Giving never felt so good! When you agree to donate the minimum $1 per month through SEFCU's Giving for Good program we'll transfer the funds from your account automatically each month. Think about it - for just $12 a year you can help SEFCU continue its mission of improving the lives of people in our community. Plus, we provide special opportunities to our Giving for Good members throughout the year!

Visit our Giving for Good page for complete details.

Each quarter SEFCU highlights volunteers who are making our communities better places through their commitment and contributions by presenting the Why I Care award. Even though the recipients of this award have different reasons for giving, the result is the same – they are Changing Lives Every Day.

As temperatures plunge across the state – and across the country – the homeless population continues to utilize emergency drop-in shelters to escape the cold.

IPH, the non-profit organization formerly known as the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless, has been serving the needs of the homeless community in Albany and surrounding areas in the Capital Region for more than 35 years.  

On June 8, National Best Friend Day, SEFCU volunteers assembled and delivered 225 care kits to support the programs of Unity House Domestic Violence Services.

With the rapidly unfolding situation surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19), SEFCU's Community Support team has issued the following statements to non-profits:

1. We are currently processing approved grant payments with no interruption. Checks will be sent through the mail, however award letters will come through email.
 

2. We are continuing to accept online requests for funding through our portal at www.sefcu.com/community-portal. We can evaluate grants to make awards with no interruption. Our normal review timeline of 4-6 weeks is in effect for programmatic, capacity building, and sponsorship requests.
 

3. Our Community Support team will be working remotely. We will manage meetings with grantees, associations, or other professionals on an as needed basis. As usual, we do not review requests for funding that come through the mail and we ask that you email [email protected] with any materials you would otherwise normally mail.
 

4. Our Community Support team is reviewing applications so SEFCU can assist non-profits with immediate funding needs so they may serve the most vulnerable in our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review of these applications will be a high priority and the timeline to receive funds will be expedited. Funding will be considered for organizations that fall within SEFCU’s Giving Guidelines (www.sefcu.com/guidelines-for-giving). If you do not already have a Blackbaud account you will need to create one to apply for funding. 

Apply Now for Emergency Funds or In-Kind Support

A wing of the Albany County Jail that was converted into apartments to shelter the homeless. It’s a part of a program called S.H.I.P.

Our year-end program where our Management Team gets the opportunity to select charities to receive a financial donation on their behalf produced a total of $174,500 in funds distributed to 79 different organizations across SEFCU’s footprint. The largest amount of funds ($21,500) went to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY.

In 2021 SEFCU will continue its support of the American Heart Association (AHA) with a $50,000 grant and partnership on a number of programs throughout the year with the goal of educating underserved populations in the Capital Region about stroke and heart attack signs, symptoms, and prevention and supporting fundraising events. 

SEFCU's effort to fight hunger continued this week as the third SEFCU-sponsored Freight Farms arrived here in the Capital Region. The newest hydroponic farm was put in place Thursday at the City Mission of Schenectady and will soon provide hungry people in the Electric City with healthy, organic produce.

The new farm is known as a "Greenery" and can grow up to 13,000 plants at once. It is also incredibly environmentally friendly, operates with adjustable LED light panels to maximize efficiency, and takes just five gallons of water a day to grow plants.