s urgent infrastructure needs. ANCA staff helped NLS navigate a complex landscape of federal, state and foundation grants by helping locate suitable grant opportunities, draft proposals and submit applications.
ANCA’s clean energy team also provided information and resources regarding energy-efficiency upgrades for the building and local contractors who could complete the geothermal and roofing projects. Staff helped determine that an ultra-clean, long-lasting geothermal heat pump system, paired with a new insulated roof, was the school’s best option with the lowest long-term cost.
“We are ecstatic that this grant came through for Northern Lights after submitting so many strong proposals to other funding agencies,” said Jon Ignatowski, ANCA’s manager of food systems businesses, who previously served as the organization’s grants advocacy coordinator. “Funding for childcare is already very limited and competitive, and we have found that support for existing facilities in rural areas like ours is particularly difficult to secure. We are grateful to the NLS team for their perseverance and to DASNY for its forward-looking investment in the community. We look forward to completing a project that will serve as a model for the rest of the state.”