QUARRY FARM FOUNDATION

Quarry Farm Foundation

In 2022 a collection of individuals saw the need to organize and institute a major fundraising campaign for Quarry Farm and CMTS. As a result, last year witnessed the formation of The Quarry Farm Foundation, Inc., a duly registered and approved 501(c)(3) charitable organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service and the New York State Charities Bureau. Board members include representatives of the Langdon family, prominent Elmira businesspeople, delegates from the Chemung County Historical Society, and senior administrators of Elmira College. CMTS has been designated the operating arm of the Quarry Farm Foundation. The stated purpose of the Quarry Farm Foundation is to restore and renew all the operating systems at Quarry Farm and to create an endowment that will make Quarry Farm self-sufficient and provide a significant additional funding source for CMTS.

The first action of the Quarry Farm Foundation was to launch a comprehensive and ambitious fund-raising drive. The campaign currently has a $6,000,000 goal, $2,000,000 of which will be dedicated to the complete overhaul of every operating system at Quarry Farm. $500,000 of the $2,000,000 will be raised locally and will focus on the most urgent priorities, fire suppression and drainage. The balance, $4,000,000, will fund an endowment to ensure the long-term self-sufficiency of Quarry Farm and the Center for Mark Twain Studies. If successful, the Quarry Farm Foundation has the potential to revolutionize the preservation efforts of Quarry Farm and the services provided by CMTS.

By the end of 2022, in its silent phase, the Quarry Farm Foundation has raised over $300,000 in actual and pledged donations from the local Elmira community. A successful local campaign will surely prove valuable as demonstration of the “local share” in approaches to national foundations.